So; welcome to the blog!
If you ever lose this link and want to look it up again just go to your search engine and type in dancinginseason@blogspot.com. I'm easy to find.
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At first my articles had nothing in common. They were all stand alone thoughts with no rhyme or reason to the order of the messages and no arrangement or organization could be found. I simply had this hodge-podge of random subjects which finally began to include more and more thoughts on some of the same common subjects that have finally proven themselves to be worthy of my time. I've cared about a certain number of subjects enough to be writing them down over and over in different forms for the whole world to share. The various titles and subtitles have finally begun to take on order and shape and each category of writing has come to life in its own particular and unique way to land and live on these pages. I've only kept the ones I hope to be found worthy of your readership. I only hope that you understand the word "worthy" is a multifaceted word. It can mean different things to different people based solely on their perspective at the time.
My purpose in writing this article is to tell you how my blog works and to explain how it can be of more interest to you. No one will like all of the articles. Everyone will like some of the articles. The trick is to know how to notice the ones you prefer.
WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOU SEE THE SUB-HEADINGS OF MY ARTICLES:
COME AS A CHILD: This is an on-going weekly bible study that started in Genesis and follows through the bible in chronological order. You can review the past articles if you are just now joining; no problem. This study has been well received and it may never end! I publish these every Thursday. The whole idea started with an adult bible study I held in my home. When the study ended many wanted to continue; so I basically started the blog for their sake. Most of these lessons illustrate how God wants us to come to Him with the innocent heart of a child, loving and open and willing to believe His word without question or doubt. The concept is to leave your preconceived notions and whatever you have been taught by others and take a fresh new look at the scriptures as if God were teaching them directly to you for the first time. You should approach the lessons like a child with the element of wonder and full anticipation that you will hear directly from God in the process. Each child of God is unique, hears in a different way, and each message for each child could be different. The question to ponder is: What is God showing you? The results of this concept have been amazing to many as they have grown closer to God in their daily walk.
OH THE PLACES WE WILL GO: These subtitles contain informational articles about fun places for families to visit, mostly in the South, as well as family friendly fun things to do together (trips, adventures, crafts, projects, games, etc.) It is all about wholesome, healthy play time with your family in mind, most of it involves inexpensive little trips and delightful places to travel. I wholeheartedly believe that God wants us to learn more about how to rest and how to play together. I think He loves for families to discover these times along the way and that these fun experiences help busy families to bond together. So here are some simple ideas. I've organized these into articles subtitled OH THE PLACES WE WILL GO.
FOOD ART AND FAMILY TRADITIONS: We all want to eat right, but truth be told, we are all too busy! It is hard and complicated to look up the menus, write down the recipes, make the grocery list, gather the groceries and cook decent and healthy home cooked meals for our families at the end of long days at work or busy days caring for children. Thought should be given to better health and well being. We all know this is the best way to live! Yet, we find it too hard to organize and too complicated to carry out on a day to day basis. With these articles, I've tried to make simple dinner plans available with recipes that are basic and easy to make. My hope is simply to relieve some of the stress in your day, to make your own planning easier and simpler and less time consuming. There is also another second reason. Like a lot of other southern women, cooking and entertaining are like breathing for me. Not only do I want to do it, I HAVE to do it! I constantly need these elements in my life. I feel stressed if I cannot maintain at least a portion of cooking and entertaining in my own family. So I've also tried to be creative and fun with many holiday, holy day and special occasion ideas. These are for whenever you are in the mood and have the time to enjoy them. I like to keep family traditions going through every season and these ideas are divided up into each month of the year and each season and reason for the recipes. Some of these articles are simply about ways to make your own plans a lot easier to accomplish. So check these out whenever you need a place to jump start your own thoughts and ideas. I do claim to be a recipe expert based on the fact that I collect cookbooks. I've done this for about 50 years now. Most people have china cabinets for their china, at my house the china cabinet holds my favorite cookbooks! So, novice or not - I do know a few things about this subject. I've also written my own family cookbook called The Seasons of Landgraf Castle.
PEN ART: I am a writer; body, soul and spirit! I live and breath to write. I have been writing my heart out for over fifty years. Over the last five years, as I approach old age, I finally came to realize that writing is the sole purpose and reason that God put me here on planet earth. It is about the only thing that I have been able to do well and consistently! Because of this wake-up call from heaven, I have taken the frightening high-dive into becoming professional about this much beloved hobby. It has been a long and rocky road and it hasn't been easy! My blog is often the place where I hide when the journey gets rough and the tides get high on the sea of discouragement and nasty predators each author must face in order to become a "professional." Fortunately I have been blessed by some awesome supporters who hold me up and keep me going. When times get really rough though right here on these sacred pages, I find my solace. I can be my own editor and happily and peacefully pursue my favorite past-time with the art of the written word. This blog is my "practice" field. I "practice" for at least one hour every day. You get to enjoy the outcome of that under my PEN ART subtitles. I'll be happy if people are even reading the words from my pen long after I leave this earth. It would make me feel I left a legacy behind. Here is where I include my own favorite short stories and poems, whenever the inspiration seems appropriate. I welcome comments and critique on these. Some of them are exclusively mine, and sometimes I share the poems and stories of other friends and and fellow writers who want to be guests on my blog, or people that I have found to be inspirational. I love to read great writing as well as write. Please let me know if you want to participate here! I have written my first novel and am slowly beginning work on two more novel ideas; but I'll not share those here. I'll let you know when they are published. Pray that I find a good publisher! I'm calling this section of my blog: PEN ART. Occasionally I will have to throw in some other art forms besides writing; such as music, painting, sketching, dance, etc., just for good measure. All art is great! If you want me to feature you - just let me know. I'll also write here about the writer's guild that I am forming. All in time. Words have their own schedules!
SEASONS: I LOVE the seasons of the earth as well as the seasons of the church, I enjoy the celebrating of our cultural seasons in the country of America. I am a true Patriot, and I hold to the values of which this country was founded. I like to remember these things in traditional and seasonal ways. I love the Constitution and think it is the key to fair government. I DO NOT believe it is organic and changeable every time the wind blows, but I do think it is flexible enough to handle the changing lives and needs of the good citizens of our great country. Often my heart breaks for the changes I see taking place within America. I write about some of these things. Sometimes I am also just as amazed at the modern-day heroes who step up and make a difference. These are stories that MUST be told. I sometimes write these thoughts down into words, or poems, and they can be found under a few articles with the subtitle of SEASONS. SEASONS is also about the changing events of our planet and the wonders we experience in nature every year. Every month has its own set of seasonal activities and events. Some of these are almost forgotten days that I chose to resurrect. There is something very special and unique about every month on our calendar. I also LOVE the Hebrew calendar that God gave to Moses. I want to notice these things. I do not want them to quietly pass by while no one is looking. I tend to take notice of all the little details of each season. It is my hope that I can encourage others to keep the seasonal traditions of my God and my country and that I may help others to hold them dear. It would make me happy to be of even a little use in teaching the young people of the coming generations the values of our forefathers and our church fathers, all of which I feel have been too long neglected. There is something to be said of the traditions each season brings. These things must never be forgotten or swept under the rug by a culture that is either too busy or too self-centered to acknowledge them.
THE HOUSE DOCTOR: Decorating and remodeling are another hobby I have enjoyed for years. I am not materialistic at all about this; it all stems from my belief that the home is the sanctuary of the heart. I put a lot of heart and elbow grease into my decorating. It may be pleasing to the eye, but it isn't just for show. It all has purpose and blessing behind it. Much stems from a desire to be constantly expressing hospitality and showing the love of God to others. I love to assist with home improvement ideas that are practical toward this end. The condition of my present home has been a slow 24 year evolution, and it continues to evolve. A house that never changes is a house that has ceased to live. It has been interesting to mark and share the daily changes and events of the house. I'm probably the only woman on the face of this earth with a "home" scrapbook. If you want a glimpse, it is free and I think you will find it interesting, maybe even fascinating. I often feature little bits and pieces of my own home on this blog. My theme song here is that a house should always be a HOME. It should reflect the heart and soul of the person or people dwelling under it's roof. No homes should ever be the same. Each should have their own personality and speak of the people living inside. I live under the philosophy that a cardboard box can be charming if it reflects it's owner's personality. Hence I have created these subtitles called THE HOUSE DOCTOR where I share my own experiences of making and remodeling a home and write down new ideas and suggestions that anyone can apply to their own remodeling plan for a better way to live. I feature others here from time to time. I love a community that shares it's ideas. If you wish to be featured, please let me know!
PIECES OF THE PUZZLE: This is a subtitle that is full of deep theological thought. I love pondering, studying and reaching for the stars in the realm of theology. I want to make things simple here, easy for the common man to grasp and understand the difficult and confusing issues of knowing and existing with God. I want to unravel the complex theologies the temples of men have created and get back to God's simple truths.
So you see, there are SO MANY things I want to share and say in this blog, These subtitles will give you a clue into all of my favorite subjects. They are each varied and come in assorted shapes, colors and sizes. So don't let just one article throw you off. There is a lot more to discover, but you must dig into the blog to find the gold of it. I hope you accept the challenge! I know there will be even more categories and subjects as I continue to blog in the years to come. Bear with me as I add one article after another. Feel free to express your opinion!
I love photography and a lot of the artwork for my blog comes from my own camera. It is my gift to share these photos with you my cherished readers. I find that old expression "a picture is worth a thousand words" to be true in most cases. I will know I've achieved success as a writer though when my words can paint a thousand pictures inside your mind.
Just think of me as your free continuing subscription to a great little magazine and think of my blog as a great big continuing magazine full of different and interesting subjects. Have you seen those magazine price tags in the supermarket lines? Why waste your time and money? My blog is free and fun!
Thank you so much for visiting with me here. I cherish your comments! I long to have more followers - the more the merrier. Please join me in walking through the seasonal roads of life.
God bless you and keep you always!
Sheila Gail Landgraf
