We have a new product that is a dry fit, long sleeve tech tee that is prefect for running and winter sports!
ALL proceeds of the this tee will go toward Cancer Research (specifically for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®). Our General Manager Cindy is also running a FULL marathon for the very first time next spring to fundraise for the cause!
The shirt is unisex sizing.
Together, let’s BEAT IT!
Did you know that vodka cures poison ivy? Or that eggshells can be used to scour dishes?
Here are our favorite green living tips that can keep useful items out of landfills and save money by reusing these items in creative ways:
Olive Oil soothes snoring. Say what? Apparently taking a sip of olive oil before heading to bed can help lubricate your throat muscles, cutting down on snoring. Wow.
Ketchup can save you pennies by cleaning your pennies. Thanks to the acid in ketchup, you can make yourself an easy recipe to dissolve tarnish in your copper cookware and other items.
Vinegar fights hiccups and cramps. A teaspoon can fight off cramps according to Roman legend.
In addition to curing poison ivy, vodka can help keep your flowers fresh a little longer.
Here’s our favorite: Oatmeal into modeling clay. The Playdough-like clay stays moist for hours, but hardens overnight, making it good for sculpting figurines, bowls, beads and other goodies you can think of. Another “wow” use — oatmeal sculptures? Good-green-clean family fun. : )
Thanks to The Daily Green for awesome green living ideas to share with EcoJoe fans!
We really thought that EcoJoe was doing an awesome job of being the best known green saint — but it turns out, we were wrong. St. Francis of Assisi is best known for the Prayer of Peace attributed to him:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
But did you know that he is also the patron saint of animals and the environment? (We did not!)
Francis was the son of a wealthy in Assisi. He lived the typical life of a wealthy young man, then fought as a soldier for Assisi. When he went to war in 1204, he had a vision that brought him back home, where he no longer wanted to live the life of privilege. While in Rome, he spent time with the beggars at St. Peter’s, and joined them as a beggar himself. When he returned home, he began preaching in the streets. Soon he had many followers.
He did many things, including founding the Order of Poor Clares and the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance. Soon his following, the Franciscan Order had grown large enough to be endorsed by the Pope.
In 1224, he received the stigmata,making him the first person to bear the wounds of Christ’s Passion. He died in 1226.
On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory IX. He is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment. He is one of the two patron saints of Italy. October 4 is his feast day — and it is customary for Catholic churches to hold ceremonies blessing pets and other animals on this day.
Image Source: Heal With Grace
Just to prove that EcoJoe isn’t the only statue that brings a smile to your face, we did a search for other statues that will brighten your day. Which is your favorite?
This statue can be found along the Singapore River in Singapore. How did they do this???
Just one of those days!! This statue in front of the Ernst & Young building in Los Angeles, California. Hate days like this but isn’t this perfect?!
You might have to take a second look if you run into this tourist with a video camera in Shanghai, China.
Thumbs up to a visit to this statue in Paris, France. Funny and slightly creepy.
Who knew you could find so much amusement in these inanimate objects?? We did! (Well, we do now!)
I saw a puppy for sale with the humane society this past weekend and couldn’t get my mind off of him. I wanted to say a little prayer to help me decide on whether or not he would be mine. I googled “Patron Saint of Dogs” for some ideas on extra blessings — and found this instead.
I can honestly say that I was surprised that I had never heard of this particular St. Christopher and his story. Enjoy : )
St Christopher belonged to a tribe in North Africa known as the Marmaritae. That area of the world was then largely unknown and considered inhabited by all sorts of strange creatures, including dog-headed men.
Some conflicting legends surround Christopher. In one he is a dog-head captured by the Romans and forced to serve them. He becomes a Christian convert and thus a unique figure amongst his kind. Another legend has St Christopher carrying an infant across a river, only to find him growing unbelievably heavy as they progress. The child then reveals himself to be the Christ child and his heaviness due to the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Still other legends exist about St Christopher actually being granted the face of a dog by God, to ward off unwanted female attention. He is often depicted as a richly robed dog-headed man – a cynocephalus.
Very unique.
Image & Info Source: Listverse
What’s pocket sized, useful, and perfect for multi-purpose? Our answer is always an EcoJoe St. Joseph figure. Extra blessings, extra luck, and if he spends a little time in your yard he may help with the sale of your home? What more can you ask for from a pint-sized friend?
Well…I guess there *could* be a few more things. This little guy caught my eye on a friends Facebook page — and I started wondering about what other unique little figures are hiding USB secrets.
Here is a collection of our finds:
For when that idea lightbulb goes off. : )
UK Inspired.
For when you want to run with an idea. Really? YES!
The award for least favorite but most unique goes to this one. Ewwwwe.
If it’s good enough for Gaga, then it’s good enough for EcoJoe, right? Hmmm.
Will EJ be making his USB debut any time soon? : ) Probably not…but in the meantime these guys should do the trick.
Image sources: GadgetsSin, IndyGizmo, ThePirata,
There are many ways the Catholic church is beginning to utilize new technologies. Recently the Church has strongly encouraged the use of social media to connect with more people and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the whole world.
One example — is that the Vatican has announced the launch of a social media-integrated official news website, news.va, that will make heavy use of Facebook and Twitter.
Another example — a few weeks ago — the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI made his first tweet from his iPad:
“Dear Friends, I just launched http://t.co/fVHpS9y Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI”
EcoJoe’s favorite is the Saint of the Day iPhone app:
Download this app and you have the option to listen to or read each daily entry. It gives you a brief biography and a commentary about how the saint can be relevant to your daily life. This is a great way to have a saint in your pocket all the time.
If you don’t have an iPhone, then we recommend buying an EcoJoe. Our pint size St. Joseph doesn’t give you any saint updates (but our blog does), but he fits nicely in your pocket and can offer you some extra inspiration whenever you need it. : )
Image Source: Fast Company, Catholic.Org, AmericanCatholic.org
Photo by forestfolksIt’s no secret — we believe that burying a St. Joseph statue will bring luck to your home sale efforts. And some people believe that carrying a rabbit’s foot, finding a four leaf clover, or finding a lucky penny will bring you good luck in every other endeavor.
Here is some history on some of the more well-known good luck rituals:
Remember that childhood game, “Thumbs Up – Seven UP”? If getting someones approval is lucky — then a thumbs up is a lucky signal. For the ancient Roman gladiators, a thumbs up was a sure sign that they would live to fight another day.
Photo by Ashley MayesDo you knock on wood? Sometimes people just say “knock on wood” to refer to good luck — and that’s enough. It’s almost instinctive for some. This practice may date back to prehistoric times, when people believed that gods lived in tress. Touching a tree is a way of acknowledging the deity and securing its favor.
Also: It helps if you knock three times. Evil spirits can’t cope with the power of the number three. Good to know.
Bet you didn’t know that crossing your fingers for good luck is a Christian practice. (We didn’t!) The power crossing your fingers when a good luck charm is not handy dates back to the early Christians who were forced to worship in secret. Since they could not have physical crosses for inspiration or displayed in their homes as an altar, they could create a reminder of Christ’s passion be making a cross of their middle and index fingers.
Photo by mcfarlandmoEcoJoe’s favorite good luck ritual is saying “God Bless You” when someone sneezes. The custom goes back to America’s European roots. In many parts of Europe, there is an old belief that a sneeze can expel the soul from the body. The blessing serves as a verbal charm to protect the sneezer.
Other (lesser known) sneeze beliefs:
-If two people sneeze simultaneously, both will enjoy very good luck.
-A solitary sneeze is considered a lucky omen in many parts of the world.
-The Maori people of New Zealand believe it is symbolic of the act of creation.
-In parts of Africa, sneezing is considered a sign that the body has been taken over by good spirits.
-Native American tribes believed that a sneeze was a sign that the brain was being cleared of evil.
-For the Hebrews, Greeks, Indians, and Chinese, breath was a tangible sign of the soul’s existence, and any loss of breath, especially in a sneeze, was exceedingly bad luck.
My favorite good luck ritual as a kid was holding my breath when crossing a bridge over water. This was a challenge over the longer bridges, but it always made for a good challenge with my siblings!
What are some of yours?
Here at EcoJoe, we pride ourselves on being an eco-friendly product that is respectful of the Catholic tradition and Christian culture. After all, there isn’t anything wrong with Christian gifts that make you smile and bring you closer to God.
Here are a few of our favorite finds that share in that belief. Hope it brings some smiles to your week!
Divine Intervention Hand Sanitizer Cleanse thy hands of filth and soil. Kills 99.9% of germs on contact.
Baby Daddy Button Well…the Almighty is technically Mary’s ”baby daddy”. A little more tongue in cheek than the rest, but definitely catches your attention.
Jesus Overnighter Bag THE bag. THE man. They both wrap over your shoulder and hold you tight, helping you through the day and the night.
Jesus Loves You T-Shirt What better way to have your kids spread the Christian message with this pint-size Jesus loves you T-shirt? We think it’s cute.
Patron Saint of Waiters Here’s a cute patron saint we had not heard of before — St. Martha is a nice gift for your favorite waiter or waitresses — need a tip? Keep her close by for generous earnings.
We loved these faithful and fun gift ideas, what’s your favorite?
So as you know, St Joseph is the ultimate step-father. To celebrate Father’s Day, we are having a flash sale! Use “FATHERS11” code during checkout and receive 20% off on your entire order. If you are our Facebook fan, that’s you can use your 20% off code with your existing Facebook fan discount, so that’s 40% off!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sale ends at Midnight tonight PST (6/19/2011).
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!
Blended families are more common today than ever before, often when someone says Dad, Daddy, Papa or Father — they might not always be referring to their biological dad. St. Joseph is one of the most famous foster fathers of all times. Joseph was the foster father of Jesus, God’s only begotten son. He raised Jesus as his own child, taught him his profession of being a carpenter, and treated his mother Mary with respect and kindness.
Many famous fathers have followed St. Joseph’s admirable example. Here are a few:
Robert Wagner was always in love with Natalie Wood but when they briefly divorced, she remarried and had a daughter, Natasha Gregson. They ran into each other later, realized how much they loved each other, and subsequently remarried and had a daughter, Courtney Wagner. When Wood tragically died in a freak boating accident, Wagner continued to raise Natasha, Courtney and a daughter from a previous marriage. He later married Jill St. John who has become a loving stepmother to the girls.
When Ashton Kutcher saw how Demi Moore connected to her three daughters from her marriage to Bruce Willis, he was charmed. Now married, Kutcher is what her daughter Scout calls the coolest stepdad ever.
When Brad Pitt hooked up with Angelina Jolie, she had adopted two children, Maddox and Zahara. Pitt not only became their stepfather but later adopted the kids and had four more with the actress. They adopted Pax and had Shiloh, Viv and Knox making them the poster couple for a truly blended family.
Since the Kardashians father passed away and Chris married Bruce Jenner, he has been the male role model the kids needed.
Although Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn never married, their 26 year long relationship has made Kurt a stepfather to Kate Hudson.
Info Sources: Stepfathers Who Inspire, Celebrity Stepfathers
Image Sources: Sports Illustrated, PopCrunch, Clothingbrands24, People, GoodbyeFuture, Rome of the West
Looks like EcoJoe isn’t the only unique green statue out and about — what about this Jolly Green Giant statue in Blue Earth, Minnesota? It stands 55 ft, is made of fiberglass and ranks among the tallest statues in the world. The idea for the fiberglass statue came from travelers to Blue Earth, Minnesota who frequently asked to see the Green Giant.
The owner of the local radio station decided to grant their wish by raising the money and getting the necessary permission for the statue. In 1979, the statue was placed a mile south of I-90 (at the Green Giant headquarters) on U.S. Highway 169 to commemorate the linking of the east and west sections of Interstate 90.
It is a very popular roadside attraction spot! The colossal statue receives about 10,000 visitors a year.
Ok, so EcoJoe is just a little shorter…and maybe he’s not *quite* an attraction – but let’s not forget what makes him your favorite green statue. What makes EcoJoe unique?
Info Source: Squidoo
