Finally...

Finally, our best friends are in town from Ft. Worth, Texas, and we couldn't be more excited! They came in late last Christmas night. They spent the night at our house and we didn't go to bed until about 3am. My poor husband got up at 7am to go to work. I hope he is doing good today. It was just like old times except there is a new baby. He is absolutely adorable!

Here are some pictures from last night and this morning. They are just the cutest family, don't you think?

Baking with Oma

This is my Oma (German for Grandma). Oma makes the best Christmas cookies ever. They are a work of art and they taste delicious. Every year on Christmas Eve the family will go to Oma and Opa's for our traditional Gehachtus dinner, that's steak tartar. Those of us who do not like Gehachtus, eat ham instead. Then we all gather around the Christmas tree and open presents. Later, Oma would bring out her famous cookies for everyone to snack on. To be honest, as a child I wasn't to fond of the cookies. They looked nice and all, but they were too dry and not enough sweet. But now, I think they are better than any traditional American Christmas cookie.

I wanted to keep the tradition going by learning how to make these delectable treats, so Erin and I went to Oma's to learn how. Here are some more pictures...

This is Opa.

Oma would talk about how good it was that someone took interest in learning these recipes to keep the tradition going. She was so happy to have us over that she wanted to continue to get together and bake every year. Iwould love to Oma. There is so much I want to learn from you.

Back by Popular Demand

Several people have told me that I need to post another blog. I didn't know I was so popular.

The latest is that I am recovering quite well from my surgery in October. Today marks 6 weeks exactly from when I had surgery. As most of you know, I went to PA. to have major surgery in order to hopefully (God willing) conceive of a healthy child. This Fri. marks the one year anniversary of the ectopic pregnancy I had, which resulted in an emergency surgery late that Thurs. evening. The surgery went into the wee hours of Fri. morning. We named the baby Ambrose Mary. Ambrose for The Feast of St. Ambrose on Dec. 7th, and Mary for The Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8th. The name was Fr. Lutz's idea who was there for us every step of the way. Father baptized Ambrose Mary that night at the hospital. Thank you so much for everything you did for us Father! I remeber it all. We are so blessed to have a little saint in heaven. We buried our baby on the evening of Dec. 28th, The Feast of the Holy Innocents.

I remember all of our friends praying for us and supporting us in any way they could. We have such wonderful friends! I don't think I could have gotten through the pain without them and my dear husband (who suffered along side me).

It is still hard to think about what could have been, and it is especially hard with the anniversary right around the corner. Please say a quick prayer for me and my family. That we may not empower the devil, who is trying so fervently to bring us down, through our mourning of the loss of a child, and through the inability to have more children. It is my prayer and hopefully yours, that The Lyons Family will soon be a family of 5 (including Ambrose Mary of course).

The Mom Song Sung to William Tell Overture with Lyrics

Funny mom video! Enjoy! Thanks Dawn.

Oh So Sad

I'm oh so sad!

The above picture shows an intact shelf with my beautiful tea cups and saucers displayed on it. Not to mention the pictures and other trinkets.

Today after going on an enjoyable walk, with a good friend, on a brisk fall day, we came home to discover this beautiful display scattered all over my kitchen floor. Broken cups and saucers everywhere. My question, is this the work of one of my mischievous kitties, or was it that the hinges on the shelf or the nails in the wall, were just not sturdy enough? Although, the shelf held up for an entire month before crashing to the floor. Fortunately all of my pictures and trinkets made it through the fall in on piece, as well as one tea cup and matching saucer. Two saucers made it OK, but their counterparts did not.

It was the pride and joy of my kitchen. Maybe a little too much pride. I do realize there are more important things in life, but I will be sad for a little while. Oh well, life goes on...

Prayers Please

Please pray for a dear man, Wally Wallis, who passed away suddenly yesterday afternoon. Wally was a beloved man by all who knew him. He was a parishioner at our church, Holy Family. He was a retired teamster who volunteered much of his free time at Holy Family. Wally and his wife Shirley were co-adorers with Erin and myself from 10-11am on Thurs. mornings for adoration. We have been co-adorers for over a year, and in that time we have gotten to know both Wally and Shirley. I also got to know more about him from attending RCIA classes with my dad last year. Quite a coincidence, Wally and my dad go way back to when they attended high school together.

I am heartbroken by this sudden news. I pray that Wally was prepared for an eternity with God. Let this be a reminder to all that we must never live in mortal sin and we must always be prepared for our judgement day. Please pray for Wally and his mourning wife Shirley. Thank you! Love and prayers to you all.

Bufo

My husband found a toad last night. He wanted to keep the little critter, so we decided to call him Bufo, which means "toad" in Latin. As I write, my husband is on his way to PetSmart to buy more little critters to feed this guy. I'm not too thrilled about Bufo, but my husband would like to have some aquarium animals. Bufo will have to do for now.

If you ask me, any aquarium animal is to much work. We had a Russian Tortoise named Herman, who was very sick when we got him, which we of course were unaware of. He died about 2 months later. Erin was so sad. He was actually a birthday present for her. Before Herman we had a Guinea Pig, belonging to Erin. He lasted about six months and died of dehydration. Apparently he couldn't get any water from the dispenser. Erin and I were both devastated. Now we have Bufo. I'll tell ya, I'm not much for little caged animals. I would like to just stick with dogs and cats. We have one large dog and four cats. Haven't killed one of those yet.

Remembering 9/11

I know that in the back of everyone's mind today is the memory of the awful attack on our country 6 years ago. Has it been six years? What has become if this great country?


Do you remember how shocked you were as you heard horror story after horror story? And the great pride you felt as you heard stories of heroism? The priest that became the first casualty, who before he died was at ground zero giving last rights to those who had already perished. What a hero. It brings tears to my eyes as I write about it. Or what about all the police and firefighters who rushed into the Trade Towers to rescue whomever they could? Many died in their efforts to save the lives of the victims inside. Or the story of the passengers on Flight 93 who were faced with certain death and tried desperately to overcome the terrorists on their flight? Remember the unity we all felt as a nation? United we stand! Where is that unity today? As far as I can see, it is gone. This country seems to be more divided than ever. It's the Republicans vs. Democrats, the Conservatives vs. Liberals, black vs. white, life vs. choice (to kill not for freedom), and the constant struggle with moral issues in our society. Abortion is the law of the land. Contraception is taking over our country with Catholics at the forefront, accepting what society says, not what the church teaches. Same sex marriage is socially acceptable as well as premarital sex along with a litany of other mortal sins. God is being pushed out of our schools, out of our courtrooms, off of our money, out of our Pledge of Allegiance. What is to become of this great country? Do we need another 9/11 to get us to wake up and realize that this country will fall harder than the Roman Empire if we do not restore our faith in God, love for our neighbors, and do penance for our sins? God is so merciful, but He will not let this path of self destruction continue much longer. If we do continue down this road, God's mercy will be given in the form of a great suffering. Just like 9/11. Are we prepared for that? Let us pray that our country will be restored in unity and faith before it is to late.


What is to become of this great country?

Back to School

Well, today is the first day of school at the Lyons residence. It has been a good long summer, which has lead to a lack of discipline in our daily lives. Starting school always puts order back into our house. I hope to make this year the best yet. So far we are running quite smoothly.

Preparing for the new school year is always a challenge. This year, I decided to make up my own lesson plans, which has been very time consuming. But I hope that all that work will pay off in the end, for me and for Erin. I have only made plans up to 18 weeks just encase they don't work the way I had hoped. I have also moved our school room from the kitchen to the computer room. We were able to obtain a table and two chairs (Thanks Renee) to use for school. I had all the schoolbooks spiral bound which looks like it will be more helpful for Erin, especially since she is left-handed. And I'll be working hard to keep up with our extra curricular activities for this year. It looks like this year will consist of piano lessons, church choir, Apostolic Works Program, Adoration, and the occasional trip to the library. It seems like a lot, but I think it will be well worth it.

Hopefully we can maintain good discipline and organization throughout the school year, even after the excitement of the new year wears off.

Happy Home Schooling to you all!

Baby Sophia

Well, here she is. My niece, Sophia, after three happy months on this earth. Isn't she beautiful?

The John Wayne of Popes

It's funny because my husband and I just sat down last weekend to watch The Quiet Man. A John Wanyne film set in Ireland about a newly married couple and their struggles to understand each others culture and background. That movie sparked an ongoing conversation between our family and the Wasson family. My husband got a great kick out of the movie, and now it's probably his favorite movie.

Anyway, my husband asked me to go to this website called Creative Minority Report to look at an article comparing Pope Benedict to John Wayne. What a great article. Please read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy.

Knit-Wit

I have finally gotten back into knitting. I've had a 5 month dry spell, but I am excited about the project I am working on (pictured above), and I am also excited about the project I am about to attempt, as soon as I get the yarn. It is the most beautiful Victorian lace shawl. I think I can do it, with a little help from my good friend Kimberly, who has been knitting for many more years than myself. I do have some difficulty understanding the instructions for certain (most) patterns. It is hard for me to visualize what I am being told to do. Kimberly says it's because I don't have the needles in my hands. I guess we shall see. I did knit my first button hole last evening, on the baby sleeper (above)! It wasn't hard, just something new that I had never done before. I will keep you posted on the monster knit (the Victorian shawl) as I am working on it. Hope to get the yarn soon. Anyone know of a yarn comparable to the Peruvian Uros Aran yarn? The colors pictured are nice, but I was hoping for more of a light beige or cream colored yarn.

Living with a Big Galoot!

Ratzinger, the Big Galoot...
I love my puppy, Ratzinger! Yes, he is still a puppy. He will be two in September, and still has some filling out to do. As you can see from the pictures above, Ratzinger can quite easily reach the counter top. If we do not watch, he will help himself to any leftover crumbs on the counter, or even a sandwich if it's there. When we do eat, we command him to "Get on the couch!" This usually works, unless Ratzinger is being stubborn. Once the command is given, he looks at us with his saddest, most pathetic look, as if to say, "Awe, do I have to?" Yes Ratzinger, you have to "Get on the couch!" As if it were to worst, most uncomfortable place to be banished to.

Ratzinger, the coward...

You would think that being a gigantor would give you a sense of security. That you would feel confident in your abilities to intimidate others with your fearsome size and your deep, loud bark. Well, not Ratzinger. He is the most cowardice dog I think I have ever seen. He is so afraid of the unknown. Last night I brought in a shower seat that my mom had let me barrow. Ratzinger had to walk by it to get up the stairs. He slowly crept by as he watched it intently. Finally as he passed it completely he started to run for the stairs, you know, just encase the chair had decided to go after him at the last second.

A neighbor boy used to come over quite often. He was very good with Ratzinger and the two enjoyed each others company. Well, for a couple of months the boy did not come around so much. Then when he did come back, he had grown about a foot taller. From then on Ratzinger has been very leery of the boy. Whenever he comes over, Ratzinger barks at him, but cowers behind me with his tail between his legs.

Ratzinger, the defender...

Often, my husband and I will rough house or play fight. Whenever we do Ratzinger will immediately come to the rescue. He will run over to us barking, as if to say, "Break it up people. There will be no rough housing on my watch!" For some reason Ratzinger will not tolerate violence (or what is violence to him) of any kind.

Despite his grand size he is the most gentle yet clumsy dog. Sometimes we (as in myself and Erin, not Tim) wish he were smaller, but all in all we love our big galoot!

Back from PA.

Well, I'm back from PA. Actually, I have been back since late last Thurs. night. I'm just a little slow on updating my blog.

We were on the road about 8 hours on Wed. The scenery was beautiful. We were caught in the rain a couple of time. Once, it was raining sideways. All those hills going up and down. And the tunnels through the mountains. I think we went through 4 different mountains. The drive back was about a half an hour to 45 minutes shorter than the drive there. Less stopping along the way. The hotel or motel was horrible. We made the most of it though, since we were only staying one night anyway.

My appointment went well. I expect to have surgery, to hopefully fix my fertility problems, sometime in either September or October. Either way, I'm on the list.

A funny thing happened in the doctor's office, while waiting to be seen. My mom was telling me a funny story, and as she did my eyes became watery from laughing. Completely forgetting that I had put makeup on that morning, I started rubbing my eyes. Rubbing and rubbing, and finally my mom said, "You're smearing your makeup!" She started laughing, and then I started laughing. I looked like a raccoon, only there was no mirror for me to see the damage I had done. I rushed over to the sink and in the midst of my laughter, I said in a more serious voice, "Mom, help me before the doctor comes in!" I finally started washing my face with soap. That did the trick. My raccoon face disappeared, but the laughter didn't stop. Finally, we pulled it together and as we sat there, we wondered if the doctor had come to the door during our laughing fit, and just decided to come back a little later. Mom said, "They had to have heard us out there, and just wondered what the heck all the commotion was about!" Later on, during the drive home, mom just busted out with laughter. I asked her what was so funny, and she said, "I just keep picturing your face with all that makeup smeared all over." It was definitely the most comedic part of the trip.

Here are some picture from the drive home...

Road Trip

Well, I'm off to Pennsylvania today. I found out yesterday that Dr. Stegman wants me to meet him in person for my consultation, instead of by phone. Apparently it will be a detailed consult. So now my mom and I will be off for our 6 hour drive to Harrisburg where we will stay the night at the luxurious Econo Lodge. My appointment is tomorrow at 1pm. Hopefully I will find out when the surgery might take place. Please say a prayer for us, that we may have a safe trip to and from, and that the appointment will be telling of what is to come.

A Day with Mom

On Saturday, my mom and I celebrated my birthday. She had asked me to come over Sat. morning and to bring my camera. She wouldn't tell me anything else. Mom knows how much I enjoy taking pictures, and she knew I had wanted to go to Lancaster to photograph the sites and old buildings downtown. So that's what we did.

First we went to Annie's Cheesecake and Tea Room for a spot of tea and some lunch. The food was very good and the atmosphere was so cute and cozy. We then decided to walk off our meal while photographing the sites downtown. We saw the mural of General Sherman as well as The Sherman House. We also saw that pink house above, that I always thought would be so neat to live in. The pink house is actually The Fairfield Heritage Association. We saw The Fairfield County Veteran's Memorial, and St. Mary's Catholic Church. The weather, by the way, was perfect. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Finally, we went to this huge antique store called The Olde Shoe Factory. There were no shoes at all. It was an old warehouse in which they kept the name from when it actually operated as a warehouse. There were 3 floors to look at. The 2nd level had the most antiques. The 3rd level was a flea market (not that interesting). By the time we left The Olde Shoe Factory, our feet were killing us (pun intended). But, of course we could make it through a couple more stores. We briefly went through JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, and finally TJ-Maxx. For my birthday, mom bought me some really pretty picture frames from TJ-Maxx. Then we finally took our tired selves home. Thanks mom, for a really wonderful day. Hope to do it again sometime soon.

Birthday Greetings

Hi everyone! Well today is my birthday! I am 28 years old. Nothing really exciting to report about today. It was gloomy and raining this morning, but is nice and sunny right now. Not too hot either.

Above are some pictures of an outing we had on Wednesday morning. I went with Erin and my brother-in-law's girlfriend, Ashley. We had a good time. Actually we went to Canal Winchester for an oil change, and while we were waiting we decided to walk around the town. We went to Harvest Moon first, where we sipped on some cool iced coffees. Then we went to a jewelry store to look around. Always a fun thing for girls to do. Then we went in the cutest shop called Victoria's Attic. It was full of fancy teapots, cups and saucers, teas and tea cozy's. So many beautiful and girly things. It was a very fun morning.

Later that afternoon, I went to pick up my brother-in-law from the hospital. One month ago from today, he fell out of a 40 foot tree. He had surgery on his back and a week later went to an in-patient rehabilitaion center for 4 weeks. He is 19 years old. He is doing very well mentally and physically, but he is paralyzed from the calves down. Please pray for him and especially for his increase of faith. I know so many of you are praying for him and we thank you very much for your continued support.

Hail Mary full of Grace....

Happy Father's Day

It is Father's Day evening at 11:35pm. What a busy day. I really wanted to post this excerpt earlier today, written by St. Thomas More to his children Margaret, Elizabeth, Cecily, and John. Since it's before midnight, it still counts!

"It is not so strange that I love you with my whole heart, for being a father is not a tie which can be ignored. Nature in her wisdom has attached the parent to the child and bound their minds together with a Herculean knot. Thence comes that tenderness of a loving heart that accustoms me to take you so often in my arms. That is why I regularly fed you cake and gave you ripe apples and fancy pears. That is why I used to dress you in silken garments and why I never could endure to hear you cry...Ah, brutal and unworthy to be called father is he who does not himself weep at the tears of his child...But now my love has grown so much that it seems to me I did not love you at all before."

Oh, how beautiful is a father's love! How beautiful is Our Heavenly Father's love. I sincerely hope you had a joyous Father's Day!

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee. I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants.
Amen.
-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
from the book Devotion To The Sacred Heart by Fr. John Croiset, S.J.

The Promises of the Sacred Heart
1. “I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.”
2. “I will establish peace in their homes.”
3. “I will comfort them in their afflictions.”
4. “I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death.”
5. “I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.”
6. “Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.”
7. “Tepid souls shall grow fervent.”
8. “Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.”
9. “I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored.”
10. “I will give priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.”
11. “Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.”
12. “I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving the Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.”

My Hero

Little did my husband know that right after his parish council meeting last night, he would become a local hero. At about 9pm on June 14th 2007, Tim was walking into the rectory to visit with our pastor when he and Fr. Lutz heard a woman outside crying that her purse had been stolen. Tim immediately ran out the kitchen door to see Mary Groves, also Tim's barber, was crying that her purse had just been snatched. Tim started running in the direction of the thief. As he ran he saw three different eye witnesses who told him the direction the thief had run. The man had gone around the Church, behind the parish center, up the hill and across the train tracks. He thought he had safely evaded himself, and was going through the purse when out of the blue comes my husband yelling threats to the man. The criminal immediately picked up the purse and ran towards the direction of the Scioto River. Evidently there was a steep drop to the river bank where the man jumped into the river, about a 20 foot drop. Tim ran down that steep slope to the river's edge. The man yelled, "I'm sorry man, I'm sorry. I've got 7 kids at home!" Tim responded, "Yeah, well I'm sure that woman needs that money just as bad as you do!" After taking a wad of cash from the purse, the man threw the purse in Tim's direction. My husband took the purse and recovered a few items that were floating in the water, including Mary's checkbook. Tim did not end up going in the river, but knew the vicinity of the man. The cops had been called and were on their way to the river bank. The man evidently could not get across the river and was hiding in some brush along the river's edge. An off duty police officer, who was kayaking in the river, apprehended the man. Tim came out of the whole ordeal with only a few minor scratches on his legs from the brush he had run through. After the police came, Fr. Lutz called me and said, "I just want you to know that your husband is a hero!" He began to tell me the exciting story and that Tim was OK. After filling out a police report and doing an interview with both Channel 10 News and The Columbus Dispatch, my husband finally made it home at about 12:15am. He awoke at 7:30 this morning to go to work and continue being the hero that he's always been to me! To see the news report from Channel 10 News, click here. To also see the report from The Columbus Dispatch, click here.

Children

What a precious gift!