Shannon Yee

During the early spring, I ordered about 12 crowns of asparagus to plant and enjoy fresh, seasonal food. I was especially inspired after reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Unfortunately, they arrived while I was out of town and sat for a few days drying out. So, I was worried about their success, especially when by the end of May, when I should’ve had more asparagus than I could ever eat, I still only had a few small shoots, which were trampled and squished by my little garden helpers.

Well, by the end of June, I am dumbfounded as I have giant plants taking over my landscaping. I also had a single whispy plant in three of the other locations where I planted the precious crowns. I had a very vague idea of how big the asparagus would grow. So, I wasn’t really surprised when some stalks got pretty tall, but I was a bit perplexed that they weren’t fern like at all. So, when they started to flower, I was pretty sure that these might not be asparagus plants after all. The tall stalks with purple-ish flowers were nice, but they didn’t look at all like the other asparagus ferns growing around my yard now. So, after an exhaustive search of the internets, my extremely intelligent husband determined the plant to be milkweed. This would explain the bountiful presence of monarchs in our yard this summer…

I’m just a wee bit embarrassed, but did introduce the kids to the wonder of milk from a plant.

I have spent the better part of the past hour looking for some resources to help me in my continuing struggle in being a “good mom.” A friend of mine offered the following words of truth and encouragement – not directly intended for me (I don’t think), but God knew I’d read it today…

I’m a child of God. All my other roles in this world are just extras.
I’m not defined by my role as a mother. My identity is in Christ. Being a wife and a mother is important to me but it is not who I am. These are roles that I value and cherish and desire but they are not me. I can easily (and sometimes do) turn these roles into idols and that will always end in disappointment. I know we will experience pain… but I find a lot of comfort in knowing God has a plan better than mine.

ETA: I forgot to title this post and so it was aptly named for me as undefined. Maybe one day I’ll be more sure of who I am…

For the first time in 5 years, I went to Canada this weekend. The last time was on a fabulous camping trip with a bunch of young couples when I was not even showing in my pregnancy with Eila. This time I went without my wonderful mate. Instead, I traveled with seven children and just three other adults.

We all had a blast visiting the touristy Cliffton Hill and riding the Maid of the Mist, despite TJ’s vociferous complaints about the poncho. I especially enjoyed walking through the gardens and along the river between the falls. My kids loved the waterpark where we spent the better part of two days. If only getting back into the US was as quick and easy as getting back into Canada, I’d be willing to do this trip every year. (Thank God for the DVDs and stale bagels that held the kids over from 5:15-8:30pm!)

I’m so excited because today I got to meet my new nephew and cuddle him! He is adorable, so sweet and so heavy. When I first saw him, I looked at him and he looked right back at me and grinned the biggest gummy smile ever. I knew I liked him…

You can learn more if you want at my sister’s adoption blog. She has some pictures there too. I just wish they lived closer!

In the past few months, both of my grandfather’s health declined significantly, they were both suddenly and unexpectedly in the hospital where they received bad news and were released to nursing homes. Tomorrow is the second funeral in less than 3 weeks for my family. My sadness comes in waves and peace usually follows quickly as I know that they both had long, full and happy lives and leave a great legacy behind. I feel like I was able to say goodbye to each of them before they got really sick and I have so many good memories with them. While I’m grieving the loss of my granddads, I’m relieved at their deaths as it means an end to the pain and confusion that they were each experiencing. Pop and Grandpa were completely different men, but both are loved dearly.

Helping my children process these losses has been really healing for me. Eila went to bed crying and when I asked her what was wrong, she replied “I’m sad because I won’t get to go fishing with Great-Grandpa ever again.” Since I could do nothing else, I hugged her, cried with her, and listened to her. Then, I suggested that we pray together. That prayer was exactly what I needed. Yesterday, Josiah was nearby when Grandma Karen gave me a hug and condolences. He stated simply “Pop died.” Grandma responded “That’s sad, isn’t it?” And, Josiah said “No, it isn’t. He’s happy with Jesus now.” And that’s the truth.

Vacation = 2 parents + 3 kids + 11 days + 6 “homes” + 5 museums + 2 weddings + 1 mini-van + ∞ good times.

We traveled across Pennsylvania & New Jersey to Brooklyn then to Philadelphia and Amish country, stopping at Gettysburg continuing on through Maryland, West Virginia, PA, and Ohio. The dancing and eating were nonstop. Sleeping was optional. Laundry piled high. Swimming, playing at parks, riding trains, milking cows, feeding goats, exploring new places were never enough. The flower girl and ring bearer nearly stole the show with their cuteness.

The crazy thing is that while I’ve left my husband for several trips around the country, he has never gone anywhere on his own until this week.

I’m so glad that he’ll be back tonight as the middle kid is just beside himself with his great need for Daddy. I also really want him to fix the shower that #3 broke… Hee Hee.

Really though, I miss my hubby. He is a truly great guy. I love that he makes me laugh – hard. He is kind and thoughtful in everything that he does. Brian never wants to upset or hurt anyone and I really admire that in him. He is generous, but not irresponsible. He is considerate and cautious, but not indecisive. My loving husband works hard and provides for our family without complaint – even on the days when I’ve been having all kinds of fun while he was dealing with difficult situations. I could go on and on as I eagerly wait for him to fly back home. I’ll just say one more thing: Brian is loyal and completely trustworthy, which is probably more important to me than I ever realized. I love him and can’t wait to re-do his birthday so it feels really special because he deserves it.

Caring for orphans and widows is a very clear command in the Bible. There is simply no excuse for not helping those who need it, and the benefits are many. A simple way to care for orphans, without adopting or fostering them, is to support those who do. Here’s a link to one family that is selling shirts to raise funds to adopt a child from Ethiopia. Go. Buy. Love.

With all the rain we’ve been getting, I’ve been doing a lot of baking. Yesterday, the kids and I made some bread and crescent rolls (at Eila’s request, but she didn’t like them). Monday, we made corn dogs (at Josiah’s request, which he loved) and today we made Snickerdoodles (per Joe’s wish). We also made a yummy lentil dish.

Everyone loved the lentils with chicken and rice. Here’s the recipe:
1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 T. spices (oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, thyme)
1.5 cups lentils
4 cups chicken broth
lemon juice
balsamic vinegar
asiago cheese

Saute the onion, carrot, and garlic in olive oil. Add spices. Dump this mixture into rice cooker and add lentils and chicken broth. When tender, add a couple splashed of lemon juice and a splash of vinegar. Serve with rice and leftover chicken and top with grated cheese.

In Search of the Source A First Encounter with God’s Word by Neil Anderson with Hyatt Moore is a phenomenal book. A dear friend of mine lent me this non-fiction story about translating the Bible for the Folopa people in PNG, knowing that my dream job would be doing that very thing. It is a quick, easy read filled with interesting adventures of a missionary family in a very unfamiliar place. I especially appreciated the (limited) discussion of techniques for developing the written word, teaching literacy and then the work of translation itself. More than just an enjoyable read, there is also an element of spiritual challenge contained herein as the Folopa come to understand that God knew them and has always been at work in their lives even when they didn’t know Him.