Who is Elizabeth - Lizzie from The Cupcake Queen and what is their importance?

Lizzie is Penny's mother. When she was living in New York City, Lizzie ran an art gallery. Now that she lives back in Hog's Hollow, Lizzie runs her own bakery, which only sells cupcakes. Lizzie is having a hard time adjusting to the change in her marriage. She seems to be very withdrawn, anxious, and less confident than she was when she was living in the city. By the end of the novel, when Penny decides to continue living with her mother instead of going back to the city to live with her father, it seems as if Lizzie is returning to her normal outgoing self.