God is My Rudder (on Catholic Mom)

Lately, I've been bowled over by God's blessings.  So much so, that "God is Good!" feels like a gross understatement.  But, let me tell you more about it over at Catholic Mom.  Check it out here.

Blessings,
Laura

Have I Got A Deal For You!

Hello Blog Reader People!  I know it's been a while since I've graced your inboxes. So, as a token of my remorse, I'm sending you the inside scoop on a great deal on an even greater book.  Believe me.  After this, you won't even remember that you're annoyed with me. (I hope.)

Don't You Forget About Me by Erin McCole Cupp, author extraordinaire, is on sale through Amazon Kindle until May 1st for --wait for it--- 99 measly cents!

People, you can't even buy a cup of coffee for that anymore!  (Unless you know something you're not telling me....)

Here's a little about the book here. And, here's a little about Erin here:

Erin McCole Cupp is a wife, mom, and lay Dominican who lives with her family of vertebrates in the middle of Nowhere, Pennsylvania. Her writing has appeared in Canticle Magazine, Parents, The Catholic Standard and Times, and The Philadelphia City Paper, and she is a regular contributor to CatholicMom.com. Her other professional experiences include acting, costuming, youth ministry, international scholar advising, and waiting tables.  Her influences include Neal Stephenson, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Jane Austen.  Her weaknesses include iceberg lettuce, frozen drinks, and anything labeled “Visitor Center.”  Erin is the author of Jane_E, Friendless Orphan:  A Memoir (Broken Wheel Media, 2006), Don’t You Forget About Me (Full Quiver Publishing, 2013), and Working Mother (Full Quiver Publishing, 2013), all available on Amazon.  You can find more about Erin at erinmccolecupp.com. 

Did I mention that she's funny too? 

Seriously though, I've read the book and I really enjoyed it.  It's a murder mystery dealing with environmental destruction and infertility with a heroine that's struggling to get past her past while she's contemplating a mystery and falling in love all at the same time. 

Just. Go. Buy. The. Book.  You won't regret it.

Oh, did you know that you don't have to have a Kindle to read Kindle books?  You can download the Kindle app for your smart phone or for your computer and read your book while you're pretending to work.  I won't give you away.  It'll be our little secret... Shhhh...

Blessings,
Laura

Birthdays, New Life, Gardening-Sounds Like Easter!

 Here’s an oldie but a goodie that I wrote a few years ago when my Mom got put in hospice care.  I hope you enjoy it.

http://catholicmom.com/2015/04/07/tending-the-garden-of-life/

Blessings,

Laura

In Remembrance...

Monday was a tough day for me.  The weather has been drab.  I've been fighting an illness.  Life has been busy. But you can read about the underlying root of my challenging day at Catholic Mom.

Blessings,
Laura

Warning: Lent is Right Around the Corner!

You've been warned but don't dismay.  Help has arrived! 

Over at my other blog www.suburbansainthood.com I've got just the remedy for a stale Lent:  Marcellino D'Ambrosio's new book-40 Days, 40 Ways: A New Look at Lent.  Check out my review here.

Blessings for a spiritually rich Lent,
Laura

Working Mothers Everywhere!

Today I'm proud to be a part of the Working Mother ebook blog tour at Will Write For Tomato Pie.  See my interview at Will Write For Tomato Pie!

My friend Erin McCole Cupp has written a short but powerful story about the struggle the Holy Family might have had just to survive in a harsh world. 

I really enjoyed this short book.  It took me by surprise quite honestly.  Erin has the ability to look beyond the paintings and statues and see the real person along with their very real emotions. 

Did I mention that it's available on Kindle?  And only 99 cents!  You can thank me later.

Blessings,
Laura

Preparing For the Ultimate Guest During Advent

Find out how your Advent preparations can be like planning a party.  For a fresh perspective on Advent check out my latest post at Catholic Mom!

Advent Blessings,
Laura

Have I mentioned that I have a new blog?  Seeking Suburban Sainthood is all about the struggle to attain holiness when you feel anything BUT holy.  Come by for a visit.  I'd love to see you there!

Election Day at Catholic Mom

Yes, I know that Election Day was last Tuesday and not today but...I got distracted last week and forgot to actually publish the post I had written!  I have a legit excuse since I was nursing my youngest child back to health after surgery.  The surgery went well and he is recovering more quickly than he'd like so it's time to catch up on a few things; this blog being one of them. 

So, last week was my daughter's first time to vote.  This momentous occasion has succeeded in 1)making me feel old and 2) making me remember how important it is for us to vote.  Read more at Catholic Mom. 

Blessings,
Laura

Looking Back to Move Forward

I've been blogging here at Green 4 God for quite a while now.  My posts have veered away from "green" issues and onto other spiritual issues as well as more secular tips for conservation.  But, it's always nice to refocus on your purpose by revisiting the past.  For instance-"Why did I start writing Green 4 God?" 

The short answer might be--Because I had to. After all, when you have ideas rolling around in your head, sometimes you have to share them or you'll explode. 

The longer answer would be something along these lines-I began writing Green 4 God because I felt that there was very little conversation in spiritual circles that had to do with caring for the environment.  Even though the faithful have always been taught to care for Creation, at some point the environmental movement sped ahead and left the faithful behind. It was time to remind the faithful that caring for the environment isn't something we do that's separate from our faith but as an extension of it.

I still feel this way.  There are far too few spiritual conversations that include our responsibility to be stewards of Creation. Perhaps that word "responsibility" is the reason why. 

I don't know about you but I have plenty of responsibilities.  The idea of taking on another is not terribly appealing; especially if it has anything to do with work or guilt.  If someone starts a statement with "We should..." or, worse still, "You should..." not only do I get defensive, I close myself off from what they have to say pretty quickly.

So what I propose is a change of attitude and better word choice.  Let's think of caring for Creation not as something we have to do in addition to our other responsibilities but as something that we already do that we might be able to do a little better. 

After all, I know very few people that frivolously waste money, time, or energy without a second thought.  Most of the people I know have families and budgets and have to make the most of everything they're given. The same idea goes for conservation-Make the most of what we're given. 

Here in Texas, we've been in a drought for several years.  Water conservation is in most everyone's minds. Very few people around here are planting flora that need a lot of water.  It just doesn't make sense.

In the summer, it gets really hot here-we're talking 100+ degrees in July and August.  This is not the time of year to bake bread and have the oven on all day.  We don't leave lights on in the house in the heat of the day if we can do without them.  After all, we have a lot of daylight around here.  There's no need to add to it on most summer afternoons.  Of course, we close the blinds during the hottest part of the day too.  It does a little to keep the heat at bay.

So, the point is-most of us are already doing things to be good stewards. So, let me be the first to say, "Good job!  Keep up the good work!" And let me also be the one to say, "Hey, have you tried the new LED lightbulbs?  They're more expensive but they last a long time and give off almost no heat!"

Blessings,
Laura

Check out my new blog: www.suburbansainthood.com where I talk about all things spiritual including my own struggles.

Big Announcement at Green 4 God!!

Today I'm excited to announce the launch of my new blog: Seeking Suburban Sainthood  S.S.S. is where I'll talk about the struggles and temptations we all face in striving for holiness and, ultimately, for sainthood.  It's where I'll share my imperfections (well, not ALL of them...) and the occasional success, insight, lesson learned, or reflection on all things spiritual.

I hope you'll join me at SSS not only to read but to relate and share your struggles as well.  Quite frankly, I need your help.  Perhaps I'll be able to help you in return.

Hope to see you there!

Blessings,
Laura

The Good, The Bad, and The Smelly

It's been a while since I've talked about my rubbing-alcohol-instead-of-deodorant experiment so it's time for an update.

After a few months of using rubbing alcohol instead of deodorant this is what I've found:

• Rubbing alcohol is cheap and non-irritating (for me, at least).
• Even after a shower, it's surprising how much dirt ends up on the cotton ball that I use to apply the alcohol. (Disturbing might be a better word...)
• Rubbing alcohol can handle normal daily sweat situations for me.  But, if you're the type of person who stinks to high heaven after a workout, don't rely on rubbing alcohol to control your workout "fragrance."
• Rubbing alcohol doesn't handle "stress sweat" odor.  You know what I'm talking about.  The "oh-my-goodness-that-deadline-is-TODAY?!?" type of sweat.

In the end, I use a combination of products depending on my stink-control needs. 

When I have a day of low-stress, sedentary activities, or light activity that won't cause profuse perspiration; I use rubbing alcohol.  When it's really important that I don't offend anyone's noses OR when I know I have a stressful day ahead (a speaking engagement, anxiety-inducing doctor's appointment, or parent-teacher conference), I use a traditional antiperspirant/deodorant with little or no fragrance.

I prefer to use rubbing alcohol when I can but there are times when you Just. Can't. Stink.

Enough about my smelliness!  This issue is now officially put to bed unless a life-changing product or method comes to my attention.  I think we're all glad about that...

Blessings,
Laura

When The Church Was Young Book Review at Catholic Mom

Today at Catholic Mom, I'm reviewing Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio's new book, When The Church Was Young: Voices of the Early Fathers.  Come find out why I've started to hear voices...

Blessings,
Laura

What the Laundry Product Manufacturers Don't Want You to Know...

You don't have to use fabric softener.  Don't believe me?  Let me tell you a little story...

A few months back my clothes dryer died.  It was actually quite dramatic (or so I'm told since I didn't witness the event.)   There was smoke, some flames, and my husband and sons dragging it outside while it was still smoking. 

Up until it's demise, we'd been using the Bounce Dryer Bar as our fabric softener of choice.  It's actually pretty cool.  Instead of using dryer sheets which end up in the trash, you stick this solid bar onto the interior of your dryer drum.  As the clothes come into contact with the bar it spreads its softening and anti-static properties to them as it slowly wears down to a nub. (Envision a stick of deodorant glued to the inside of your dryer.)

Since the bar was attached to our now-dead dryer and we didn't have a spare lying around, our new dryer was without a dryer bar.  In a way, I didn't really want to put one in my brand-spanking-new dryer.  It was so new and shiny and ... pure.  As a result, the new dryer didn't have a bar and we didn't have any dryer sheets on hand.  So, we dried our clothes without those things.  And, do you know what happened?  Nothing!

That's right, our clothes still dried.  They didn't feel like sandpaper and there was only a minimal bit of static.  After a while I wanted to try and conquer the small amount of static that we did have so I tried a product called Woollies.  They're three balls of tightly felted wool that you toss in your drier to soften your clothes and avoid some static.  I like the Woollies but they haven't been life-changing or laundry-changing for me.  They may soften the clothes a bit but I think the white vinegar I put in the washing machine does most of that.

Finally I came upon the best way to address the static issue. 1) Don't over dry the clothes.  It's ok if there's some moisture left when you pull the laundry out of the dryer. 2) If you do over dry them, spritz the whole load lightly with some water in a spray bottle and toss the clothes like a salad.  That usually takes care of the static without costing you money or using chemicals.

So here's my take-away--fabric softener isn't necessary.  Proctor & Gamble may want you to think it is but it AIN'T.  Save your money and get a dollar store spray bottle and a jug of white vinegar and you'll be set. 

Feel free to thank me later.
Blessings,
Laura

Boot Camp at Catholic Mom!

If you've ever felt like you're learning your spiritual lessons the hard way, I totally know what you mean!  Check out my thoughts on hard lessons at Catholic Mom.

Still Green After All These Years

This December I will celebrate my 4th anniversary here at Green for God. (Time does fly.  I've actually seen it flying by my window at times.  Really.)  And even though my topics have diverged from my original focus (stewardship of creation), I still like to find new ways to be a good steward and share those ways with you.

So here's the latest green step we've taken as a family-We bought an electric lawn mower!!!!

My 11 year old mowing the lawn for the first time!
 

Note:  In true form of being a good steward of creation and of our treasure, we've been waiting for our previous mower to die for several years now.  My husband has patched and repaired, bolted and oiled but finally, it was time to say goodbye to "Ole Gassy".  (No.  I'm not referring to my husband.  We're talking about the gas mower here.  Focus people!)

So, we have ventured into the world of electric mowers.  To make it easy on you, dear readers, I will present my review of our electric mower in Pro/Con format.  You're welcome.

Pros-

• No stinky gas smell in the garage and yard.
• No emissions to contaminate the air.
• Quieter motor means less noise pollution and irritation.  PLUS, I can actually converse a bit with my husband/son while they mow.  (Wait.  That may a "Con" for them....)
• My husband says he doesn't feel as bad after mowing now.  He supposes that this is due to the fact that he not sucking mower fumes while he mows.
• It's MUCH easier to start than an old-style mower.  Literally just the press of a button.

Cons-

• The mower is much heavier than the gas version so it takes more muscle to mow the yard.  There is a self-propelled feature that helps a lot but it does drain the battery more quickly.  Of course, if you're looking for some exercise, this might just do the trick!
• The cutting path is narrower than our old mower which means it takes more passes to cover the whole yard.
• The battery does lose it's charge fairly quickly (see note above regarding the self-propelled feature) but our yard is fairly small so it works for us just fine.

Overall, we're very happy with the new mower and would buy it again if we needed to.  Only time will tell about the durability.  I'm sure I'll give you updates as time passes since that's kind of what I do...

Many (Green) Blessings,
Laura

Small Success Thursday

Join Sarah and the Moms at CatholicMom.com for Small Success Thursday!

These may seem small to you but to me they're HUGE!

• This week my son (with our help and guidance) decided what high school to go to and IT'S THE ONE I WANTED HIM TO CHOOSE!  I didn't want to make the decision for him because he is strong-willed (understatement!) and would argue with me till the end of time that that the sky is green if he really believed it was.  I admire his conviction but you can see why we wanted and needed his buy-in.
• My daughter has turned both a literal and figurative corner this week with her driver's education.  The poor thing has had MAJOR anxiety about learning to drive but at the same time she really wants to learn.  This week she finally advanced from parking lots and our neighborhood to driving PLACES (ie: not in circles or doing laps).  She's driven to her piano lesson, our elementary school, a friend's house, a local golf store, church, AND the craft store (her happy place).  We even ventured on the access road to the highway that's near us.  She's the bravest person I think I've ever met.  Not because she's fearless but because she fights through her fears.  Love. That. Girl.
• I cleared off my desk!  Ah the feeling of seeing the top surface of your desk for the first time in months.  It's like falling in love again!
• I think I've finally figured out this thing they call "Twitter".  It seems that you post (they call is "tweeting") things for others to read and then you read others' tweets.  Evidently, it works best when you comment, retweet, and favorite others' tweets.  I think this might just catch on...
• Finally, my other small (BIG) success is getting back on the blog this week with a vengeance. I've got so much to share with you about all that I learned at the Catholic Writer's Guild Conference and Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show that I may drive you crazy with all of my posting.  Well, if blogging is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

Blessings,
Laura

What We're Reading Wednesday (WWRW)

It's time I start linking up to some of these dynamic blogs that are sweeping the webisphere.  Since I'm doing a lot of reading these days, I thought I'd join in with the Jessica at www.housewifespice.com to talk about one of my favorite subjects-books!

And the FIRST book I've dug into since the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show is......(drum roll please!).....Bleeder by John Desjarlais!

Here's the summary from the back of the book:

 

"When classics professor Reed Stubblefield is disabled in a school shooting, he retreats to a rural Illinois cabin to recover and to write a book on Aristotle in peace. Oddly, in the chill of early March, the campgrounds and motels of tiny River Falls are filled with the ill and infirm -- all seeking the healing touch of the town’s new parish priest, reputed to be a stigmatic. Skeptical about religion since his wife’s death from leukemia, Reed is nevertheless drawn into a friendship with the cleric, Rev. Ray Boudreau, an amiable Aquinas scholar with a fine library -- who collapses and bleeds to death on Good Friday in front of horrified parishioners. A miracle? Or bloody murder? Once Reed becomes the prime 'person of interest' in the mysterious death, he seeks the truth with the help of an attractive local reporter and Aristotle’s logic before he is arrested or killed -- because not everyone in town wants this mystery solved..."

 

Are you hooked?  I am!  This has been a really fun book to read.  The characters are believable and (most of them) likable as well.  Since a mystery is only as good as its ending AND I haven't finished reading it, I can't really rate this book YET.  But I'm anticipating some interesting twists and turns coming up in the plot which will make this good book even better. 

 

In summary:  I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good murder mystery.  And, if you're Catholic, you'll enjoy the characters and setting on an even deeper level.

 

Happy Reading!

 

Laura

The Friendliest Rat I Ever Met

 

Here I am with Fr. Jim Tucker's Friend, Rusty the Rat.  Normally I'm not keen on rodents but, for Rusty, I'll make an exception. 

 

Me and Lisa Hendey of Catholic Mom fame!

Road Trip-The Aftermath

I'm back from the Catholic Marketing Network trade show and Catholic Writers Guild Conference! 

 

Wow!  I learned so much, met so many amazing people, and received so much encouragement and support that my heart just might burst!  Seriously, it was awesome!  I will be posting pictures of some of the cool people I met while I was playing the #CMNSelfie Scavenger Hunt created by Erin McCole Cupp at Will Write For Tomato Pie after this post.  So, watch your inbox!

 

Because of contacts that I made on the trip, I am now working on a book proposal for a major Catholic publisher as well as a new blog concept. (Insert squeal of excitement here!)

Soon you will see only green, stewardship-of-Creation posts here at Green 4 God.  To address all the other blog posts that I wish to write, I will be posting under the upcoming blog, Suburban Sainthood. 
Until SS is up and running I will continue to post here all the things that I want to say.  "Why" you say?  Because it's my blog and I want to, that's why!