Thoughts on Feminism

     While perusing my usual round of blogs last night, I came across an article on www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com concerning a documentary called the Monstrous Regiment of Women.  This documentary deals with the effects of feminism on modern society and where it came from and why.  Now, I did not see the entire thing.  I just watched a trailer for it, but within the article as well as the trailer there was enough information to get me thinking about the topic, as well as some new information that I had never heard before.  This information floored me, as I never quite made the connection before...(Forgive me for the meandering thought patterns...just trying to remember my perspectives as an impressionable young woman!)
     Personally, I would not consider myself a feminist--or at least not an intentional feminist...but living in this world today, it's hard to not have some shadow of feminism creep into your thinking at some point, as it's so wired into the modern brain.  I have almost always considered myself a traditional woman, and even in college, never really expected to follow the career path. 
   From what I remember about high school, I know that from my earliest understanding about promiscuity, I never had any desire to follow that path either.  Now I was raised in a home where levels of modesty were rather high, and privacy was respected.   I don't remember ever really talking to my mother or father about the subject at all, but early on, I formed my standard, and never really felt pressured to lower it.  However, neither did I really "date" or become interested in guys during high school...(sorry class-men of '98!), as most of them seemed completely immature and little-boyish to me.  I didn't attend dances or any other typical high school stuff, partly because we could never afford it, and partly because my circle of friends wasn't much for those kinds of activities.  So perhaps my understanding is quite a bit different than other girls, in terms of what influenced me.  I also avoided books or movies that had inappropriate s*xual content, because the thought of facing my mother with an explanation made my face heat just thinking about it! 
     Unfortunately, most girls of the last 20-30+ years haven't had that kind of innocent, protected, naive upbringing, and by the time many enter college, they have already lost their virginity.  Many girls all throughout middle and high school are under much pressure to maintain a certain appearance...girls feel the pressure to be slender, to have certain clothing styles, to be athletic in some capacity (whether through team sports or dance/acrobatics), and when you combine that with the Hollywood garbage prevalent in media, and social issues like broken homes or latch-key kids where for one reason or another, no one is home or attentive to them, many girls begin to seek attention, love, acceptance etc. in ways that are unhealthy and even dangerous.
     This really wasn't meant to be a comprehensive post about my adolescence...just trying to think through issues of the day, and what I remember my perspective to be when I was growing into womanhood...  Also, while our health classes in school were generally mixed-gender, they were not explicit or graphic in any way, and I am thankful that most of that was reserved for upper high school level.  I imagine most small town/country schools are probably the same way, and are less likely to be pushing contraceptives on kindergartners(like you sometimes hear in conservative news circles). 
     Anyway, information that so floored me had to do with the link between contraception and abortion.  As a conservative woman that runs in conservative circles, I have frequently heard the phrase "feminism has exploited women" but never quite understood how or why.  Weeellll, now I do...and exploit is, (in my opinion), too nice a word...The charge made is that there has been from day one a overarching plan, motivated by greed and the desire to create a Marxist society, at the root of feminism.  And anyone who has read anything on the subject, knows that most of the feminists were self-proclaimed Marxists(Marxist=communist/anti capitalist).  And along with this, CREATING the market for abortions, in essence, by starting s*x education earlier and earlier, and in some ways foisting contraception on younger and younger age girls...It's such a common phrase to say, "Well, they are going to do it anyway, so it's better that they know to protect themselves."  And yet, as I observe a comment in Wendy Shallit's book A Return to Modesty, (this is not a quote), there is this uncertainty among young girls as to what to do with all this "education" about s*x and intimacy...and many wonder if it's presented as a permission slip to begin acting on what you learn...and possibly begin to be promiscuous before you really want to be because you know more than you should before you are ready(and then add in pop culture and other pressures).  Does that make sense? 
     Anyway, the idea is that organizations(like Planned Parenthood) will spend thousands of dollars to "teach" younger and younger girls about "safe sex" in the HOPES that they will become promiscuous, anticipating that many many girls WILL get PREGNANT and hence come have an ABORTION, some, 3 or 4 times over... and the same organization will then reap the financial results of that...and if you look into it, most doctors willing to do abortions are in it for the MONEY...because it's a lucrative business.  And if you think about it a moment, what other motive could there be?  Does Planned Parenthood push abstinence?  No.  Anyone wonder why? Hmmm...maybe after a few years, they would put themselves OUT OF BUSINESS...
     My motive in expressing these things is NOT to pick on anyone who may have had an abortion...if anything, my heart breaks for you.  What I want to express is how absolutely horrifying this kind of manipulation is to consider, and to note how cleverly they have cloaked this under "women's rights and equality issues"...so that anyone who is a dissenter (especially a man) ends up looking like a back country hick who wants his woman barefoot and pregnant.  So the people lobbying so hard for "women's rights" in Washington are really just lobbying for permission to stay in business and to continue to make money off of the women they have duped...
     The scary part is, much of the population would be horrified and offended at the thought that this is the purpose of such organizations.  So much so, that I don't think they would believe this at all, and would discredit anyone who would try to point it out(especially a man).  So many are sooo steeped in this way of thinking that they don't even know the pot's starting to boil. 
     I know that Planned Parenthood has come under rap lately because of their willingness to NOT report it when 14 year old girls come in having gotten pregnant by a 28 year old boyfriend (when 16 is the legal consensual age, and so is considered statutory rape, yet they don't report it). 
     Understanding the business this way makes me more certain than ever that abortion is murder, and the feminism that tries to tout it's option as "liberation" is just flat out evil and is simply a type of evil rebellion cloaked under the guise of "independence".  Read up on it yourself...realize that Betty Friedan, Margaret Sanger and the like were all Marxists and even held to some of the same eugenics philosophies as ADOLF HITLER.  Yup...sickening isn't it?  And yet even Christian women have, and are still, gulping it down...
      

Leftover Chicken Burgers: A Tutorial

Hello Everyone!  Here is my simple recipe for leftover chicken burgers.  If you never know what to do with left over meats, here is one example.  Utilizing leftovers is a great way to minimize waste and save money.  My $6 roast chicken will have given us 3 meals when it's all said and done--that's $2 per meal on meat...not bad for a family of 6.  Okay, here it goes!











Start with LO cooked chicken, and 1 egg for every oh, 3/4cup of meat









Place in food processor with spices of choice.



Pulverize til pasty and ground up.







Heat pan and melt some butter.



Form patties however big or small you need.





Fry til golden and firm--about 10 minutes.







Place on bun or bread and add toppings.



This is really easy and good.  If you kiddos don't like onion, don't tell them--they'll never know!  Also, if you don't have a food processor use a large chef knife(you know, the ones that have a wide, curved blade?) , a large cutting board and rocker chop the chicken(finely) and finely mince the onion. Proceed as above.  It's just a healthier way of making a "processed chicken patty" where there is no filler, preservatives, or other undesirable things! I imagine you could freeze them too.  What other ways could this be served?  Possibly lightly simmered in BBQ sauce?  Fried in meatball sized balls and served on a hot dog bun, with sauted onions and peppers?  formed into a loaf and baked with some bacon on top to make chicken loaf?  Just have to think outside the box...All those suggestions would cheaply feed even a larger family like mine without too much fuss and preparation!

Wish I Knew How to Bring About Change

After doing a lot of contemplating, I'm still at a loss as to how to work on losing weight...I know ALL the tricks and tips...I know what is good nourishing food...and what isn't.  But knowing them doesn't do any good as I willingly suck down coffee, carbs, and sugar...and have no desire to eat the fresh tomatoes my boys are scarfing so happily...See, the weird thing is, there are somethings that I can turn away from just fine...Like soda for instance.  I would rather drink water than soda (most of the time!), but years ago, while still in high school, I got in the bad habit of often eating some snack food at lunch time with a can of soda.  After doing this 3 times a week for a while, I started noticing that I was experiencing stomach pains quite often.  So I switched to milk and stopped the soda and tried to eat regular lunch more often.  The pains ceased.  To this day, I drink maybe 4-6 glasses of soda per  year.  Not a temptation for me at all.  Same as for chips and other savory snacks.  Pretzels?  Corn chips?  Not a problem...Very little temptation.  Can take it or leave it.  But a GF double chocolate chip muffin?  Give me 2--with BUTTER, and a cup of java to boot, with sugar and cream....  and the more I seem to think about it and stress over it, the worse it gets...the only other thing I can think of is that my activity level needs to increase...but  I just don't see how that can happen...yuck...feeling defeated...

Beginning My Thyroid Journey

Hello my friends.  I just got off of a website called www.stopthethyroidmadness.com that has some very informative information concerning thyroid issues, mainly, low thyroid.  It includes a long list of symptoms that many many thyroid patients complained of even when their TSH levels were "normal", and they could find no doctor to really listen and look for answers, because the labs were trusted over symptom reversal...I am going to print this out and take it to my doctor to review...I have had some weird health issues over the last 18 months or so, that haven't seemed like a big deal, but have me stumped...and the strange thing is that so many of them seem unrelated...Several months ago, I was struck with a severe case of plantar faschiitis(foot/heel pain), so I figured it was related to tendons, ligaments, and improper foot support and bought inserts for my shoes (which have seemed to help some).  In the same space of time, I have fought high yeast (candida) levels and took anti-yeast medications twice to combat this.  I have also had insanely itchy ears for the last 2 years--so itchy I wanted to claw them, kind of itchy...How interesting is it that every one of those symptoms are on the low thyroid symptom list?  All told, I'd say that I have about 22 of the symptoms listed.  And yet, never once til just recently have any of the doctors even suspected it was low thyroid.  Oh, and even Celiac Disease can be a common indicator of this problem!  Most seriously, however, has been my weird menstrual cycles, and the apparent inability to become pregnant(yes, we are still willing to have more babies!), which has obviously never been a problem before.  Anyway, I found this to be very interesting, and hopeful, in that perhaps there is a relatively easy answer to the weirdness I have been experiencing of recent months and in this blog I would love to hear your thoughts and possibly your own stories, if any of you find simlar struggles...

GF Cookie--Milano-Style Mint Chocolate Cremes

My dear hubby mentioned, upon receiving a bag of Pepperidge Farm Mint/choc Milanos, that he thought my cookies were better!  Now that  made me feel about 2 inches tall, because in my book, cookies don't get much better than Pepperidge Farm...(not that I have eaten them lately..)  Anyway, his words inspired me to formulate a recipe for something similar gluten free...so here it is...and they are heavenly!
1 1/2 cps GF flours(I used even parts of brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch)
3/4 tsp xanthan gum                     Choc filling:  1/3 cp semi sweet chips
3/4 cps sugar                                                   1/4 cp evap milk
1/4 tsp salt                                                       2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp baking powder                                        2-3 drops mint oil
4 Tbsp butter                                                   1 Tbsp butter
2Tbsp oil                                                         -melt together in double boiler and whisk til smooth
vanilla to taste
1 egg
2-3 tsp water

In food processor, cut flour and dry stuff with butter and oil and sugar.  Add eggs and things and pulse til dough forms.  In 2 batches, roll dough into a long rectangle about 3 inches by 12-15 inches.  Using a pizza cutter, cut into 1.5 inch strips, by 3 inches.  Place on cookie sheet.  Drop carefully a rounded spoonful of filling in the middle of each cookie strip.  Cover with another strip and press edges gently.  Bake at 375* for 12 minutes or until golden...cool on rack...eat with milk...ahhhhh.....should make about 15-20/ 3 inch cookies

More Thoughts on Health and Weight

I have continued to think about this difficulty (unfortunately, think is all I have managed to do) with making consistent choices in diet and exercise regimens.  I don't know if anyone else has struggled in this way, but I also have been dealing with some undiagnosed health issues that are kind of stressing me out.  I'm going to an endocrinologist now, and he's looking for specific clues...  So, I'm all freaked out about what he might find...does anyone else eat when they are stressed?  The problem is, being overweight probably just makes the existing issues worse...it's awful...when I have something yummy at my fingertips, I'm seized with a frantic desire to grab right now, because someone might eat it later and I'll miss my chance!  Eeeeek!  What's wrong with me? 
Recently the Lord has healed my heart concerning a relationship where I was sinking under bitterness and resentment...and I know for a fact that He took my heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh...So how does the Lord play into what and how we eat and the lifestyle we live?  I want to be healthy...I've been healthier...and felt better...but there are times when knowing that I have to endure a million "no's" over the course of 6+months in order to gain victory, makes me just not want to try...it feels so depriving...like I'm losing some kind of source of joy or fulfillment...that's never quite done or full(no pun intended)...
Along that topic...I wonder if a lot of mothers (especially of small children) end up using food to "feel good"...since we rarely can do much of what we used to do to "feel good"...but I also wonder, then, if the ways in which we used to "feel good" weren't all that profitable...in the long run...if I take the time to dwell on it, my clean kitchen makes me feel good, but not in the same way drawing or painting does...I spent a LOT of time drawing and painting as a young person...now, I spend a lot of time cleaning my kitchen...but unfortunately, it tends to be messier than cleaner....I rarely draw or paint...only sew occasionally...food is a "feel good" thing, that happens pretty much right now...or whenever I want to...whereas the other things happen rarely...but lots of other things happen, like tons of laundry...scads of dishes...piles of swept up dirt...mopped floors and so on...but none of those are "feel good" things...and you know they will be there later today to do again and again... And I come full circle...because what I think the Lord is trying to show me is how many treasures on earth I have sought...and sunk to looking to foods for delight...because no matter how well I draw or paint...no matter how delish my baking...or how tidy my house...they are all made of things that will NOT stand the test of eternity...only HE will...and what prevents me from filling up on Him?  Oh, lots of things...distractions...kids...tasks...my unfaithful heart...the fact that He wants all of me...and that sounds so hard...and total and complete...my heart, over the years, has not developed a taste for Him...no...too busy developing a taste for the things (even good things) of this world...things that really have no lasting significance...my drawings will fade...my paintings will never be Ver Meer...my ability to enjoy food will fade...food itself won't usher me into eternity...but He will... 
I find it ironic that while I have such strong convictions on some things, others are harder to put backbone into...in high school, my stance for purity before marriage was VERY strong...my stance against things like smoking and drinking and drug use was also immovable....but when it comes to food?  Chocolate and the like?   I turn into a jellyfish...But what to do?  Can't turn nun and disappear away from temptation for 6 months...Can't make a resolve...No more cooking!  I have to...My family needs me to feed them...Just don't know how to handle the next 6 months or so and actually achieve victory...it has to come choice by choice, decision by decision, purchase by purchase...sigh...I think I'll go cry...

Quilt Doings

Here's the pic of the quilt top I'm working on.  I think it's coming out pretty nice.  I can't wait to get to the quilting part....I find it sooo relaxing...Speaking of which, should I quilt in small squares, circles, or some other shape?  I've seen fans, hearts, flowers, or some combination.  Can you believe that it is entirely made from acquired fabric scraps and/or sheets from goodwill?  I've thought briefly about attempting to make quilts to sell...Economy Quilts...What color should the back be? Solid, print?  I have two shades of blue, light pink, or a pink and green print....Even the batting is thrifted from a $2.99 comforter...watcha think?