After and incredible amount of nagging, I finally convinced (cajoled) my wife Terri into writing her first guest post for CMR. I am really proud of her!

I Bake Because I Love — Terri Archbold

Similar to the sentiment of my husband and brother-in-law’s motto “We Laugh Because We Believe,” I bake because I love. I can’t count the number of nights I’ve stayed up long into the night because I was creating something sweet in our kitchen. I do it because I love to, but more so because it makes others happy. I love to think of the look of excitement on the faces of my children and their classmates when they see homemade cookies in the shape of football helmets, hearts, or Christmas trees. I will go to great lengths to make up platters of chocolate-drizzled treats for my family and friends. When our new neighbors moved in, my greatest pleasure was to welcome them with a tin of cookies or brownies. What a great way to say welcome to our neighborhood!

Around St. Patrick’s Day, I usually end up making about 2 dozen Irish soda breads just because everyone loves my Aunt Lilly’s recipe. I don’t mind being thought of as a crazy mom for staying up until 5:00 a.m. making a Buzz Lightyear cake for my son’s 5th birthday. That cake made him so happy, and I think it was something he’ll remember for a long time. So will I (for many reasons).

Although I’m not yet the “Cake Boss,” I’ve attempted some more complicated occasion cakes, including my nephew’s christening cake. It was truly a labor of love, as it took me all night to do. If I was getting paid by the hour, I wouldn’t make very much!

Baking is one of my creative outlets, and yes, I love to indulge on my decadent goodies—but not as much as I enjoy sharing them. What a wonderful gift it is when you love what you do and it brings people joy. Granted it may not compare to the impact of an author’s or a painter’s work on their audiences, but in my little world, I can make a small difference to those around me. It can create a bit of magic around a celebration. It can make the ordinary into something special.

God has truly blessed Patrick and I with our five children, and especially through them, He has given me an avenue to serve Him by giving a little bit of myself to the people around me every day in a simple, yet very sweet way. I bake because I love. And they thought it was just about cookies!