Blogging... Sometimes

Hey Friends,

After a month or so off, I'm back... kinda!  I have to be honest, taking a break from blogging was great!  I just started to feel like I don't have much to say anymore and sometimes writing a post felt like, well, like a chore.  That's lame.  That's not what this is about. 

  I used to journal all the time - I loved it!  It was my time to process and my time to focus in on God.  Life got complicated with children and my time to journal flew away for a season, but I found that blogging filled that void in a way.  The truth is, I have a lot to say right now in my life! But my blog is not the place to write about my current thoughts and struggles, it's just too personal and not really for the world to hear at this time. So I've returned to traditional journaling and it's been wonderful.

To sit and just write with freedom, knowing that no one will ever read the raw, honest waters of my heart is very life giving for me.  I don't have to worry about grammar, language or making sense to anyone.  I don't need to wonder if anyone will respond or leave a comment!  It's just a private world for me alone and it can be as big or small as I wish.  God is the only "follower" of my private journal and the truth is, He knows my thoughts before I write them, so there is no hiding from Him! 

I've struggled with the balance of being honest on my blog and being appropriate!  I've had people tell me that my life seems so perfect from reading my blog!  I'm shocked!  I feel like I've confessed some pretty big struggles on my blog, yet I know that I haven't written the complete story because some things just aren't for everyone in the world to hear about, and many struggles I have involve other people who don't want to be exposed on a blog!!

Part of my hiatus from blogging was to see if I have anything to write about if I don't write about what is going on in my life right now - the real stuff - the messy, ugly, inappropriate stuff that really is just between me and God.  And I guess my answer was, "sometimes."  Sometimes I have some things to share, a recipe, some fun things with my kids, some struggles that God has said are ok to share for the benefit of building others up.  Sometimes I have some things to blog about, but not every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!

So I'm going to return to this little blog and post things as they come to my blogging heart!  And I'm not going to be a slave to this and force myself to blog a certain number of days a week and suck the joy out of it!  I'm going to blog as I feel led - ooooo, that sounds spiritual!

I'm trying to set up a facebook page so that it's easier to see when I'm posting (you can click the "follow me on" facebook tab on the right column - not sure if it totally works yet!!!  Then click "Like" on my page)

 

So, for today, I'm sharing a recipe I made yesterday for Super Bowl

which was a tragic loss for our 49ers!

 

Pizza Pull Apart Bread

My uncle in Michigan sent me this recipe and it was very yummy!

 I'll be making it again!

Ingredients
1/3 cup favorite flavored dipping oil (I just used olive oil)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 (16 ounce) pkgs pre-made pizza dough or homemade pizza dough
1 (7 oz) pkg sliced pepperoni
1 (8 oz) pkg shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Separate pizza dough into small bite sized pieces.
3. In a bowl add your favorite flavored dipping oil. Toss dough pieces in dipping oil to lightly coat.
4. Layer dough pieces in bottom of bundt or fluted tube pan, next layer sliced pepperoni, shredded cheese and sprinkle with garlic powder. (I also added some dried oregano) 
Repeat layers again, and end with final layer of dough pieces.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the bread is browned and cooked through in the center, 30-40 min
6. Remove from oven, and invert the pan on a cutting board; the bread will fall out of the pan in one piece.
7. Serve by pulling the bread apart into individual servings with optional marinara dipping sauce on the side.
Happy Monday Friends!!!