Amanda's Books and More

Monday, June 16, 2014

GG's Chicken Soup Recipe

I recently had the opportunity to read and review a heartwarming book called GG and Mamela. It's a book for Amanda's age group. She enjoyed listening to the story. Her favorite part was when GG taught Mamela how to make her special chicken soup.

The page that excited Amanda the most was when we got to the actual recipe at the end of the book. I agreed to make it with her and she reminded me, so that I wouldn't forget. I won't be posting the actual recipe here (for copyright reasons), but I will explain all the steps so that you can make it yourself. Also, mine is slightly adapted for convenience.

To find out more about the book and its author, you can visit my review on GG and Mamela. To purchase the book with the original recipe, you can visit Amazon or the Author Website.

This soup is delicious!

Day 1

Rinse the chicken well. Cover with water in
a large pot and bring to the boil.

Skim the foam off and discard.
Once the bubbles become white,
lower the heat to a simmer.

Add the vegetables:
3 carrots (chopped), 2 celery stalks with leaves
(chopped), quartered onion and peeled sweet potato
(my onions and sweet potato were on
the small side, so I used 2 of each).
The recipe included a parsnip (chopped),
but I couldn't get one in our small town.

Add seasoning: Salt and pepper.
Stir the soup occasionally.
Simmer, half covered, for about
1 1/2 hours or until veggies are
tender.

Remove the chicken and let it cool
before taking the meat off the bone
(in bite size pieces). Pour the soup
through a strainer to get a clear
broth. Cut up the sweet potato.
Refrigerate the veggies.
Cool the soup and
refrigerate overnight.

Day 2

Remove the fat that has thickened on top
of the soup. Reheat the soup with the
veggies and the chicken pieces.
Check if the soup needs more salt.
Cook fine egg noodles separately
and drain them.

Soup being reheated with the veggies and chicken.

Chop fresh parsley and dill.

Spoon a helping of noodles in each soup bowl
and then ladle in the hot soup. Garnish with
fresh parsley and dill in each bowl.

Amanda adding the garnish.

A bowl of GG's Chicken Soup
This soup is delicious!

We live in the southern hemisphere, in South Africa, and it's now winter time. This soup was perfect for the cold weather and we all enjoyed eating it. There was enough to last for two days for our family of six. I think it would be lovely to eat anytime of the year, even summer. Try it! You will be glad you did.

Linking with Fabulous Finds & T.G.I.F.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

To My Three Dads with Linky

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #86!

I have three dads who all play an important role in my life and my family's. My first dad is my biological father. He was there from the beginning. He watched me grow up into a young lady and helped me find my way into missions. It was on the mission field where I met my husband. When I got married, I gained a father-in-law. Later, my parents divorced. Both of them eventually remarried. That is how I gained a step-dad.

The letter below is to my three dads:

Dear Dads,

Thank you for being a part of my life. Thank you for all your care and help along the way. Thanks to each of you for being a unique grandfather to the kids. My life is richer, because of you. I wish all three of you a wonderful Father's Day!

I thought this was the perfect Father's Day graphic

in light of the Soccer World Cup in Brasil. Who

watched the colorful opening ceremony on TV?

Image Courtesy of ZingerBug.com

Linking with Friendship Friday

and Finish the Sentence Friday

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Don't miss the special feature that I

did on my husband for Father's Day!

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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

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:

This is a blog hop!

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Wild Guinea Fowl with #WW Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect
Party Linky #94!

We see flocks of guinea fowl around our home every day. They are very skittish creatures, so whenever I grab a camera, they scatter off. It's hard to get a good picture of a subject that doesn't stand still. These are the best ones I have of this year.

Guinea Fowl in My Front Yard

Junior Guinea Fowl

Guinea Fowl Flying over My Roof

An Albino with a Solid Dark Guinea Fowl

This is a Typical Guinea Fowl Feather

Guinea Fowl tend to be in big families, but the albino and dark one stick together and don't seem to have a bigger family. I've observed them about three times in our neighborhood and they are always together. I'm glad that they have each other.

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I have a brand new series with neat

photos of the Botanical Gardens near

us. Visit 1camera1mom for more!

Karoo Desert National Botanical
Garden, South Africa

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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!
By the way, I've updated it.

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Twitter

Facebook

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:

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Father's Day, #DadBrags, DIY Dad

Father's Day is this Sunday! Many of us have fathers we want to honor. Today I want to honor my husband, Robbie, the father of our four kids. He's a wonderful dad and very present in our kids' lives. That doesn't mean he's perfect.

His favorite word of advice is, "Be quick to say sorry." I think a lot of men never say sorry, but he has been a role model to us in this regard. He puts God and his family first and that is what makes us strong.

His favorite saying - and one that I have begun using myself - is, "What you lose on the swings, you win on the merry-go-round." I think this is often true of life. We win some and we lose some. The trials we face only make us stronger.

He's done a lot of touch-ups and DIY jobs around the home. Some of his skills have been self taught and Google has come in handy. I've watched him lay tiles, plaster walls, install ceiling fans and put in sprinklers throughout the garden.

Today I'm sharing some of his most recent projects. The kids and I jumped in to help here and there too. Our keenest helper is little Amanda, our youngest child. (Her three siblings are all teenagers.) So, today's photos are of my husband, Robbie, the DIY Dad and his little helper.

Sealing the roof

Installing a glass shower

Painting the front entrance

Are you looking for that perfect man gift this Father's Day? Check out Man Crates. They are a new company shipping awesome gifts for guys in custom wooden crates. If you're a blogger, then you can enter to win a Man Crate by including #DadBrags in your post and tweeting about it. I am taking part and so can you!

Friday, June 6, 2014

Big News and a Weekend Blog Hop!

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #85!

Thanks for joining me once again

on my weekend blog hop!

We have big news this side of the world.

Our house is on the market. If it sells for what we want/need in the next couple of months, then we will be relocating to the States. I've been discussing this topic with my husband for more than a year and it seems that the time is right for us as a family to move by the end of this year. The school year in South Africa ends early December and our son will graduate high school.

I've lived in South Africa for close to 19 years. All four of our kids were born here. They have South African and American citizenship.

We would appreciate your prayers. Moving is never easy.

View from the back of our home.

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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

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:

This is a blog hop!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

A Sweet 16 and #WW Linky!

Welcome to my Picture Perfect
Party Linky #93!

Jessica, Amanda's big sister,

turned 16 on Monday!

Jessica and Amanda in Florida
July 2013
Photo by Me

Jessica at our home in
South Africa
Photo by Me

Jessica in Florida
July 2013
Photo by Photographer

Jessica at lunch in South Africa
May 2014
Photo by Hubby

Jessica when she was younger
Photos by Photographer

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Here is a peek at my

The Button Code:

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

My Favorite Way to Exercise and More!

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #84!

My favorite way to exercise is taking the dog for a walk. I'm really not a very brave person when it comes to exercise. I like my comforts more. Usually, if one of Amanda's older siblings join me, then it becomes a great way to have a little one-on-one time and to chat about whatever. All of Amanda's siblings are teenagers.

The photos below are of a recent walk that I took with Amanda and our dog, Benny. You can click on the images to view them larger.

Linking with:

Friendship Friday

Finish the Sentence Friday

Essential Fridays Linkup

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Check out my latest book review of this exciting

new middle-grade action/adventure fantasy series!

Book 2: In the Enemy's Service

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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

Here are the easy rules: