5 Motivational Tips for this School Year

School is in full swing! Here are 5 tips to make this the best motivational year yet!

1. Start your day with prayer. Make a morning offering and commit your day to God before doing anything else or talking to anyone else. 
2.  Stick to a schedule. Routine is key to a steady and reliable year. 
3.  Break up your week every once in a while! Go for an impromptu ice cream outing, call a friend, or relax for a half hour while reading a good book.
4. Have something to look forward to. Make a goal or make plans for the weekend and work towards it all week. 
5. Take a breather if you start to feel discouraged or frustrated. Spend a few minutes alone and say a brief prayer before re-opening your textbooks. 

Wishing you a wonderful school year!

Relevant Mercy

I recently went away for a four day high school girls's vocations discernment camp. It was my second year going. And it was tough. I was working through a lot of things, as well as trying to deal with some personal struggles. There was a person I wasn't on very good terms with at Fiat, too. Yipee. 

Sunday evening, the day for drop-off, Fr. Jaffe celebrated Mass and gave a homily about "opening your eyes" and showing mercy to others. I didn't think it was very relevant to me and where I was in my state of life right then, so I was kind of thinking, "yeah, yeah, whatever."  

Well, unsurprisingly, I was wrong. Truth is, mercy is very relevant. 


A few of the many things I learned:

1) Have mercy towards yourself, first and foremost.
It's hard to show love and mercy to other people when you don't love your own self. 
Second day at Fiat, I spilled my guts out in confession. The priest reprimanded me, and I cried...in a good way. He told me that I shouldn't worry about who I was, what I looked like, and whether I was outgoing or not. What matters in the end is becoming a saint and being holy. I think that's relevant advice for all of us. 
No one's ever going to love you like Christ does. If you want a reminder, the perfect thing to do is kneel before a crucifix and contemplate the nails driven into His hands and feet, the thrashes, and the thorny crown He endured for you. You're welcome.

2) People aren't always who you think they are. 
A girl I used to be friends with but had hurt me very badly a few years ago came to me seeking forgiveness. I did not see that coming. I discovered every person deserves a second chance...or a third chance, or a fourth. I found out that I had been labeling people for too long. Truth is, people are bigger and so much deeper than labels. The biggest mistake you can make is thinking a person's one way and never getting to know the other side of them.

3) Prayer is your BFF.
I was struggling with a lot, and the only thing that kept my head above the water was prayer. I slipped into the chapel when I was close to tears. I prayed for charity toward the person I wasn't expecting to see there. I prayed myself to sleep. And guess what? I came out of those four days stronger, more confident, and more dependent on God than ever before.

And want to know something even awesomer? A foe became a friend. I found healing from a bad experience in my past. I loved the person God made me to be. I became open to His will for my life. 


P.S. All the young women who read this blog are in my prayers. I hope you continue growing in your relationship with Christ and Mama Mary. Keep praying and being loving and merciful!

Swimsuit Modesty

Hey, readers! Can you believe it's June already? Even in these sweltering summer months, modesty must prevail. In case you're wondering where I'm going with this, let's define what modesty is, according to Dictionary.com:

Modesty [mod-uh-stee] 

noun

1. the quality of being modest; freedom from vanity, boastfulness, etc.
2. regard for decency of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
3. simplicity; moderation

When I think of swimsuit season, this definition doesn't come to mind. Regard for decency of dress. Quality of being modest. Simplicity. Moderation. Mmmhmmm. 

Before you hit the pool or beach, if you haven't already, you might want to re-evaluate your summer swimwear. 

In this nine-minute video, former actress, model, and fashion designer Jessica Rey presents a speech on the evolution of the bikini. It's quite astonishing.

Singer Jackie Francois talks about how to attract the right guy...but not by showing off your body. Watch it here.

You might be thinking that your current swimsuit isn't as modest as you once thought it was. Well, then! You can find perfectly appealing (yet modest) swimsuits at Rey Swimwear, Lands' End, and Lime Ricki. 

Giveaway of Radiant Magazine's May 2016 Issue

Guess what! We're having another giveaway, thanks to the generosity of Radiant Magazine's editors! So what is Radiant Magazine? It is a "modern, classy magazine covering traditional topics of the Catholic Church and applying them to the lives of young, Catholic women who are searching, learning and living out their unique calling with style, elegance, beauty, and grace" (www.be-radiant.com). In every issue, you'll find articles about faith, fashion, and more! If you're looking for a wholesome, classy magazine, look no further! This magazine has it all. It's the perfect publication for Catholic young ladies!

So, enter below to win Radiant's newest, 60 page, issue!  One winner will be chosen and sent an issue of Radiant Grace, by Radiant Magazine's editors!

The issue is coming out on the 18th, so if you really can't wait (or you don't happen to win) you can pre-order it here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clementine Scones

Finally! Spring is here! To celebrate, I thought I'd share a favorite recipe of mine to kickstart the season. In my house, clementines are basically a staple, so you'll always see some lying around on the kitchen table. What better way to celebrate spring than with scones and tea? 

Clementine Chocolate Scones

(Makes 8 Servings)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour*

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons coarse brown sugar

Zest of 2 clementines

2-4 Clementines

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 1/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons chilled butter (unsalted), diced

1 large egg

3 tablespoons clementine juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup chocolate chunks (optional)**

Note:

*To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute the flour for 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour and 1 cup almond flour.

**If not adding chocolate to the scones, add 1/2 cup more of sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, zest, baking powder, soda, and salt.

Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in egg, juice, and vanilla until dough comes together. Stir in chocolate. 

Turn dough onto prepared baking sheet and pat into an 8-inch circle. Score into 8 wedges with a large knife. Bake 18-22 minutes or until edges are golden brown and scones are barely firm. Sprinkle with coarse brown sugar. 

                                     Cool 20 minutes. Cut along score marks.  

Enjoy! Tell me how your scones work out...

Food for Thought: C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity

Mere Christianity is divided into four individual, but coherent, books: Clue to the Meaning of the Universe, What Christians Believe, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality. C.S. Lewis, the author, addresses morality, human nature, the cardinal and theological virtues, sexual morality, Christian marriage, forgiveness, and pride. 
A few quotes really jumped out to me. In Book III, Chapter 8, C.S. Lewis wrote, "the more (pride) we have ourselves, the more we dislike it in others...the point is that each person's pride is in competition with everyone else's pride." I liked this passage because it made me uncomfortable. One, I really do dislike pride in others. Two, I could remember lots of times my pride had been in competition with other people's pride and how I had acted toward them. This passage definitely didn't make me feel warm and fuzzy, and I'm glad it didn't. It was a nice little rebuke that put me back in my place. 
One thing to realize, as C.S. Lewis points out, is that everyone is driven by something--anger, greed, and so on, but everything is rooted in pride--pride in self, pride in possessions, etc. It would be a good habit to start exercising acts of humility to combat that pride.  

C.S. Lewis also describes the meaning of "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God." He explains that you should stop manufacturing feelings in yourself, trying to make yourself love God. Instead, we should ask ourselves, "'If I were sure that I loved God, what would I do?'" (Book III, Christian Behavior, Ch. 9)  

This is just a short review showcasing of the gems of wisdom that Mere Christianity offers within its pages. It if you have time on a rainy afternoon, pick up a copy of C.S. Lewis's book at the library and take a look at it. And read whatever jumps out at you. 

Other Books by C.S. Lewis 
                                                                       

DIY Saint Medal Earrings

I love making these earrings--they're super simple, a cute way to wear saint medals, and they make great gifts. 

Supplies:

-- a pair of saint medals

--silver fish hook earrings

--jewelry pliers

--jump rings

1. Replace the original ring on the saint medal with two jump rings.

2. Close the top silver jump ring around the fish hook earrings.

3. Make one pair for yourself and another for a friend!

Giveaway: Tea and Cake with the Saints

The time has come for a giveaway! 

We'll be giving away Tea and Cake with the Saints, by Alice Cantrell. The book is split into four parts: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Each section contains delicious recipes (my favorite being the Vanilla Tea Cake and Cream Cheese Mints), simple yet charming gift ideas, brief lists of saints' feasts, and engaging articles (a few being about Mary Gardens, tea, and letter writing). Tea and Cake with the Saints also provides spiritual bouquet cards and recipe cards to be printed off and further decorated. There are also easy party suggestions for all four seasons, like cookie exchanges and picnicking.

This really is a wonderful book--and definitely an essential one for Catholic teen girls! In my own copy, you'll find that there are many dog-eared pages and smudges on all the recipes. 

So, enter, enter, enter!

                                                       Rafflecopter giveaway 


Even if you don't win, make this book a part of your collection! You can find the book here at Amazon.

Winter Reading

I recently ordered a few books from Amazon--just in time, too! I spent the entire morning wrapped in a blanket, drinking caffe mocha, and reading them while snowstorm raged on outside.

I bought the Catholic Women's Devotional Bible after happening to pick up my older sister's copy and ended up liking it so much that I wanted a one of my own. I originally had the standard New American Bible, but the nice thing about the Catholic Women's is that it contains articles on Biblical women, Tradition, and has daily devotions, prayers, and meditations scattered throughout. It also has a lectionary in the back if you're interested in reading daily Scripture readings. Another book I purchased was 33 Days to Morning Glory to go along with my copy of Saint Louis de Montfort's True Devotion to Mary. Eight popes have done the consecration to Mary through the True Devotion book and have highly recommended it. 33 Days to Morning Glory by Micheal E. Gaitley, MIC, breaks the Consecration into smaller steps and makes the Devotion easier to perform and simpler to understand. Vatican II stated that "everyone should have a genuine devotion to Mary and entrust his life to her motherly care." What better way to honor our Blessed Mother and grow in holiness as young ladies? Try starting this Devotion by forming a small group with your friends and beginning it together.

If you're looking for even more good books to read during your wintry evenings, be sure to check out The Ultimate List of Catholic Books here.

Consecration Prayer to Mary
I, (name), a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. In the presence of all the heavenly court, I choose thee this day for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity. Amen.