Backyard Birding and a Linky

When you have nowhere to go due to a pandemic, you find other things to photograph. I decided to do some backyard birding and discovered that it's not that easy, especially trying to capture decent photos. Most of these birds are regular visitors. I have the male and female fiscal shrike, Cape sparrow, swallow, and the most unusual one is the acacia pied barbet with the red forecrown.

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

Wonderful Beach Holiday

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Tomb of the Queen

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A post shared by Tina Morley (@tinarobmorley)

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My Latest Book Post:
IFA Summer Reading Challenge

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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!

I would love for you to follow me on

Twitter

Facebook
Instagram

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link up any family-friendly post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it to your linked post or blog's sidebar.
• And, I'd love it if you could share about this hop on social media.

The Button Code:

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Mousebirds and a Linky

I've been doing a series on the birds that come to our property. Mousebirds visit our garden but they can be tricky to photograph unless they're feeding on the ground as in three of these shots. If you want to know more about them, visit Wikipedia's page. 

The other day we celebrated Jessica's 23rd birthday! She was home that week, doing her studies and tests online. I'm sharing a pic of her roses below. I hope you visit me on Instagram. I've got some neat photos that I'd love for you to see like Prince by candlelight and the recent full moon.

Related Post:

Mousebirds from 2015

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

Wonderful Beach Holiday

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My Daughter's Birthday Bouquet

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tina Morley (@tinarobmorley)

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My Latest Book Post:
IFA Summer Reading Challenge

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

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!

I would love for you to follow me on

Twitter

Facebook
Instagram

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link up any family-friendly post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it to your linked post or blog's sidebar.
• And, I'd love it if you could share about this hop on social media.

The Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.com" 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>

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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*** If you want to comment, then please make sure this page's permalink loads as http and not https! My blog is hosted by Blogger, which uses cookies to improve your browsing experience, and it's best viewed in Google Chrome. ***

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IFA Summer Reading Challenge

#IFASUMMERCHALLENGE21 DETAILS!

Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Group

Break out the kegs and the summer wine, the reading challenge starts June 21! (Read any indie fantasy, any subgenre so long as it’s primarily fantasy (ARCs, audiobooks, and shorts included) and have a chance at winning some amazing prizes such as signed books, hardbacks, ebooks, audiobooks, and swag from some Amazon Bestselling and USA Today Bestselling authors! 

HOW TO PLAY: All you have to do is post about what you're reading, tag them with #IFASummerChallenge21 and share your thoughts on the books (without spoilers) so the rest of us can discover more amazing adventures! All reads must be numbered so make it easier to count. (Eg. #43 Booktitle by Killer Author) And if you can also tag your team, that would be awesome. There is no list, but all group reads are worth bonus points! (#IFASummerChallenge21Bonus) 

Every team member will be responsible for reporting your points to your captain in a spreadsheet or a weekly thread (however the team chooses to do it) just so no one is chasing after anyone. 

Group Reads: All optional reads and can be read at anytime during the challenge. Eg. If you read June’s group read in July, it’s all good! If you've read the group reads BEFORE the challenge, you do not have to reread the book to collect the points. Just share your review and collect your bonus points. (Group reads will be announced at the beginning of each month) 

The goal of the challenge? For members to discover more nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat, take-you-for-a-wild-ride-and-leave-you-breathless books! 

The Challenge will go from June 21 to September 21, 2021—the last day of summer! For the solo challenge (everyone is included in this regardless of what team you’re on), your individual scores will be posted on a scoreboard and prizes will be given in order of your rank. 

TEAMS: In addition to the regular individual scoreboard, both authors and readers have the opportunity to join a team for even more fun, and more chances to win! There will also be prizes awarded to the winning team, the team with the best team spirit, the team who listened to the most audiobooks, etc. 

You can choose what team you’d like to join or if you'd like to be randomly assigned, we can do that too! (Team scores are the number of books read divided by the number of active team members so if one team has 20 members, and another 15, it doesn’t put the bigger team at an automatic advantage.) We'll post the team scores each week Harry Potter style! This is going to be a blast!!!! Start getting your Challenge TBR lists ready!!!!

Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Group

THE IFA SUMMER READING ADVENTURER BONUS! 

In addition to all the usual PHENOMENAL prizes given at the end of the #IFASummerChallenge21, this year we're offering a seriously awesome bonus to those brave literary adventurers who read one book from each of the below categories: 

Sword and Sorcery 

Grimdark/Dark 

High/Epic 

Contemporary/Urban 

Medieval/Historical 

Portal/LitRPG 

Futuristic 

Low Fantasy/Magical Realism 

Comedy/Humor 

Diverse/BIPOC 

Coming of Age/YA 

Wildcard (Choose a genre of your choice - either unlisted or a duplicate) 

The rules are simple! 

1. Find and read one book that falls under each category. Just make sure that Humor, for example, is one of the main genres of the book if you're counting it as Humorous Fantasy. (Side note: these individual books count as regular points for the challenge: 2 pts for books with less that 100 pages, 3 pts for 100+ pages, etc.) 

2. All books must be INDIE and FANTASY. Duh 😉 

3. Once you've succeeded in reading a book from every category, make a post in IFA with the hashtag #AdventurerBonus and list the books you've read! Voila and congratulations!! You've now earned 25 BONUS POINTS for the Summer Reading Challenge! PLUS... 

4. So long as you use the proper hashtag, I'll enter your name into a raffle to win a prize at the end of the contest that can best be described as "a legendary treasure of riches and glory!" 💰 Spoiler alert: it's money. And a lot of it. 💰 

If you have any questions about the contest itself, please DM me (Rachel Kullman). If you have questions about specific book genres, please ask your Team Heads / Captain. In the meantime, I've created a partial list of indie fantasy books from each category to help you get started: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cONmQhUlUfJnbsnsM59t9EuXjQBY8T6E/view 

Remember: The challenge starts JUNE 21st! Only books read from that day forward count - but this list will certainly help you plan ahead! 

Happy adventuring, everyone!

Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Group

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Indie Fantasy Addicts Summer Reading Challenge

Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Group

Summer Reading Challenge 2020

#IFASummerChallenge20 Details!
The reading challenge starts June 1! Read ANY indie fantasy, and subgenre of fantasy (ARCs, audiobooks, and shorts included) and have a chance at winning some amazing prizes such as signed books, ebooks, audiobooks, and swag from some Amazon Bestselling and USA Today Bestselling authors!

HOW TO PLAY:
All you have to do is post about what you're reading, tag them with #IFASummerChallenge20 and share your thoughts on the books (without spoilers) so the rest of us can discover more amazing adventures! All reads must be numbered to make it easier to count. (Eg. #43 Book by Author) And, if you can also tag your team, that would be awesome. There is no list, but all group reads are worth bonus points! (#IFASummerChallenge20Bonus)

If you are on a team, you are responsible for reporting your points to your captain in a spreadsheet or a weekly thread (however the team chooses to do it) just so no one is chasing after anyone. :)

POINTS:
We're doing the points a little different this year.

Short Stories: under 15k words or under 50 pages = 1 point

Novels = 2 points

Group Reads: Add 1 bonus point

If you've read the group reads BEFORE the challenge, you do not have to reread the book. Just share your review to collect your points.

The goal? For members to discover more nail-biting, edge of your seat, take-you-for-a-wild-ride-and-leave-you-breathless books!

The Challenge will go from June 1 to September 21, 2020—the last day of summer! For the solo challenge (everyone is included in this regardless if you’re on a team or not), your individual scores will be posted on a scoreboard and prizes will be given in order of your rank.

TEAMS:
In addition to the regular individual scoreboard, both authors and readers have the opportunity to join a team for even more fun, and more chances to win! There will also be prizes awarded to the winning team, the team with the best team spirit, the team who listened to the most audiobooks, etc.

Join the Facebook group here: Indie Fantasy Addicts

If you haven't signed up for a team or you'd like to be randomly assigned, the teams are posted here: Summer Reading Teams

We'll post the team scores each week Harry Potter style!

This is going to be a blast!!!! Start getting your Challenge TBR lists ready!!!!

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Fate of Dragons and Windsworn

My June Summer Reads:

Fate of Dragons by Alisha Klapheke and

Windsworn by Derek Alan Siddoway

Every month two books are chosen to be read in the Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook group. The idea is to introduce us to new books and to get us discussing them. I might not always read the two books chosen every month, but I happened to own both of these and so I made sure to fit time into reading them! They are also worth bonus points for the Summer Reading Challenge that I'm participating in. I will keep you posted on what I'm reading and don't forget to follow me on Instagram!

Fate of Dragons

Purchase Fate of Dragons on Amazon

My Review:

Enter an exciting world where those living on land are at risk from those in the sea. Meet Vahly, the Earth Queen and the last remaining human, living among the dragon shifters. She must find her magic before it's too late. The Sea Queen wants to drown the whole world with only one island left to go and dragons and elves standing in her way, unless Vahly can find her magic in time to help turn the tide. The dragons have given her a home, but they don't know how to tap into her earth magic. Dragons don't trust elves, but Vahly is desperate. When she stumbles upon an elf who is close to death and missing some of his memories, she's willing to risk her life to help him.

This book has a lot of fabulous elements to it including wonderful characters and great chemistry between Vahly and her new ally. The pace keeps moving, although there were a couple of slower scenes, and the plot is interesting. The descriptions are usually good, but a few times they felt forced. I also felt that the dialogue between Vahly and Amona toward the end was too thorough, and to keep so many dragons fed on one large island didn't seem possible. I would be happy to read more in the series as Vahly continues her search for unleashing her magic with the swoonworthy elf at her side!

Windsworn

Purchase Windsworn on Amazon

My Review:

This is a gripping story about a reluctant heroine who is thrust into a life-changing adventure and faced with tough decisions. The characters are interesting and you never know exactly who is behind the attacks at the gryphon mountain barracks. There are certainly some unexpected moments. Most of the time it's fast paced and only slows down when three of our heroes are faced with challenges inside the catacombs. That was the only part that made it feel like it was for younger readers. I also came across a number of little typos, but they're easily overlooked. I enjoyed Windsworn so much that I read it in two days!

Rules for the Summer Reading Challenge

Follow Indie Fantasy Addicts on Facebook

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IFA Summer Reading Challenge

IFA Summer Reading Challenge 2019
June 21 to September 22

June 21, the first day of summer marks the first day of the Summer Reading Challenge in the Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook group. Read ANY indie fantasy, and subgenre of fantasy (ARCs, audiobooks, and shorts included) and have a chance at winning some amazing prizes such as signed books, ebooks, audiobooks, and swag from some Amazon Bestselling and USA Today Bestselling authors! All readers have to do is post about their reads in the group and tag them with #IFASummerChallenge19.

Details about our current Summer Reading Challenge are listed at the bottom of this blog post. The goal? For members to discover more nail-biting, edge of your seat, take-you-for-a-wild-ride-and-leave-you-breathless books!

Here are some of the authors who graciously donated signed copies and ebooks to this challenge (many of them being USA Today and Amazon bestselling authors): ML Spencer, JT Williams, Mike Shelton, JA Andrews and tons more.

#IFASummerChallenge19 Details:

The purpose of this is just to have fun and discover more amazing indie fantasy authors! We are going to make this simple. There is no set reading list. ARCS and audiobooks also apply. Read whatever you want as long as it’s indie fantasy. If you're not sure if it's indie, just ask in the group and someone will let you know.

All you have to do is post what you're reading, tag it with #IFASummerChallenge19, and your thoughts on the book (without spoilers!) so the rest of us can discover more amazing adventures!

The Challenge will go from June 21 to September 22, 2019—the last day of summer! For the solo challenge (everyone is included in this regardless if you’re on a team or not), we will be doing a tiered winning system since not all readers read at the same rate. Eg. A tier for the winner for whoever reads the most indie fantasy books, and a few other tiers. eg. 20+, 16-20, 11-15, 5-9. 0-4.

Draws will be done to choose winners from the two lower tiers.

Grand Prize: Multiple signed books and swag

The other tiers will have chances to win a signed book, ebook, audiobook, swag, etc.

TEAMS: There will also be prizes awarded to the winning team, the team with the best team spirit, the team who listened to the most audiobooks, etc.

Let the adventures begin!!

Indie Fantasy Addicts on Facebook

Indie Books I Want to Read

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7 Essential Sites to Help Plan Your Disney World Vacation

Are you planning a trip to Disney World

this summer holiday or in the near future?

Our family is and that is why I have composed a list of 7 essential sites to help you plan yours. I chose these sites because of their quality information and well organized menu options, which will help you find what you’re looking for fast. Later, I’ll be posting a follow-up of our Disney World experience, including useful tips and favorite activities.

This is a photo of Samantha
enjoying a Character Breakfast
at Christmas time 2002.

1. Easy WDW

My friend and author, E.S. Ivy,

sent me this awesome link.

The best thing about this blog is

their Cheat Sheets with

color coded maps!

2. Disney Day By Day

Choose the theme park that you will be visiting
under the Attractions menu and you will find
information for the different rides. This is
helpful if you aren't able to get to all the
rides, so you can visit the better ones first.

3. The Best of Walt Disney World

There are lots of things to look at on this site.
For example, here you can find out more about
Character Dining at Disney World. I was
so excited to see Tusker House at the top of 
the list. That is where I've booked ours!
Remember that you will need to make reser-
vations for this type of dining experience.

4. Only Walt Disney World

This blog captures the magic of Disney!

5. Disney Calendars

Find out the theme park hours, parade
times and more! Every day has its
own schedule, so look on the days
that you will be visiting.

6. All Ears Disney Restaurant Menus and Prices

This site helped me decide on booking our
Character Breakfast at Tusker House. The
menu helped seal the deal. That's before
I knew how popular it was!

And if you have any questions,

visit the 7. Disney Moms Panel.

They always answered my

questions promptly with lots

of helpful information.

Here’s a bonus Disney Mom Blog

(for those of you who love following

what other moms are doing):

A Disney Mom's Thoughts

What's your favorite thing
about Disney World?

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CafePress - A One-of-a-Kind Online Shop

I have been offered a great opportunity and I'm not letting it go to waste, because I've made sure that my readers will benefit too. I have secured an international $20 gift voucher from CafePress for one lucky winner. Once I receive the voucher, there will be a draw for it on my blog. I'll let everyone know, but if you don't want to miss a thing, then consider getting updates via email. That option is available on my right-hand sidebar.

What is CafePress and what can you purchase with your $20 if you win?

Custom T-shirts, Personalized Gifts, Unique Mugs, Posters & More

CafePress is where the world shops for custom t-shirts and other unique gifts that express people's unique personalities. You'll find millions of one-of-a-kind designs on every topic you can imagine (and some you can't) - from political expressions, funny T-shirts & stickers, to all sorts of merchandise with cool personalized designs. Plus find themed gear from major brands such as the Twilight Saga, American Idol, Star Trek, & more. You can also make your own personalized gifts with their easy design tool.

Personalized Photo Gifts - Here are some great ideas for Mother's Day and Father's Day! It's so easy to make it personal. Just add your own photo of your family or kids or anyone else you want to have remembered on a framed tile, mug, pillow, or any of the many other products to choose from.

Writers and Bloggers Mugs - If you are a writer or a blogger, you will want one of these! Sayings include, "I Love My Blog" and "I am SO gonna blog about this."

Travel Mugs - A variety of mugs in different themes, such as Vintage, Retro, Art, Cute, and Animals. Some are quite funny.

Flip Flops - These are perfect for the summer and you can find your own unique style from beach themes to photography, music, animals and more! So, go on and express yourself this holiday.

Cool Shirts - Find a cool T-shirt for Men and Women to Kids and Infants... even Dogs! There's something for everyone.

Custom Shirts - Design your own T-shirt! The online Design Tool makes the whole process quick and easy. You can create almost anything you envision. Type a message in the text box, then choose from font selections to make it your very own. Even add a graphic or photo. You can design one side only, or both front and back.

CafePress also has a new partnership with Marvel. And, with the new release of Iron Man 3, there's a variety of merchandise to choose from. Make sure you don't miss out!

Iron Man 3 merchandise - Check out the wide variety, including cool T-shirts, caps and bags.

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