Life Lessons I Learned From My Grandmothers

It seems to me that you never truly appreciate your grandmothers until they are not around anymore. Well, to me anyway. I had a close relationship with both of my grandmas, spending the majority of my time with them during the school holidays when I was younger. My grandmothers were very different women but the same in many ways. Both were widows, both learned to make the best of what they had to create a welcoming and beautiful home. And both were adept in the art of homemaking in their own way. The life lessons I learned from my grandmothers are ones I truly appreciate and hope I have instilled in my own children. These are some of them.

Life Lessons From My Grandmothers #1: Ingenuity

My grandmothers grew up during the Great Depression. You had no choice but to be resilient and show ingenuity if you lived in that time. Both were from large families and while they were middle class, I’m fairly sure there were hard times. As girls, my grandmothers learned all the domestic arts. One was an amazing seamstress and it was from her I learned to sew. She taught me to piece many parts of a pattern together to make the dress I wanted, rather than buying a new pattern. She showed me how to create dishtowels out of old towels that were worn in one spot but fine in another. We used to sit and crochet pretty edges on them.

My other grandmother became a widow when my Dad was six. She was alone with no income and six children. But she had the art of ingenuity finely tuned. Two beds were joined to make a double bed when all the cousins came to stay. You could fit more kids in the bed that way. The backyard kitchen garden was her main source of food. My grandmother could stretch a meal for unexpected extras and make it look as if there was a feast. I don’t know how she did it. She was very ingenious.

If You Cant Afford It, Make It!

This is one of the best life lessons from my grandmothers. I suppose it came from their upbringing, but even later in life when things were easy, both were masters at making in their own way. My grandmothers’ homes were filled with homemade scones, jams, and cakes. They had handmade pillows and tablecloths. There was embroidery and knitting a jumper was a hobby done for enjoyment not out of necessity. I’m sure they were never bored.

The life lesson I learned from my grandmothers at a young age was if you can’t afford it (if you can’t find what you need/like) then make it! This carried over into my adult life. As a decorator of our home, my mantra has always been ‘why spend double or triple when I can spend a little and a little time.’ I still make my own curtains and pillowcases.

Lesson #3: A Change Is as Good as a Holiday

I’m not sure this is one of the life lessons I learned from my grandmothers or just a genetic trait but my Grandmother was forever changing the layout of her furniture. And so do I! It was quite normal for my Grandmother and me to spend an afternoon moving her loungeroom around and then sitting down for a cup of tea and a homemade jam drop cookie. She always told me it was like having new things when you moved them around and saw a room in a fresh way. I agree. Moving the furniture is like getting all new stuff. It is one of the reasons I love having a kitchen island on wheels.

Scones Make Guests Welcome

Both my grandmothers could whip up a batch of scones in 20 minutes. Visitors popped by and there were always scones, fresh from the oven and laden with homemade raspberry jam and cream and served with a cup of tea. In recent times I’ve started to carry on the tradition and our friends have come to expect it. Of all the life lessons I learned from my grandmothers, this is one I really embrace.

My grandmother had a copy of the Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake book. Every year we had to choose which cake we wanted and even if we didn’t (because we thought we were too cool) a chocolate cake would always appear on your birthday. Everyone was equal in her eyes. She gave us all the same, no matter what. It was the way she showed she cared and that we were valued. Sending home a meal when I was working late or putting $20 in my hand when she didn’t have that much to spare was the extra mile to show us she loved us. I’ve carried this on for my children. I hope one day they do the same.

Antiques are Treasures tell the Story of My Family

My Grandmothers had differing decorating styles. One had pieces collected over the years from when she married as a girl. They were timeless and meant to last. Her belief was that you didn’t need to buy new things just because the things you own were not on-trend. She lived with her classic antique pieces till she passed.

My other grandmother updated her furniture as the years went by. But she never parted with her antique and heirloom pieces. In fact, I own them now. These pieces showed the history of my family. They are treasures. Both my grandmothers kept pieces for this reason and could tell me their history. Family history and the passing down of knowledge were important. They taught it to me so I could pass it on too.