Shannon here: Tween author, Mary L. Hamilton shares how she met her husband and a no fail recipe for Pecan Pie. Yum! Comment on this post to enter the drawing for her latest middle grade book, Hear No Evil. Deadline: Dec 7th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Mary:
Love and Pecan Pie
It wasn’t pecan pie that started my love story, but it did begin on Thanksgiving.
I’d grown tired of the dating games and relationships that only lasted a couple months. So when our Singles pastor challenged us to make ourselves available to the Lord, I was ready for a change. I vowed to break away from the dating scene and offer myself wholly to God to use in whatever way He chose. Excitement built as I anticipated going on an adventure with the Lord.
At the time, neither my roommate nor I could afford to travel home for Thanksgiving, but since many of our single friends were also staying in town, we decided to host a Thanksgiving feast. We extended an open invitation to friends and co-workers who might be alone that day.
Wayne heard about our invitation from his roommate. Being fairly new in town, he accepted and joined our little party. Everyone brought a dish to pass and when the time came for dessert, I served up the first pie I’d ever made. Pumpkin, of course. Wayne had a mouthful of the pie when the compliments started, so he raised, nodded and winked at me.
That wink brought a funny tickle to my stomach, the kind I used to get watching old romantic movies on the late show. How could a simple wink from someone I’d just met do that?
A month later, I’d gotten better acquainted with Wayne and on the last Sunday before Christmas, we discussed our individual holiday plans for going home. Wayne was going to sunny Florida. I was heading Wisconsin and hopefully, snow.
“When you get back, would you care to go out to dinner sometime?”
Without thinking, I accepted, then scolded myself all the way out to my car. “Why did I say yes? I wasn’t going to date anymore. Why, why, why did I say yes?”
Five months to the day, after our first date, Wayne asked me to marry him, and ten months after that we were married. But since then, I’ve always fixed pecan pie for Thanksgiving, Wayne’s favorite.
Never Fail Pecan Pie
2 eggs, well beaten
½ cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 T. all purpose flour
¼ t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 cup pecan halves OR pieces
1 unbaked 9” pie shell
Combine eggs, sugar, corn syrup, flour, salt and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie shell. Cover pastry edges with foil to prevent excess browning.
Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake approximately 20 minutes more, or until center is set.
About Mary: Mary L. Hamilton is a closet romantic, so shhhh! Don’t tell anyone! She grew up at a camp much like the setting for her debut novel Hear No Evil, which released just this month. Aimed at 10-15 yr. olds, the book is the first in her Rustic Knoll Bible Camp series.
Besides writing, Mary loves the outdoors and nature, as well as opening her home to youth Bible studies, pancake suppers and breakfast with her special recipe waffles. She and her husband live near Houston, TX, within range of their three grown children.
Connect with Mary here:
Website/blog: www.maryhamiltonbooks.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/maryhamiltonbooks
Twitter: @mhamilton122
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/mhamiltonbooks
About the book: Summer camp is no fun for 13 yr. old Brady McCaul. The camp bully targets him with cruel taunts and teasing. The girl he likes seems to think he’s immature and childish. But worst of all, his mom won’t let him come home. She doesn’t want him living with her anymore. Does anyone, even God, care about him?
If Brady can’t figure out what he did wrong and change Mom’s mind before week’s end, he’ll be forced to live his workaholic dad, the guy who left when Brady was seven. When he learns Mom might be in danger, he risks his life to help her and discovers a surprising secret behind her rejection.
Purchase Link – Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/l592zmr. May also be ordered online through Barnes & Noble and through bookstore.
Come back Dec 2nd for Lynette Sowell!
I like hearing other people’s stories of how they met their spouses!
I liked hearing about how you and your husband met. Isn’t it funny that when we finally turn it over to God then things start happening. When I met my husband I wasn’t looking either. I jokingly told my dad that if I was going to meet someone God would have to have him come to the house. I met Dave when he came to the house to fix my refrigerator. Months later he came back to fix my washing machine. At that time he asked me out. The rest is history. My hubby loves Pecan Pie too.
thanks for the pie recipe!!Love to win your book!
Angie, I love hearing how spouses met too. Such fun!
Jan, I love your story. Don’t you just imagine God saying, “Okay, if that’s the way you want it!” How funny!
Shelia, I hope you get to enjoy both the book and some pecan pie!
Thanks for your comments, ladies!
Oh Mary, I have to tell you that a wink from a first meeting affected me in a wonderful way too. We met over the Thanksgiving holidays and were married eleven months later. That was thirty eight years ago and that wink still gets to me. Pecan Pie is my husband’s favorite too!
I celebrated Thanksgiving in Hong Kong last week with friends.
Thanks for the pie recipe and for entering me in the giveaway.
Wow, Melanie! Our stories are really similar, aren’t they?! Great to hear there’s another couple like us out there. 🙂
Thanksgiving in Hong Kong! Jant, did you have turkey and the traditional dinner? I bet that was a real blessing for your friends to have you there to share Thanksgiving with them. Thanks for leaving a comment.
I have a winner! Jan Hall won the drawing. I appreciate Mary for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.