When I was little, I can remember my Grammy sitting me on her lap and singing a song about friendship to me. She would smile as she sang, and it always made me feel so secure that the message of the song was true to life:
Make new friends
But keep the old;
One is silver
And the other, gold.
I always thought the words of the song were more about knowing that just because I meet new people doesn't mean that I should throw old friendships away. But as I grow older, I realize that maybe this isn't the the actual purpose of the song; maybe it's more about the quality of friendships, both old and new.
For 26 years, I lived within a 150-mile radius of my hometown. And for the first 21 of those years, I lived at my parents' house in my hometown. Same family, same friends, same scenery for 21 years. Yes, within those years friendships changed; the girl who was my best friend in kindergarten was not necessarily my best friend come senior year. But the girl who was my best friend all the way through elementary school and middle school was still a dear friend to me by the time graduation rolled around (probably based on our deep-rooted love of Barbies, Lisa Frank stickers, and boys who played the drums). Once I went away to college, I made new friends but still kept in touch (and to an extent, still continue to) with many of my closest friends from high school.
They say that the friends you make in college are the friends who stick around for life. I hope that's true. My sorority sisters, my classmates through my undergrad program - those are the ones that I hope stick around for the long haul. They know me, not as the little girl who played on the swingset and constantly changed my mind between loving Spice Girls or Mariah Carey more, but as the woman who took on leadership roles, who has a passion for teaching, and who gets a little silly when cranberry-vodka's are involved.
Two years ago, we moved 450 miles away from our hometowns and 600 miles away from the college town we'd called home for 6 years. No college friends, no high school friends. No one that I knew at all. And so the adventure of making new friends began while somehow trying to balance keeping the old from so far away.
Unfortunately, as I'm finding, making new friends who are as good as the silver from the song is tougher than expected. Being an Army wife, I find that the circles of people that I'm associating with are typically the wives of H's soldier buddies. They aren't necessarily people that I "click" with as easily or automatically as I would outside of the "forced" friendships that the Army lifestyle sets up, but that doesn't make them bad people or bad friendships. They are the silver the song speaks of, friendships that are good to have even if they aren't the same depth or strength as those gold ones created during high school and college. (Disclaimer: I have made some absolutely "golden" friendships up here, as well, and I don't want any of this post to make those wonderful ladies feel anything less than the gold that they are. They know who they are, especially my #2)
Without these silver friendships, the ones that are important but aren't necessarily the long-lasting ones that will pass the test of time, would I be able to value the gold friendships as much?
The friendships that started when we were just infants, grown through the deep and lasting golden friendships of our parents.
The friendships of those started in middle and high school, who I know care despite the fact that we may only chat once every few months.
The friendships of my sorority sisters, who know me better than most people, and who appreciates a random text message knowing exactly what I need, even if all it says "if you're a bird..."
The friendships made in college thanks to mutual friends, who normally may not have started for one reason or another, but who I cherish more than anything because of how they have grown and deepened thanks to God, shared life experiences, and/or the military lifestyle.
Those are the golden friendships, the ones who have depth and meaning that I can appreciate so much more thanks to the silver friendships. And the silver friendships I can appreciate and cherish because those are the friendships that are current and what I need right now, and have the potential to turn into golden friendships as our lives mature and change.
Is one better than the other? I wouldn't say "better" but from my experiences the golden friendships tend to have more meaning at this stage of my life; however, both the gold and silver, new and old friendships are equally important to me, and each friendship individually has its own meaning and importance in my life.
To my golden friendships, I could never fully put into words what your friendship and impact in my life has been and continues to mean to me. I cherish our friendship, even if it's just a text or chat message once in a while to check in, a "thinking of you" card in the mail, or a coffee date over the phone. You mean the world to me, and I hope that our friendships continue to last a lifetime!
And to my silver friendships, I am so thankful for God bringing you into my life recently. Your friendship means so much to me, even if it's not as old or as time-tested as the golden friendships from earlier in my life, and I love the memories we've made and continue to make together. Even something as simple as coffee on the porch, a day at the beach, or girls night with munchies and movies means so much to me to know that I have you as part of my "Army family" away from home.
Showing posts with label Grammy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grammy. Show all posts
Monday, July 7, 2014
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Momma's Day :)
It's that special Sunday where everyone remembers why they love the one woman who as loved them from the start - their mom. I'm blessed to have a lot of really strong women in my life who have helped raise and influence me, so today I'll be taking time to talk about each one of them.
Being that it's Mother's Day, I'll start with my mom (of course!) and all the amazingness that she is. The amount of patience this woman has is unfathomable considering all she's put up with between me and my sister over the years. She's been the foundation that I've built my life upon and when I look at where I am in life, I know I wouldn't be where I am or who I am without her. She taught me so much over the years: the importance of God in my life and always coming back to Him; how to properly plant a garden that actually looks good and lasts the summer; that sometimes you shouldn't try to dig up big bushes in the backyard if there's a chance a stick might stab you in the eye; how to cook a delicious meal using family recipes passed down through generations; that overdrawing your bank account not only causes financial problems but that it makes your mom REALLY mad; that even though she's REALLY mad forgiveness is still a part of loving someone; and that being a genuine, loving, compassionate person is more important that having every material item in the world. She's my best friend who has been there for me when I've been overcome by sadness or needed to share something exciting in my life, she's been a role model for holding a marriage together, grounding yourself in God's love and truths, and having a heart for service to others. I attribute my character, sense of humor, frizzy hair, and love of academics all to her, and I am so thankful to have her as my Momma.
Who taught my mom all this amazingness that she could pass on to me and my sister? Why, her mother, of course. My Grammy was an amazing woman, a true saint in her own right. To this day, she is one of the strongest Christian women I have ever known, and was the true matriarch of our family. She made birthday cakes for Jesus every Christmas, and kept oatmeal cookies on the kitchen counter at all times. She could make you feel like the most important person in the world with her love and kind words, but wasn't afraid to put you in your place if you got out of line (and trust me, that wasn't something you wanted to hear from her!). She spent her Sunday's watching NASCAR and TBN church services with her shotgun by her side, ready to take out any groundhog trying to dig holes in her yard. She was the woman I called when I was home sick from school just to hear her tell me to drink water and eat crackers in my jammies till I felt better, the woman I ate pie and drank coffee with on Saturday afternoons when I had breaks and was home from college. She yelled at me for getting a tattoo, then told me how cute the black ink butterfly on my shoulder actually was. There isn't a day that goes by, even seven years later, that I don't think about her or see her influence somewhere in my life. I know she's up in Heaven fussing over whether or not the angels have planted the spring flowers in the right spots of God's garden :)
I've been fortunate enough to have a few "adopted moms" growing up, too. Joni and Kim, mothers to my best friends since we were just babies, have been there for me for the past 27 years. From help planning secret parties for my parents, advice on everything from school to boys, even just keeping me in line when my own mom wasn't there and I felt like I could probably get away with something (so optimistic on my part, and yet so wrong haha!). They both saw me as their own child, and made sure that if I needed something they would try their best to take care of me. I'm beyond thankful for their influence, love, and guidance growing up and for seeing me as their own daughter.
I can't help but look at today with some optimism and butterflies in my tummy that maybe just maybe this will be my last mother's day without being a mommy. One thing I know for sure is that I have had a lot of "lessons" over the years of what a good mother/mother figure should be thanks to my incredible mom and all the other amazing mother figures in my life. If I can be even half the mother that these woman have added up to be, I know my child will be blessed beyond belief and will (hopefully) grow up with good character, strong faith, and a compassion for helping others.
Happy Mother's Day to all my friends who are mommies, mommies-to-be, have been an "adopted" mommy to another child, a role model, a teacher, or who have had any kind of positive influence on a child around them. You have no idea how loved you truly are!
-M
Being that it's Mother's Day, I'll start with my mom (of course!) and all the amazingness that she is. The amount of patience this woman has is unfathomable considering all she's put up with between me and my sister over the years. She's been the foundation that I've built my life upon and when I look at where I am in life, I know I wouldn't be where I am or who I am without her. She taught me so much over the years: the importance of God in my life and always coming back to Him; how to properly plant a garden that actually looks good and lasts the summer; that sometimes you shouldn't try to dig up big bushes in the backyard if there's a chance a stick might stab you in the eye; how to cook a delicious meal using family recipes passed down through generations; that overdrawing your bank account not only causes financial problems but that it makes your mom REALLY mad; that even though she's REALLY mad forgiveness is still a part of loving someone; and that being a genuine, loving, compassionate person is more important that having every material item in the world. She's my best friend who has been there for me when I've been overcome by sadness or needed to share something exciting in my life, she's been a role model for holding a marriage together, grounding yourself in God's love and truths, and having a heart for service to others. I attribute my character, sense of humor, frizzy hair, and love of academics all to her, and I am so thankful to have her as my Momma.
Who taught my mom all this amazingness that she could pass on to me and my sister? Why, her mother, of course. My Grammy was an amazing woman, a true saint in her own right. To this day, she is one of the strongest Christian women I have ever known, and was the true matriarch of our family. She made birthday cakes for Jesus every Christmas, and kept oatmeal cookies on the kitchen counter at all times. She could make you feel like the most important person in the world with her love and kind words, but wasn't afraid to put you in your place if you got out of line (and trust me, that wasn't something you wanted to hear from her!). She spent her Sunday's watching NASCAR and TBN church services with her shotgun by her side, ready to take out any groundhog trying to dig holes in her yard. She was the woman I called when I was home sick from school just to hear her tell me to drink water and eat crackers in my jammies till I felt better, the woman I ate pie and drank coffee with on Saturday afternoons when I had breaks and was home from college. She yelled at me for getting a tattoo, then told me how cute the black ink butterfly on my shoulder actually was. There isn't a day that goes by, even seven years later, that I don't think about her or see her influence somewhere in my life. I know she's up in Heaven fussing over whether or not the angels have planted the spring flowers in the right spots of God's garden :)
I've been fortunate enough to have a few "adopted moms" growing up, too. Joni and Kim, mothers to my best friends since we were just babies, have been there for me for the past 27 years. From help planning secret parties for my parents, advice on everything from school to boys, even just keeping me in line when my own mom wasn't there and I felt like I could probably get away with something (so optimistic on my part, and yet so wrong haha!). They both saw me as their own child, and made sure that if I needed something they would try their best to take care of me. I'm beyond thankful for their influence, love, and guidance growing up and for seeing me as their own daughter.
I can't help but look at today with some optimism and butterflies in my tummy that maybe just maybe this will be my last mother's day without being a mommy. One thing I know for sure is that I have had a lot of "lessons" over the years of what a good mother/mother figure should be thanks to my incredible mom and all the other amazing mother figures in my life. If I can be even half the mother that these woman have added up to be, I know my child will be blessed beyond belief and will (hopefully) grow up with good character, strong faith, and a compassion for helping others.
 |
| My momma and me through the years! |
Happy Mother's Day to all my friends who are mommies, mommies-to-be, have been an "adopted" mommy to another child, a role model, a teacher, or who have had any kind of positive influence on a child around them. You have no idea how loved you truly are!
-M
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Hello October!
I know I say this all the time, so please forgive the redundancy, but I love Fall!
Today, I decorated the house for Fall...
...and started my morning with a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Sbux!
My friend Jessie is having a birthday get-together today with her husband and their families, and since it's Fall I wanted to make something yummy and perfect to take. I have been craving everything pumpkin lately, and what better to take to a Fall party than pumpkin pie, especially when you're the fourth generation with a pumpkin pie family recipe (thank you Grammy!)?! But pumpkin pie can be messy to eat, and one pie will only feed about 8 people (6 if you're like my family and want your slices big!) so I decided to make hand-pies.
If you don't know what a hand-pie is, it's a small, hand-held foldover pie that is about 2 or 3 bites big. Perfect to eat at a party, not messy, and you can make a bunch of them out of one pie recipe. Oh, and they are pretty dang delicious!
Here's what you need:
(this recipe will make about 40-45 handpies or one regular-sized pie)
1 cup pumpkin (either canned or fresh)
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
In my picture, you can see a can of pumpkin and then a cup of fresh pumpkin in the container with the purple lid. My family has always made it with fresh pumpkin, but canned pumpkin works just as well. Your choice!
Oh, and PS: I'm using my upcycled cookie sheet to message holder to hold my recipe card. It's great, hands-free so your recipe card doesn't get all gross, and soooo easy to make!
Okay, so lets make some pies!
First, mix the pumpkin, sugar, milk, and eggs in a mixing bowl until combined.
Then add your flour, salt, and spices, and combine again. If you're using fresh pumpkin, your mixture will be a little lumpy, and no matter what it's going to be soupy and runny--that's a good thing!
If you're making a regular-sized pie, pour it into a 9 inch pie crust.
If you're making mini handpies, pour into a baking dish (mine is 8 inches).
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. While it's baking, I made my mini handpie crusts. You have to bake the filling before you put it into the mini handpie crusts because it will be too liquidy if you don't. That does not make for a very yummy (or clean) handpie.
So now it's crust time! I used 4 9-inch premade pie crusts, which makes about 40 mini pie crusts, but only if you take the scraps, reroll them out, and continue cutting crusts until the scraps are too small to use. I rolled out my dough onto a floured countertop and used a standard drinking glass to cut my rounds (a biscuit cutter would work just as well, but I don't have one lol)
Here are all my beautiful rounds!
And here is my very yummy pie filling just out of the oven. If you take it out and it's still liquidy in the middle, put it back in for about 7 minutes. It will continue to finish firming up as it stands cooling, but you want it pretty firm when you take it out. (Please ignore my dirty teapot and stove...)
I put a little blob of filling onto each round (roughly 1/2 Tbs)...
...then folded it over and used a fork to pinch and seal the edges. You might have a little pumpkin filling or liquid come out, and that's okay--just adjust how much you put in the next one so you don't waste too much squished out filling. :)
I used a paring knife to cut 2 small slits in the top of each pie, then brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar before baking. Then it's back into the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees, until it's flaky and golden brown.
Just out of the oven!
And here they are, all finished, warm, and delicious.
So now that my house is all decorated for Fall, smells like spices, and I have warm little pumpkin pie bites to fill my belly, I feel like Fall is truly here! Happy October!
Pin It
Today, I decorated the house for Fall...
...and started my morning with a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Sbux!
My friend Jessie is having a birthday get-together today with her husband and their families, and since it's Fall I wanted to make something yummy and perfect to take. I have been craving everything pumpkin lately, and what better to take to a Fall party than pumpkin pie, especially when you're the fourth generation with a pumpkin pie family recipe (thank you Grammy!)?! But pumpkin pie can be messy to eat, and one pie will only feed about 8 people (6 if you're like my family and want your slices big!) so I decided to make hand-pies.
If you don't know what a hand-pie is, it's a small, hand-held foldover pie that is about 2 or 3 bites big. Perfect to eat at a party, not messy, and you can make a bunch of them out of one pie recipe. Oh, and they are pretty dang delicious!
Here's what you need:
(this recipe will make about 40-45 handpies or one regular-sized pie)
1 cup pumpkin (either canned or fresh)
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
Oh, and PS: I'm using my upcycled cookie sheet to message holder to hold my recipe card. It's great, hands-free so your recipe card doesn't get all gross, and soooo easy to make!
If you're making a regular-sized pie, pour it into a 9 inch pie crust.
If you're making mini handpies, pour into a baking dish (mine is 8 inches).
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. While it's baking, I made my mini handpie crusts. You have to bake the filling before you put it into the mini handpie crusts because it will be too liquidy if you don't. That does not make for a very yummy (or clean) handpie.
So now it's crust time! I used 4 9-inch premade pie crusts, which makes about 40 mini pie crusts, but only if you take the scraps, reroll them out, and continue cutting crusts until the scraps are too small to use. I rolled out my dough onto a floured countertop and used a standard drinking glass to cut my rounds (a biscuit cutter would work just as well, but I don't have one lol)
So now that my house is all decorated for Fall, smells like spices, and I have warm little pumpkin pie bites to fill my belly, I feel like Fall is truly here! Happy October!
Pin It
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Sunday, November 14, 2010
Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future
Past:
Christmas was always a very big thing with my family. We would go out and cut down a tree together, bake cookies, and the house was full of so much Christmas spirit and love. None of that has changed, but over the past 5 years my Christmas spirit has slowly dwindled away. When my Grammy passed away in January 2006, it was like Christmas was no longer the same. Our family still went about doing things the same, but some little part of my Christmas spirit was gone.
Present:
This year, I feel my Christmas spirit coming back. This is H's and my first Christmas in our own home. And for some reason, this has really put both of us into the Holiday mood. I've been baking more and we've been working on Christmas presents already, this weekend we went to Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland with our friends and got some great ornaments, and today we put up our tree. Yes, it's a bit early to set up our tree, but ya know what? We are both feeling the Christmas spirit for the first time in years and we're so excited to be celebrating Christmas as our own family this year that we decided to go with it and let the Christmas spirit take over. Plus, it makes us happy! :)
Future:
This is our first Christmas as our own family, and is the first of many Keith family Christmases to come. We are so excited to be celebrating together and to be celebrating next Christmas as a (hopefully) married couple--God is truly blessing us! I really hope that the fact that our Christmas spirit is back this year that it only stays and keeps getting stronger for every year from now on.
Here are a few pics from this weekend around Frankenmuth, Michigan and in Bronners. It was seriously so great to have Rob and Teresa up here to spend time together and it was the best mini-vacation we've had in a while!
The 4 of us (Rob, Teresa, me, H) in front of a tree at Bronners
H and I in front of the tree at Bronners
H found one of those fun German "oompa" hats and had to embrace his German heritage
Christmas was always a very big thing with my family. We would go out and cut down a tree together, bake cookies, and the house was full of so much Christmas spirit and love. None of that has changed, but over the past 5 years my Christmas spirit has slowly dwindled away. When my Grammy passed away in January 2006, it was like Christmas was no longer the same. Our family still went about doing things the same, but some little part of my Christmas spirit was gone.
Present:
This year, I feel my Christmas spirit coming back. This is H's and my first Christmas in our own home. And for some reason, this has really put both of us into the Holiday mood. I've been baking more and we've been working on Christmas presents already, this weekend we went to Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland with our friends and got some great ornaments, and today we put up our tree. Yes, it's a bit early to set up our tree, but ya know what? We are both feeling the Christmas spirit for the first time in years and we're so excited to be celebrating Christmas as our own family this year that we decided to go with it and let the Christmas spirit take over. Plus, it makes us happy! :)
Future:
This is our first Christmas as our own family, and is the first of many Keith family Christmases to come. We are so excited to be celebrating together and to be celebrating next Christmas as a (hopefully) married couple--God is truly blessing us! I really hope that the fact that our Christmas spirit is back this year that it only stays and keeps getting stronger for every year from now on.
Here are a few pics from this weekend around Frankenmuth, Michigan and in Bronners. It was seriously so great to have Rob and Teresa up here to spend time together and it was the best mini-vacation we've had in a while!
The 4 of us (Rob, Teresa, me, H) in front of a tree at Bronners
H and I in front of the tree at Bronners
H found one of those fun German "oompa" hats and had to embrace his German heritage
Monday, April 19, 2010
Home-baked Memories
Grammy's Oatmeal Cookies...
Best thing to make when I'm feeling homesick and having an "I miss Grammy" day. Makes me miss being a little girl and running into Grammy's kitchen, opening up the old red Tupperware container on her counter, and grabbing a few oatmeal cookies before running outside to play. Some of the best memories came from Grammy's house.
"Love you dearly..."
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