Friday Favorites: Twice

So today I sit down to write about my new favorite thing, Twice.  You've never heard of Twice?  Neither had I until a few weeks ago.  One of my Noonday sisters introduced me to this site, and shopping hasn't been the same for me since.
Since getting involved with Noonday Collection (that's a Friday Favorite for another Friday), I've been looking for ways to reduce my dependence on items, specifically clothing, that are not ethically produced.  Don't get me wrong - in the past, I played along with the greatest of all bargain hunters.  A sweater on sale for $7 at Macy's?  Excellent!  Thrift shopping?  No need!  Not when I can find bargains like a $7 sweater brand new at Macy's!  However, I've been learning a lot lately about the lives of the people that produce those $7 sweaters.  If I can get that sweater for $7, and Macy's is still making money, and the clothing designer is still making money after all the supplies, shipping, stocking, etc. is paid for, how much money REALLY went to the person who physically made my sweater?  Probably pennies, at best.  My American consumerism and demand for great deals is part of what is causing the oppression of people all around the world.  Cheap labor.  Slave labor.  Child labor.  Labor in buildings that come crashing down upon their employees because the workers have no voice.  Anyway, lest I lose you before getting to Twice, suffice it to say that I still don't know the ins and outs of the fashion production business, but I do know enough to know that I've been part of the problem rather than the solution.  So where does that leave a girl who loves her closet?  

Twice, my new (to me) favorite online resale store, is headquartered in San Francisco.  When you create an account on their website, you are initially credited $10 to spend in their store.  Hey, who doesn't love free clothes?!  With each referral you send their way, you also get another $10.  More free clothes!  And the first time you sell something to Twice, you also get $10.  Seriously, what's not to love?  Shipping is a flat $5 fee for all orders under $50.  Load up your cart with $50 or more of clothing and it ships for free.  Now I know what you're thinking:  What if I don't like what I purchase?  Or what if it doesn't fit?  No worries!  Just go to their website, request a return shipping label, print it out, and send your item back for free.  And if you decide not to keep anything from the order they sent you they'll refund the $5 they spent to ship it to you.  And their customer service is a dream!
Can I tell you about just a couple more of my favorite things about this company?  You can sell them your stuff, too!  Request a bag, throw your stuff in there, and ship it to them for free.  They'll pay you in cash or store credit (your choice) for what they keep.  They also just added gift cards to the gifting options they offer customers, just in time for your holiday giving!  Seriously, I just don't have enough good to say about this company.  So far, my experiences with them have been stellar!  I've even gotten a few new with tag items from them!
So what does all of this have to do with the ethical production of clothing?  Are all the clothes they carry ethically produced?  I don't know.  Probably not.  BUT, by shopping second hand, I am no longer the one creating the demand for these items.  The companies that are producing clothing don't make on single dollar off of me.  I can't always buy fair trade.  Many times my budget won't allow me to, or I simply can't find what I'm looking for, but purchasing second has become just one small way I can choose not to participate in the oppression of workers overseas. So get yourself over to Twice!  They add new stuff every day!

On this Veterans Day

Today, I’m thankful.  On this Veterans Day I’m thankful that I was brought up in a church in which war was never glorified or revered.  I’m thankful that I was raised in a church where love of God and love of country were two concepts that were never linked.  I’m thankful for men like my grandfather who refused the call to war, but instead served in other areas and helped shed light on the awful treatment of patients that was taking place in American psychiatric hospitals. I’m just as thankful for men like my father who answered the call to military service.  I am thankful to teach at a university that sets aside an hour on this day to celebrate and honor those men and women who have served and do serve in military service.  I am thankful to hear the stories of veterans, men and women who love God with all their hearts.  I’m thankful to be able to stand in applause as those service members, current and former, old and young, fill the stage.   I’m thankful to have enjoyed the privileges and freedoms that growing up in the United States of America have afforded me.  On this day, I’m thankful that my gut still says to think twice when asked to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.  And today, on this Veterans Day, I am thankful that I have been able to reconcile my abhorrence of war with my desire to honor those who have sacrificed.  I have reconciled my love of Christ’s teachings on peace with my appreciation for those who have served.  May I never pledge my allegiance to anything or anyone above Christ Jesus.  May my ultimate thanks and appreciation always lie in His sacrifice.  May I always recognize that fighting against the enemy and the love of Christ will always be in conflict with one another in this, a fallen world.  So to you, men and women who have served and do serve in our military ranks, I say thank you.  And to you who have served and do serve in Christ's calling of peace, I say thank you.          

Piggy disappointment: a redemptive story of my faith in pork

So about a month ago, as we were enjoying the hog show at the county fair, my parents informed me that they were having two of their pigs butchered.  What?  Are you kidding me?!?  Oh, the excitement!  So I set forth to plan my order.  Ears, cheeks, leaf lard, fatback...you can't get these things at the grocery, folks!  I had the recipes picked out, anxious to try some new-to-me cooking techniques, ways of preparing an animal that have become a lost art.  But I was going to resurrect that art in my kitchen!  So imagine my disappointment when I found out that I was getting NONE of the aforementioned pieces.  The leaf lard needs to be harvested at the slaughter house, not the butcher.  (Whoops.)  And no head pieces because of the danger of lead contamination inside the head from the, um, well, yes, you know..... So needless to say, my disappointment in pork was great that day.  No little piggy to stay in my home.

Fast forward ahead two weeks - I'm notified that I've been chosen as a finalist in a local cooking competition I had entered.  And what was the recipe that was chosen?  Pork loin!  Not the recipe for the beautiful, delicious hummingbird cake that I had submitted.  Not the recipe for my family's yummy old fashioned cream pie.  It was the pork loin they wanted, and it was with that pork loin that I won that local cooking competition!  And that, kids, is the story about how piggy and I became friends in the kitchen again.  Many have asked for the recipe, so here it is.  (I didn't get a photo, which is probably for the better knowing my photo skills.)

Cherry Almond Glazed Pork Loin
adapted from Taste of Home

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 65-80 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

·         1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3-1/2 pounds)

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 jar (12 ounces) cherry preserves

·         ¼ cup sliced scallions

·         ¼ cup cider vinegar

·         2 tablespoons light corn syrup

·         ¼ teaspoon each ground nutmeg and cloves

·         ¼ cup sliced almonds

Directions

·         Preheat oven to 350.

·         Sprinkle roast with salt; place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.

·         Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes.

·         In a small saucepan, bring the preserves, scallions, vinegar, corn syrup and spices to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Set aside 3/4 cup for serving, and stir almonds into remaining mixture.

·         Brush roast with some of the glaze. Bake 35-50 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, brushing frequently with remaining glaze. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

·         Serve with reserved cherry mixture.