“Do I have to Mom? It’s so boring!” My whiney voice blared throughout the house.

“Yes, and you will thank me one day.”

I shuffled into the kitchen and put on an apron. It was Saturday and Mom wanted me to make cookies. I’d rather be playing with my friends or reading a book, but baking? Man, really?

Mom pulled out another cookie recipe and told me where to find all the ingredients. I slammed them on the counter.

She gave me one of those looks. “Young lady, you better change your attitude if you want to succeed in life. There are times you have to do things you’d rather not, but you still have to do them.” Then she smiled and said, “And your husband will thank me one day.”

I sighed and picked up the spoon. “All right, what do I do first?”

My mom taught me how to bake and yes, she was right. I am thankful she had the insight to show me what to do. As I grew up, I began having fun making yummy desserts. Today, I enjoy baking muffins. It’s my favourite. I will make batches of them on a Saturday and fill my freezer. If my neighbour catches wind that I’m baking, he will knock at the door holding out his plate. Guess my muffins are getting popular!!

The other valuable “baking lesson” my mom gave me is that there are times in life when you have to put aside your feelings and do something you really don’t want to do. Maybe it’s for your neighbour, a close friend, a co-worker, etc. It could mean visiting someone in the hospital. Or, telling a friend something you know they don’t want to hear. These are all difficult, but important things we must do from time to time. Pray about them. God will direct you and give you strength.

Christmas is fast approaching and with that comes baking. And lots of it. So, dust off your apron and have fun! Maybe even pass some along to a shut-in, or a friend going through difficult times. It will bless them!

Our tradition is making gingerbread cookies and it’s that time again. Yum. What’s your favorite Christmas recipe?

Mama’s quilt…continued

She uses her basting stitch to hold the layers in place. She’d rather not take the time to use the long stitch, but she knows if she doesn’t everything would fall apart. There are times in life when you have to take the difficult or time-consuming path to make it work out right. After her small stitches are in place, she will go back and remove the long temporary ones. Then, her quilt will be perfect.