$90

my thoughts are all over the place. been a crazy and stressful and long week at work. i've got so much going on. i'm a bit drained emotionally and mentally. hurting physically because i did the Body Buffer on the Nike Training Club app on my sweet new iPhone. hot. dog. intermediate kicked.my.butt.big.time. i am sore. but a good feeling sore...i think. also, learned how to use twitter a bit, thanks to #lilcpa...i think i might start typing and speaking in hashtags now. got an extra bit of motivation this week also. decided that i am sick of trying to finish up school. i know quitting now would be redic. so, job number 2 will come into the mix soon. and. when i get the job, all 4 classes will be complete by may. and hopefully i will still be sane. :)


i discovered that my passion is still to raise awareness about human trafficking. to be an advocate. abolitionist. speaker. i long, to the point of tears, to be able to have a job one day where i am doing advocacy and/or policy work directly related to human trafficking. it is a future dream that i will fight to get one day because there is no way the Lord would put such a passion in my heart only for me to keep it inside. i know it might take time to get to that dream, but in the mean time, i can still be an advocate. abolitionist. and speaker.
    ++the average price to buy a human being is $90. ninety dollars. to buy a person. a living.breathing.person. someone created by the hands of God. someone with worth. and value.
    ++the average age of a trafficking victim in the united states is 13. thirteen years old. my sister is almost 13. my baby sister. someone else's baby sister. someone's daughter.granddaughter.bestfriend. the average age means that there are girls younger than 13. and in many cases, the younger girls are worth more money.
    ++human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world next to drugs. because children. boys.and.girls. are able to be used over.and.over.and.over.and.over. again. it generates $32 billion dollars a year. thiry two billion dollars. 
    ++pornography plays a role. some girls are trafficked and forced to be in porn movies. some men translate image into action- they 'watch porn, seeing violent and aberrant behaviors on film, then they crave the realization of what they have seen. Those obsessions drive them to the prostituted women and girls to get what they have seen depicted so graphically.' Janice Course
    ++the word PIMP is used in our culture alot. used in such a way to say that things are cool. a pimp is not cool. throwing the word around like it is nothing, makes it seem like there is nothing wrong with being a pimp. i see books on amazon on 'how to be a pimp' and books on how pimping is so great. seriously. i was in target last weekend and a boy, maybe 10, was wearing a shirt that said 'green shirts are for pimps.' really. green shirts. young boy, do you know what a pimp is? do you know that he beats and abuses women and forces them to have sex with multiple men in order to get money for.himself? do you know that he buys her things and tells her how wonderful she is all to make her believe that he actually loves her, so that she will have sex with filthy men on a daily basis? father of this young boy, is that something you want your young son to stand for? 


the only way to stop this is to stop the demand. men. listen and learn. be a voice to other men. we need men to be abolitionists. we need men to raise awareness. check out the demi moore and ashton kutcher's new campaign- real men don't buy sex. i'll be honest- the videos are cheesy, the message is true. (http://DemiandAshton.org/). this is not okay. there is no way that someone can be silent after hearing more about this issue. it is time to do something. tell other people. get involved with some of the great organizations doing work to fight this injustice. do to more research. dosomething. 


i'm all worked up. i need my cedarville girls here to rant with me. i feel like i should have some profound closing thought. i just needed to get all that out. hopefully some of you will be stirred to action. and i'd love to talk about ways to do that. maybe i'll write that in a new post...
now that you have seen (heard), you are responsible. faith without deeds is dead.

i love bacon

so, it's been busy. i've had every intention of writing a new post multiple times, but alas, as you can see, nothing really. so, i had a weekend of making things last weekend. made banana bread. made a rocking new necklace and earrings (photos to come). i made chocolate chip bacon cookies with powdered sugar glaze and bacon crumbles. yes. twas an amazing marriage of sweet and savory and delicious. check it out. try them before you diss them-the recipe is below. i had no maple extract, but powdered sugar, vanilla, and some milk work wonders.-- quality posts coming soon!

• 3/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 lbs bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 lb bacon, cooked in whole strips
• 2 cups powdered sugar, for the maple glaze
• 1 tablespoon maple extract, for the maple glaze
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, for the maple glaze
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, for the maple glaze

Total Time: 1 3/4 h

1. 1 In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugars, extracts and eggs until creamy. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir together.
2. 2 Dough will be slightly soft. If you want a more cakelike cookie, add another 1/2 cup of flour. Mix in chocolate chips and crumbled bacon. Stir until well integrated.
3. 3 Place dough on a sheet of wax paper and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
4. 4 Preheat oven to 350°F.
5. 5 Remove dough from fridge. Pinch off 1 ½ -inch pieces and roll into balls. Set dough balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten dough balls in the center slightly with your fingers. Bake about 10 minutes, or until the dough starts to turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on a cooling rack while you make the glaze.
6. 6 Maple-Cinnamon Glaze: Mix 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon maple extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon cinnamon with enough water to make a thick glaze, about 3 tablespoons. Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. If lumpy, use a whisk.
7. 7 Spread a small amount of glaze on top of each cookie and top with a small piece (1 to 1 ½ inches) of crisp bacon

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-chocolate-chip-cookies-with-maple-cinnamon-glaze-299238#ixzz1Pa7GHHE8