Celebrating St. Catherine of Alexandria

Happy Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria! She is my confirmation saint, so we are celebrating today. Can I be honest with you as to why I chose her? I am named after my mother's confirmation saint, so I thought it would be good to choose a name that I would name my future daughter. Well, I liked both Catherine (preferably spelled Kathryn) and Alexandria, so there you have it. Probably not the most ideal way to choose a confirmation saint! Ha! Turns out the time from eighth grade to adulthood is a long time, and now I have a whole different list of names, should I one day be blessed with a daughter. :)

Anywho! St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr, was really quite an incredible woman of God. A convert herself, she helped bring hundreds of men and women to the Christian faith. She refused to deny her faith to the Roman emperor, who then had her imprisoned, and eventually sentenced her to death on a spiked wheel. The wheel is said to have shattered into pieces when St. Catherine touched it, so she was beheaded.

I was inspired by this post to make St. Catherine of Alexandria's Miraculous Wheels for dinner tonight.

Here's my recipe:

{ingredients}
8 oz. pasta wheels
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk (I used skim)
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg
1/8 tsp. hot chili powder
2 cups + 1/4 cup shredded cheese, separated (you pick the type - I used sharp white cheddar this time)
3 Tbsp. + 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, separated
2 Tbsp. bread crumbs

{how to}
Boil water and cook pasta wheels according to box instructions. Drain. Set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in large saucepan until melted. Add flour and stir until combined. Pour in the milk, salt & pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring most of the time, until mixture begins to bubble. Simmer for two minutes. Turn off heat. Add nutmeg and chili powder. Stir. Pour in 2 cups of shredded cheese and stir until melted. Add the cooked pasta wheels; mix well.

Pour pasta wheel mixture into 8x8" greased baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the 1/4 cup shredded cheese and breadcrumbs. Dot with 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter.

Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes or until top is browned. Easy peasy and super delicious. Enjoy!

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Prayer to Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Glorious St. Catherine, virgin and martyr, help me to imitate your love of purity. Give me strength and courage in fighting off the temptations of the world and evil desires. Help me to love God with my whole heart and serve Him faithfully. O St. Catherine, through your glorious martrydom for the love of Christ, help me to be loyal to my faith and my God as long as I live. Amen. {source}

St. Catherine of Alexandria, pray for us!

Praying your Thanksgiving week is off to a good start...

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7 Quick Takes {no. 35} In case you missed it...

This blog contains affiliate links and sponsored posts, for which I receive a commision. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Happy Friday, friends! TGIF! :) Here are 7 actually quick takes for your weekend...

{1}
Thank you so much to all of you who have sent love & congratulations on our gender reveal announcement. We are just so grateful, and super excited to meet our handsome blessing this March!

{2}
Have you downloaded and/or printed your free Advent calendar yet (from Monday's birthday post)? I'd love to hear how you plan to use it. I do hope you enjoy!

{3} 
It's your last chance to enter my blog's first birthday giveaway of:

no. 1 // a print of your choice or a custom design from {with joy calligraphy}

no. 2 // a homemade advent pendant banner

no. 3 // a beautiful Blessed is She Advent Journal

If you haven't entered yet, what are you waiting for? :) Giveaway ends tomorrow, Saturday, 11/22 at 11:59 p.m. Winner will be announced Sunday!

{4}
There are some great feast days coming up in the next several days! St. Cecilia's feast day is tomorrow. Maybe you could do some music-making! The Feast of Christ the King is Sunday. I plan to make this recipe from Like Mother, Like Daughter in celebration. And next Tuesday is my confirmation saint's feast day - St. Catherine of Alexandria.

{5}
Debuting some time next week in my etsy shop are a few new printable prints (meaning you can print them out at home)! Here's a sneak peek of one of my favorites:

Such a needed reminder {for me at least} - and just in time for Advent, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and honestly, for any time of the year. 

{6}
I really can't believe it, but 'tis the season for holiday shopping! I belong to a handful of affiliate programs with certain online stores. In case you're looking to get a jump start on your shopping pre-Advent, here are a couple affiliate links/sales I'm currently watching:

40% off everything at Shutterfly.com // their photo books make especially great gifts

50% off all regular price items + an extra 40% off markdowns {savings up to 80%!} at Gymboree //

trying to behave myself and watch the budget, but the baby clothes here are oh-so-cute!

Amazon's Black Friday deals // or just everyday shopping - we heart Amazon at our house!

Thank you, in advance, for any holiday {or any kind of} shopping you do through the affiliate links in my sidebar. Every little bit helps! And we are truly grateful.

{7}
On Tuesday we had a follow-up ultrasound, so we got to see our little man wiggling around inside me. Thankfully they were able to get a clear view of what they couldn't see last time, and our babe is looking big and strong. Thank you for your prayers! I am blown away at the absolute miracle he is when I see all the details of his growing little body on the ultrasound. So amazing. I can clearly feel him kicking, punching and squirming these days, and am eagerly anticipating Michael being able to feel him really well, too!

This weekend my old NYC roommate, a dear friend from high school, is coming to visit. We also have a double date planned with another married couple that we haven't spent time with in a while. And, my in-laws are coming for Thanksgiving next week, which is sure to be a fun time. Life is good.

Have a great weekend! And don't forget to click over to Kelly's for more quick takers...

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Happy 1st birthday, dear blog!{a gift for YOU + a giveaway}

I can hardly believe it. Today is my blog's first birthday. When I started my blog and sent my first post out into the wide internet world, I really had no idea what to expect. I had been reading blogs for a while and felt a tug on my heart to participate a little more actively. Oh, I am so very glad I did.

Blogging has been such a gift to me. It has blessed me in many ways I could never have imagined. You prayerfully supported me through a most difficult season and rejoiced with me in times of delight. But there is no question in my mind what the very best part of this whole blogging thing is: It is the gift of connecting with so many wonderful, beautiful women {bloggers and readers alike} who are on this journey, too. And for you I am so very thankful.

So let's celebrate!

First, I want to give a gift to each and every one of you, dear readers, because you help make this place special. So here is an Advent printable calendar, designed with love, especially for you!

You can download and print a copy (or three) for your own personal use by clicking here. And feel free to share it with your friends & family, too! As you can see in the photos above, I plan on using my calendar as a meal planner for the season. You could also use it to keep track of your schedule, to make a special plan for your Advent prayer life, or if you're a blogger, to plan your posts for the season. I do hope you enjoy your gift!

Secondly, I am hosting my very first giveaway! The winner will receive three gifts:

{No. 1} your choice of a print from my etsy shop, {with joy calligraphy} // Pick one of the designs in the shop or have a custom design made just for you.

{No. 2} Advent pendant banner // just a little something fun to hang in your home
as a reminder of this beautiful church season

{No. 3} Blessed is She Advent Journal // such a special way to prepare your heart and soul
for our Lord's birth on Christmas Day

There are many ways to enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter at the end of this post. It will be open for entries through the end of the day this Saturday, November 22, so the winner will be sure to receive her (or his!) Advent treats in time for the season. Good luck!! I wish each of you could win!

*    *    *

As you may remember, "in endless song" is part of a lyric from one of my favorite hymns, "How Can I Keep from Singing?" As I reflect upon my first year of blogging and look forward to the future, I know this verse will always hold true:

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing;
All things are mine since I am His—
How can I keep from singing?

Happy first birthday, dear blog.  Here's to many more!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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