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Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Christmas at the Beach with Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect
Party Linky #223!


Update: Since we will be travelling home today, I decided to keep things easy by not posting my Make My Saturday Sweet weekend linky party. I will keep my Picture Perfect Party Linky open for a whole week instead.

We spent 9 days at the beach at my in-laws' house, including Christmas morning. It's summertime in South Africa and so the beach is the best place to be right now. I hope everyone who celebrated had a safe and blessed Christmas. You can tell from my photos that we certainly did.

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Tammy the Cat and Amanda's and My Feet

Peacock Ornament, Decorative Birds and Seashells

A Beach Christmas Wreath

Christmas Gifts and a Santa Snoopy

Tumbleweed Christmas Tree and Crackers

Snowman Christmas Fruit Cake -
Samantha and Jessica decorated it

Christmas Breakfast

Jeremiah, Samantha, Jessica and Amanda

Jeremiah and Samantha

Jeremiah and Amanda

Amanda with her new Lego Friends

Jessica

Robbie with a new Nespresso milk frother

Robbie and his dad

Me

My mom-in-law and me with my new
Canon PowerShot SX720 HS -
I have the best in-laws!

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My latest post
on 1camera1mom:



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My Latest Book Review:

Bessie, Queen of the Sky
Based on a True Story



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Now on to my blog hop...

Amanda’s Books and More

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
and
Follow on Bloglovin



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:

Amanda’s Books and More

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.



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

Friday, December 23, 2016

A Girl's True Story with Linky

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -
Make My Saturday Sweet #202!


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


First I want to wish my readers and friends a very Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a safe and blessed holiday weekend. I chose the photo above with the red flowers and green stems, because these are traditional Christmas colors. I also thought it goes with the YouTube video below about "A Blooming Girl". The flowers are growing in a hanging basket on my balcony.

Today's post is about a girl's true story - and I happen to have two! One is a YouTube video by Youth With A Mission (YWAM) about a girl named Henrietta who is growing up in South Africa and the other is a picture book about a girl named Bessie who was the first African American woman to receive a pilot's license.

Planting seeds in a girl's life
on "A Blooming Girl -
Teachers of the Nations"



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My Latest Book Reviews:


Bessie, Queen of the Sky
Based on a True Story



Mary's Song
with a $25 Giveaway!

maryssong 


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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...

Amanda’s Books and More

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

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:

Amanda’s Books and More

Weekend Linky

This is a blog hop!



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

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Our Dogs and Cats with Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect
Party Linky #222!


Today's selection of photos was inspired by my weekend blog post, which was about adopting a pet in the holidays and things to keep in mind. Three of our four pets were adopted from local shelters, both of our dogs and one of our cats. If you're considering getting a pet this holiday, then you might like to check out my post: Adopt a Pet.

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

Benny

Benny

Koda

Koda

Prince

Prince

Sheela

Sheela


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My latest post
on 1camera1mom:




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

My Latest Book Reviews:

Bessie, Queen of the Sky
First in the Queen Girls Collection



Mary's Song
With a $25 Giveaway

maryssong 


by Karissa Laurel



by Sharlin Craig



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

Now on to my blog hop...

Amanda’s Books and More

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
and
Follow on Bloglovin



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:

Amanda’s Books and More

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.



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

Monday, December 19, 2016

Bessie, Queen of the Sky


Queen Girls

Stories of real women turned into fairy tales. Inspiring girls to follow their dreams!


Queens are the New Princesses!

The multicultural team behind Queen Girls is formed by Jimena Durán (Spain), Andrea Doshi (USA) and Chiara Fabbri (Italy). They bring their diverse experiences to this initiative along with tons of love and dedication.

Their mission is to inspire girls to follow their dreams and envision them as possible. This is the reason why the Queen Girl’s fairy tales are based on stories of real women stories.

They also believe in giving back to the community and this is why they stand on a One for One model. Every time you purchase a book, another will be donated to local and international organizations who are fighting illiteracy and empowering girls.

About the First Book in the
Queen Girls Collection

The first fairy tale is ‘Bessie, Queen of the Sky’ inspired by the story of Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to hold a pilot’s license. The book will be available in English and Spanish.

‘When Bessie was growing up, no one could have imagined that a girl from a humble family would get out of the cotton fields and become a pilot. But with the help of her best friend Bloony, Bessie uses her courage and determination to make her dream come true!’

● Available in English & Spanish
● Recommended age - 4 to 7 years
● 32 pages, hardcover & digital


A peek inside...






MY REVIEW

Bessie, Queen of the Sky is a beautifully illustrated picture book that brings to life the true story of a girl who had the courage to follow her dreams no matter what roadblocks she faced along the way. This book teaches that a person's gender, skin color, or social position does not equate with ability. As long as you are willing to work hard and persevere, you can be just as good or better than anyone else.

In an ideal world, all people ought to have equal opportunities. Unfortunately, our daughters are not growing up in an ideal world, but things are changing. My own daughters do not feel the same restrictions that I felt growing up and I believe this has a lot to do with the brave women who went before us. We can be thankful for girls and women like Bessie who have trail blazed ahead, making it easier for us to follow in their steps.

When I got to the end of the story, my 8-year old daughter, Amanda, was impressed to see the photograph of Bessie and to learn that it was based on a true story. For me, this has been one of my favorite picture books that I did with her this year. It was truly inspirational. I highly recommend it for girls ages 4 to 8.

Order One for One
Bessie, Queen of the Sky
on INDIEGOGO!


MISSION

One for One - Every time you purchase a book, another will be donated to a child who may be struggling to dream. To reach as many kids as possible and distribute donated books, Queen Girls is partnering with local and international organizations who are fighting illiteracy and empowering girls. The stories are based on real women to give girls a positive view of life and help them envision their dreams as possible.

‘Often times, classic stories highlight the strength, courage and skills of men. Female characters are often stereotyped or one-dimensional: the mother figure, the homemaker, the exotic beauty, the love seeker. We believe that we should be telling different stories to our children. Let’s encourage girls to find their happiness, passions, drive and self-confidence from within. At the same time, let’s help boys to move to a place of equality’


TEAM

● Jimena conceptualized and co founded Queen Girls inspired by her son Luca! Her previous experience in the startup world helped her to led content strategy and social concept development. She was also part of the book creating process and changed tons of diapers at the same time!

● Andrea co created Queen Girls, alongside her sister in law. Working with kids as a speech therapist combined with her experiences traveling has fueled the inspiration for this project, teaching her first hand that girls from all around the world are struggling to dream. Andrea loves flying just as much as Queen Bessie!

● Chiara brings her incredible power of imaginations to this project. She brought Bessie back to life with beautiful color and eclectic scenes. She is a young Italian on the quest for the true essence of all around her.

BOOKS

COLLECTION SUMMARY
‘Queens are the new princesses!’

1) “Bessie, Queen of the Sky!” Inspired by the story of Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to hold a pilot’s license in the world - When Bessie was growing up, no one could have imagined that a girl from a humble family would get out of the cotton fields and become a pilot. But with the help of her best friend Bloony, Bessie uses her courage and determination to make her dream come true!

2) “Isadora, the Rebel Queen!” Inspired by the story of Isadora Duncan, a ballerina who danced away from rigid ballet technique towards what she perceived as natural movement. Influenced by the sea, she started dancing like no one ever did before, imitating the waves of the sea with her arms and feet - She defied conventionalist minds by creating what today we refer to as Modern Dance or “Barefoot Style.”

3) “Savi, Queen of Education!” Inspired by the story of Savitribhai Phule, a woman poet, an educationalist and a social reformer, Savi was one of the earliest crusaders of education for girls in India. She defied all odds to become the first female teacher at the first women’s school founded by her and her family.

4) And more books to come! We have the firm intention to grow this collection and open it up to fellow authors and illustrators that could potentially bring their own queens on board.

Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of this book for my honest review.