Sprouts, flat cookies, blueberry vanilla granola, and lemon cake

I had started my day with the Today Show. Martha was on. She had the most divine, lemon coffee cake that I knew was the ticket for my own mother. Mom lives in NC with db and sil. This is an iffy relationship at best. Money is tight, and I had already investigated flowers. Too much.

Oh goody! A new recipe, let's see: I get to slice the 5 lemons paper thin, boil them for 10 minutes, then dry them on parchment paper. Make the struesel, refrigerate that. Make the cake batter and begin layering. Batter, lemons, struesel..... 2 times each. Bake in an angel food pan. Good night. This was getting more complicated and expensive by the second. I persevered KNOWING that my hard work would pay off!

The Fresh Market for sure would have Meyer Lemons. Nope, just organic ones for 99 cents each. Well.... how bad could it be? I checked my recipe, downloaded from Martha's website. I needed 10 lemons. I gleefully loaded up on my loot.

Then, our dear Martha also suggested homemade granola for you mom. Got that recipe too from the website. Gleefully, I started picking those things up. Dudes.... I was looking at a butt load worth of money for a mom who probably won't eat my hard work. Organic oats, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, and your choice of nuts and dried fruit. Mom would probably break her teeth on the stuff. (or more realistically, my wild nephews would probably polish it off for her, oh, and cake too).

Mother's Day. What a complicated and fussy business. All I really want is peace in life and for people (not you dear reader) to leave me alone. All of this brings me to my morning at Bible study:

We have been studying Exodus. Today's topic was the Sabbath. Sabbath for me brings up a huge list of DO's and Don't Do's. Guess what, I have had it all wrong. God wants us to celebrate His rest. He likes rest so much, He wants us to do it once a week. That is a 52 day holiday, each year. Man, I can really dig that. Especially with the MIL business from my last post and then my own mom and all the stress and angst that comes with her.

So.... God must have known what was ahead at Bible study while I was shopping my insanely huge, expensive, organic lemon and weird ingredient shopping list for an incredibly ornery, irritating, involved, complicated recipe for a mom who
1) probably wouldn't eat it
2) nephews would scarf it down in 10 seconds
or
3) not be noticed for the specialness that it most certainly be.

I bought already made granola (right behind me, would you believe it) and dried blueberries. Martha says packaging is *everything* so I got a handy, dandy Mason jar, from my cabinet, and layered it with the granola and blueberries. Throw in an already made bar of Bay Rum soap, run to the PO, overnight that sucker and, there you go......... Mother's day on the cheap, but not thoughtless.

Folks, I love people. I *love* to bake and cook. I love making soap. I love knitting and spinning. I love combining these things into special presents. But you know what? I was getting so stressed out about the money, baking, shipping, and the holiday itself, I was turning my joy into work. I had so much work to do that I couldn't enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Jesus said, "Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I have thought that was a pile of bs for so many years. Wasn't He the one who was loading me up with the lists of To Do vs. Not Do? Guess what? It wasn't Him. It was all the rules that had been added by man that were wearing me down. I have tried so hard for years to be 'perfect.' I want to shout it from the roof tops now......I AM NOT PERFECT NOR AM I CAPABLE OF BEING PERFECT. EVERYONE.... BACK OFF!
Jesus told the religious leaders of His day that He was the Lord of the Sabbath and that the Sabbath was made for man and NOT man for the Sabbath. Hold on, does this mean I have God's permission to rest, relax, and enjoy family, friends and.... knitting when I could be working? I believe this is a big, fat "YES, YOU ARE BEGINNING TO GET IT NOW GIRL!"

So, here is my flat cookie. I followed the recipe with dd#1 and dd#2. DD#1 was upset because the cookies weren't right. I was so mad that I had tried so hard to please her and I didn't measure up to her expectations. The DIY man had to help me with that. The joy was in the time together and I needed to help her see that. How? Don't have a clue.

Sprouts, my new food. I do believe these are lentils, green peas, and a small red bean. I picked them up while at the Fresh Market. I think I am a sprout. Just beginning to grow. Nutritious and slightly sharp tasting, an *acquired taste*. What food are you?

Later, Catie

ps: don't you just love how everything all boils down to food and knitting? I do!!! ha ha aha ha ha