3 Sisters and Flowers with #Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect

Party Linky #201!

You might recognize some of today's photos. I chose to share them because I'm doing a short series of photos on the Hex River Valley on my travel blog, 1camera1mom, and these photos were taken on that outing.

By the way, my comment system glitched on last weekend's blog hop and comments on that post were lost, but I did receive them in my inbox and I did read them. Thanks to all who take the time to comment!

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.
Click on the photos to see them at their best!

Sisters: Samantha and Jessica

White Roses in Black and White

*********************

Here's a peek at
my latest post
on 1camera1mom:
The Hex River Valley

Sisters: Jessica and Samantha

Little sister, Amanda

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Now on to my blog hop...

Come link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free
to link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link-up your post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it on your linked post or blog's side-bar.
• Tell others about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

The Button Code:

<center><a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS14XLc-z2uSUW00dIvyZc7lEfLP2tkPgO3qmU3NWi_UObDs_d7XqpYhjp0BBeROyZot-8YlEFU9rguELrZYu3arN1qHHNpB4_ezrb-TlBlfHRSOvP7pBA0VI-j1RkUkF77wJxUc7M7ye/s150/Picture%2520Perfect%2520Party%2520Linky.jpg"/></a></center>

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Visit my Blog Hops page to see the hops that I often link up to.

Read More

21st Anniversary with Weekend #Linky

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #182!

I'm sorry that I missed posting my weekend linky party last Friday. I'm also behind on answering comments, but I have been reading them and really appreciate them.

We had a full house last weekend with my son visiting from university and my mother-in-law also staying over. Our kids are all back at school and university. The break they had was their winter break and now they have begun term 3.

In winter, we get some sunny days and the other days are cold and rainy. It's nice living in a Mediterranean climate here in South Africa in the Western Cape! I don't miss winter in the States or Germany.

My big announcement is that Hubby (Robbie) and I are celebrating our 21st anniversary today!  We have made it this far, we have gotten past the worst (the first few years had some rocky moments), and I'm looking forward to the next 21+ years. We have been involved in Christian ministry for most of that time. In fact, we met on the mission field.

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on the photos to see them at their best!

This past year, Robbie has been volunteering twice a week in a pastoral capacity at a Christian drug rehab farm just outside of town. I visited for my first time on Sunday and I brought the Sunday message, which was based on Luke 16:10, "Whoever can be trusted with small things can also be trusted with big things. Whoever is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in big things too" (Easy-to-Read Version).

There was such a great atmosphere among the guys and afterwards they thanked me for the message, but I don't know who had more fun, me or them? Anthony Hall, the guy who runs the place, used to be an alcoholic and drug addict too. He lost his job, his family, everything. Now he and his wife, Karin, help others at R.A.E.L (Recovering Addicts Empowering Lives), which they founded in 2007.

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Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment. It's a really easy and fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.

Now on to my blog hop...

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.

All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to

link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow Tina (your host) on one or more links listed above.
• Link up a post from your family friendly blog.
• Please try to add my hop button on your post or side-bar.
• Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
• Visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment.

Blog Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaX10yWr7xxEQ5BBMhOqdZxobJ0omJBq-v8ENFn3YNNebsnsYBHwcGyje-XzSlHSJOIlZ1rEOp89LyNI97XrPFZtdeH_AvaNV3F8hOvHfsuwe29ALNQw75ibK34buYq7nhpGGZJ8UTnoB/s150/Make+My+Saturday+Sweet.jpg"/></a></center>

Weekend Linky

This is a blog hop!

Visit my Blog Hops page to see
what link-ups I take part in.

Read More

Blue Skies and White Clouds with #Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect

Party Linky #200!

I'm excited to see that today is my 200th linky party! I've been slow to respond to the comments on my blog, and I missed hosting my weekend linky last Friday, but I have been reading your comments and I do hope to catch up soon with my replies.

What have you been photographing lately? Be sure to link up your family friendly photo post below!

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.
Click on the photos to see them at their best!

View from our balcony

White Clouds, Blue Skies

Clouds in Black and White

*********************

Here's a peek at
my latest post
on 1camera1mom:
Gordon's Bay, Cape Town

I put a lot of time into today's travel post. It's been a very moving one for me and I hope you take a moment to check out Gordon's Bay, Cape Town.

*********************

Now on to my blog hop...

Come link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free
to link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link-up your post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it on your linked post or blog's side-bar.
• Tell others about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

The Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS14XLc-z2uSUW00dIvyZc7lEfLP2tkPgO3qmU3NWi_UObDs_d7XqpYhjp0BBeROyZot-8YlEFU9rguELrZYu3arN1qHHNpB4_ezrb-TlBlfHRSOvP7pBA0VI-j1RkUkF77wJxUc7M7ye/s150/Picture%2520Perfect%2520Party%2520Linky.jpg"/></a></center>

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Visit my Blog Hops page to see the hops that I often link up to.

Read More

Jessica at MAC Cosmetics with #Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect

Party Linky #199!

Jessica turned 18 last month during her midterm high school exams. It was a stressful time for her, so she didn't want to go out and do anything. At the end of her exams she organized two days in Cape Town with her closest friends. They went ice-skating, to the movies and more!

Then last week my mother-in-law took her for a belated birthday outing to Cape Town where she made an appointment for her at MAC Cosmetics to learn how to apply make-up and the right make-up for her complexion. The photo of Jessica above was taken by my mother-in-law at MAC. The two photos below are of Jessica after she applied her new make-up herself at home the next evening.

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.
Click on the photos to see them at their best!

*********************

Here's a peek at
my latest post
on 1camera1mom:

On the Road to Gordon's Bay

*********************

Now on to my blog hop...

Come link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free
to link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link-up your post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it on your linked post or blog's side-bar.
• Tell others about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

The Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS14XLc-z2uSUW00dIvyZc7lEfLP2tkPgO3qmU3NWi_UObDs_d7XqpYhjp0BBeROyZot-8YlEFU9rguELrZYu3arN1qHHNpB4_ezrb-TlBlfHRSOvP7pBA0VI-j1RkUkF77wJxUc7M7ye/s150/Picture%2520Perfect%2520Party%2520Linky.jpg"/></a></center>

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Visit my Blog Hops page to see the hops that I often link up to.

Read More

Adopting an Adult Dog - Part 5

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #181!

When we got Koda, he was a bit underweight. The people at the animal shelter where we adopted him were not too concerned. They have an on-sight vet who did Koda's sterilization, but since the shelter isn't close to us, we took him to a vet in our town to have his stitches removed. Our vet estimated that he's about 5 kilos underweight and suggested that we give Koda puppy food to help him bulk up. She said that we only needed one large bag to do the trick. Since Koda had a runny tummy when adjusting to a new dry food after being adopted, we decided along with the vet to mix the puppy food with his adult food. He is already looking better after a few short days and I think the puppy food was a great tip!

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on the photos to see them at their best!

Benny, Robbie, Koda and Amanda

We knew from the start that Koda walked well on a leash and we knew that he liked people and other dogs. Otherwise, there wasn't much else that we knew about him, because the shelter also didn't know. If dogs could only talk! Although, I might be upset if I learned how he came to be wandering the streets. He's such a nice dog!

Since no one knows his beginnings, no one knows what his real name is, so we've had to teach him a new name. For that reason, we've been cautious to just let him off the leash in case he didn't come back. Now we can let him off the leash and he walks really close beside us and only goes to sniff something a couple of feet away, but he doesn't wander. Not only is that a huge relief, but it also makes him more endearing. We still don't know what he would do if he is loose when other people or dogs are around, so we have tried his first couple of times off of the leash on a quiet dirt road.

Something else we've learned about him is that he seems to understand that the kitchen is mostly off limits and our family mealtimes gets him crazy excited. We don't want to encourage that behavior and he doesn't seem to understand why we're not feeding him from the table. We don't want him to be too confused, so we'll let him stay outside when we feed him until our mealtime is over. We are adding gravy to his dry dog food and, along with his delicious puppy food, he does enjoy his meals more. Benny is getting the same treatment, so he must be thinking that it's pretty cool having this new dog around, because he didn't need gravy to encourage him to eat!

I hope you've enjoyed this little series about our new dog, Koda! If you missed any of it, the other links are below.

Related Posts:
Adopting an Adult Dog - Part 1
Adopting an Adult Dog - Part 2
Adopting an Adult Dog - Part 3
Adopting an Adult Dog - Part 4

*********************

Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment. It's a really easy and fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.

Now on to my blog hop...

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.

All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to

link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow Tina (your host) on one or more links listed above.
• Link up a post from your family friendly blog.
• Please try to add my hop button on your post or side-bar.
• Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
• Visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment.

Blog Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaX10yWr7xxEQ5BBMhOqdZxobJ0omJBq-v8ENFn3YNNebsnsYBHwcGyje-XzSlHSJOIlZ1rEOp89LyNI97XrPFZtdeH_AvaNV3F8hOvHfsuwe29ALNQw75ibK34buYq7nhpGGZJ8UTnoB/s150/Make+My+Saturday+Sweet.jpg"/></a></center>

Weekend Linky

This is a blog hop!

Visit my Blog Hops page to see
what link-ups I take part in.

Read More

Adopting an Adult Dog - Part 4

Welcome to my Picture Perfect

Party Linky #198!

Koda meets Prince

We have had Koda, our German Shepherd from the animal shelter, for 10 days now. We have been really happy with our decision to adopt an adult dog. I've listed 5 benefits that have been true for us when adopting an adult pet on Adopting an Adult Dog - Part 3.

He's really been a great dog and he's settling into our home nicely. Our only challenge has been introducing him to our 2 adult cats. We are working on it and have made a bit of progress, but it will take more time. One article I read said that it can take 2 to 3 weeks. Here are 2 informative articles that I found online that give advice on helping to introduce an adult dog to cats:

Dogs and Cats Learning to Get Along

Making Peace Between Dogs and Cats

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.
Click on the photos to see them at their best!

Amanda and Koda

Benny

Related Posts:
Adopting an Adult Dog - Part 1
Adopting an Adult Dog - Part 2
Adopting an Adult Dog - Part 3

*********************

Here's a peek at
my latest post
on 1camera1mom:

Angala Boutique Hotel Franschhoek

*********************

Now on to my blog hop...

Come link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free
to link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link-up your post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it on your linked post or blog's side-bar.
• Tell others about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

The Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS14XLc-z2uSUW00dIvyZc7lEfLP2tkPgO3qmU3NWi_UObDs_d7XqpYhjp0BBeROyZot-8YlEFU9rguELrZYu3arN1qHHNpB4_ezrb-TlBlfHRSOvP7pBA0VI-j1RkUkF77wJxUc7M7ye/s150/Picture%2520Perfect%2520Party%2520Linky.jpg"/></a></center>

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Visit my Blog Hops page to see the hops that I often link up to.

Read More