Cameo of a Strong Woman

Pam, her husband, and her 3 grandmothers on her wedding day

by Pam Hillman

A strong woman is a smart woman.

My maternal grandmother, Mamaw Evans, was a smart woman. Down here in Mississippi, people used to say, “She’s a smart worker.” That meant that she worked smarter, not harder. She planned the work and worked the plan. Mamaw Evans was that kind of woman. Mamaw and Papaw lived in the middle of forty acres and grew cotton, corn, and vegetables. Papaw was a truck farmer, and spent many summer days peddling vegetables. Mamaw liked to stay at home and sew and putter around the house while he was gone. But Mamaw’s puttering wasn’t the ordinary stay-at-home-mom-and-bake-cookies housewife kind. Papaw might come home to find the walls in the house had been moved. Kitchen needed to be bigger? No problem. Mamaw made it so. From all accounts, Mamaw moved every wall in their house at one time or another. Now that’s a smart woman.

A strong woman is a caring woman.

           

            My paternal grandmother, Granny Tune, was a caring woman. She had five children and a host of grandchildren. She was a short, dumpy woman and could come across a little grumpy sometimes. One of my cousins affectionately called her Granny-Grump-Stump. I wanted to call her that because it fit so perfectly, but I was too polite to ever actually utter the words. Granny had five children and three of them lived within walking distance of her rural country home. So that meant in her elder years, she had grandchildren and great-grandchildren parading in and out of her house from daylight to dark, especially during the summertime. No wonder she got a little grumpy on occasion. But she loved every child that came through her door, and her Christmas shopping started the day after Christmas when toys went on sale. By June, she’d proudly announce that she’d not only completed her shopping but her wrapping as well. Now, that’s not only caring, that’s smart!

While both my grandparents passed away several years ago, we're still blessed to have my husband's grandmother with us.

A strong woman is a Godly woman.

My husband’s grandmother, known far and wide as Ms. Lorene or just Mamaw, is a Godly woman. She just turned 97 years young. She dropped out of school in the eleventh grade to get married, went back to school to get her GED at the age of 77, then went on to get her college degree. She was the oldest person in the state of Mississippi to be inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Hall of Fame and was invited to the Phi Theta Kappa Convention in Washington, DC. With degree in hand, she spent the next ten or so years teaching GED Algebra at the local community college while sharing the gospel with her students. I’d say that makes her smart, caring, and Godly. Youcan read more about Mamaw Lorene at Calico Trails in a post honoring her 93birthday in December 2011.

Strong women have hidden strengths that might not always be apparent to passing acquaintances, but those of us who know them well can spot those strengths a mile away. And we strive to emulate them.

I’d love for you to share a cameo of a strong woman who’s influenced you. 

 ~

CBA Bestselling author Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that’s the kind of life every girl should dream of!

http://www.pamhillman.com/books/

A Trip Down Memory Lane and a GIVEAWAY

Carla Stewart here, dreaming not of a White Christmas, but getting my baking and shopping and wrapping done. Then it's over the hills and through the woods...

Who wouldn't love to go back to those simpler times when all we had to worry about was what would be waiting under the tree on Christmas morning? This time of year, I always get a little nostalgic for those times...and Christmas Eve at Granny's house. So why not a trip back in time to yesteryear? (PS: I had four grandmothers until I was in college - two great grandmothers and two grandmothers, but for today's post, I'm sticking just with my paternal grandmother.)  

Granny & Gramps Wedding Picture - Jan. 3, 1924

What I remember about Granny: 

• She had white hair for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I loved to watch her open the gelatin caps that she mixed with water for a hair rinse - she was one of the original "blue hairs" that have become today's cliche. In her older years, she went to the salon and sometimes had a lovely pink or lavender tint. 
• She always wore hats to church. And a girdle. 
• She loved to go fishing. 
• She had a concrete goldfish pond in the side yard of her farm house and a cherry orchard on the other side where we picked (and pitted) cherries every summer. 
• She was the first person I knew to have an aluminum Christmas tree with a rotating light in different colors. 

 

Photo from Wiki Commons (Table top size) - Granny's was full size.

Color Wheel for Aluminum Christmas Tree - Photo from Wiki Commons

• She and Gramps raised five kids during the Great Depression (a sixth came along later). 

 

My dad (2nd from right) and his siblings during the Depression

• Her hands were gnarled and scaly with psoriatic arthritis, and I spent many an hour sitting on the floor beside her winding crochet thread into a ball. She crocheted stunning doilies, table cloths, and even bedspreads and taught me how to block them after they were washed. 
• She made yummy frosted cut-out sugar cookies - so pretty I hated to bite into them. 
• She loved to play the old upright piano in her living room and sing "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder" in a rousing voice. 
• She was a wonderful cook, but whenever I think of Granny, it's her rice pudding with hard sauce that floods my memory. Here's her old-fashioned recipe for you to enjoy. 

GRANNY’S RICE PUDDING

1 cup boiled rice
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 tall cans milk (3 cups light cream or half and half works as well)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons melted butter
2/3 cup raisins, softened in boiling water and drained
Beat egg yolks; add sugar and butter. Pour in rice with milk, vanilla, raisins, and salt. Beat egg whites and fold in separately. Bake in 300 degree oven for 30 minutes or until pudding begins to set.

Custard Sauce (optional but sublime)
4 beaten egg yolks
dash salt
¼ cup sugar
2 cups milk, scalded and cooled slightly
In heavy saucepan, mix egg yolks, salt, and sugar. Cook over low heat, gradually adding milk. Stir constantly until mixture coats a metal spoon. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour into small pitcher and cool slightly before pouring over bowls of warm rice pudding. Enjoy!

I was a pretty lucky girl to have the influence and warm memories of both my grandmothers who lived until I was a mom myself. I treasure them and the time I had them on this earth. 

I'm leaving the blog after this month, but want to thank each of you who have read my posts and encouraged me in numerous ways. I will miss you, but invite you to visit me at my website or FaceBook Author page so we can keep up. 

As a farewell gift, I'm offering a $15 Amazon card, chosen from comments on this post. To make sure you get it in time for Christmas, I'll draw for a winner at noon on December 20. It will come as an E-Gift to your mailbox so please leave your contact info (name at dot com format). To enter, please share a favorite memory you have of one of your grandparents. 

May all your days be merry and bright! 
Merry Christmas! 

Carla Stewart is the award-winning author of six novels. With a passion for times gone by, it is her desire to take readers back to that warm, familiar place in their hearts called “home.” Her 2014 release, The Hatmaker's Heart, was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award and the Selah Award. Her newest release is A Flying Affair. Daredevil Mittie Humphreys navigates her heart as well as the skies in this beguiling adventure of grit and determination during the rollicking Roaring Twenties. Learn more about Carla at www.carlastewart.com

"A well-written romance with characters willing to do what they need to achieve their dreams. The storyline is believable, and some of it is based on true events. Stewart did her research and brings to attention a forgotten piece of history, the Women's National Air Derby."―RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

"Compelling action scenes, clever dialogue, and believable characters add spice and depth to a multidimensional tale....The historical detail and vivid action scenes anchor an enjoyable story."―Publishers Weekly 

OLD FASHIONED WORDS

ANNE GREENE here:

Do you sometimes use words or expressions that your children or your grandchildren don’t understand?

Such as, when the baby has a sagging diaper, you say, “Look who has droopy drawers.”

Drawers is a forgotten word. Years ago Queen Caroline decided that the thin skirts worn under hoop skirts were drafty. So she designed underpants. Because she drew them on, she named the underpants drawers.

During the Civil War Amelia Bloomer spoke at a women’s meeting. She dared to wear pants. Not only did she wear pants, she wore big, blousy pants. The ladies loved them. Someone named the pants after the gutsy woman who first wore them—bloomers. Back in that day bloomers came with tight elastic around the legs. If the elastic was loose, so were you. You were known as a loose woman.

And who calls a student a pupil? Do you ever call your minister or preacher a parson? Our children have no clue what a filling station is. Perhaps you don’t either. Have you or they ever heard of or used an ice house or an ice box or an ice pick?

Did you ever dry a dish on a cup towel? Or use rabbit ears? Those words are seldom used today.

 If you read a historical novel do you understand the meaning of what used to be popular words, but are now so dated a reader may not understand them? Words like bed chamber, affright, peradventure, fain.

Have you caught your grandmother using beau for boyfriend? Or lettered for educated? Or bunkum for nonsense? Have you said Walkman rather than Smart Phone? Or telephone for cell?

Nobody uses marvelous, fetch, horsefeathers, and pussy cat anymore.

What old-fashioned words or phrases do you hear or use? Leave a comment and we can discuss and laugh about how our language constantly changes. I'm sure you can think of many. Let’s talk. 

ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. Her second novel, a Scottish historical, Masquerade Marriage, won three prestigious book awards. The sequel Marriage By Arrangement, finalled in a number of contests. A Texas Christmas Mystery also won several awards. Look for Anne’s new World War II historical romance, Angel With Steel Wings, early in 2015. The first book in Anne’s lady detective series, Holly Garden, PI, Red is for Rookie, débuts later in 2015. Anne’s highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to awesome new worlds and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. She loves to talk with her readers. Buy Anne’s books at http://www.Amazon.com. Talk with Anne on twitter at @TheAnneGreene. View Anne’s books, travel pictures and art work at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com.

Learn more about Anne as well as gain tips on writing award-winning novels at http://www.anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com. Visit Anne here every 14th day of every month. She loves to hear from you.