Amanda's Books and More

Friday, December 16, 2016

Adopt a Pet with Linky

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #201!

If you are considering giving a dog or cat a loving home this holiday season, then please consider adopting before shopping. Also, consider when it will be good to introduce the pet to a new environment. Christmas morning might not be the best time for your new pet as it can be a loud and busy time for family members. Some shelters even experience an increase in unwanted puppies just after the holidays, because some people give a puppy as a Christmas gift without taking into account all the different factors that come with such a gift.

The Pros and Cons of Adopting a Pet

for Christmas via Mercury News

When considering adopting, don't rush into it. All the dogs and cats at a shelter need a home, but not all of them are a good fit for you and your home set-up. We have adopted both of our dogs from local shelters and one of our cats, but we've also owned three other dogs in the past that were problem dogs. Neither my husband nor I have the skills or patience to cope with problem dogs. We've been really fortunate, though, with our two shelter dogs and others have also told us that they are wonderful. We adopted the black one as a puppy and the German Shepherd mix as an adult. There are pros to adopting an adult pet and you can read about them on my post, Adopting an Adult Pet.

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on the images to see them at their best.

Amanda and I with our two shelter dogs

Benny and Koda - Benny with his long hair and with
his summer haircut

Our two cats

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My Latest Book Review:

Mary's Song
with a $25 Giveaway!

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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:

Weekend Linky

This is a blog hop!

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

Mary's Song

Mary's Song

by Susan Count

with a $25 Giveaway!

About the Book

Book Description: Mary’s heart breaks over the pending destruction of a beautiful, but damaged filly. When life is not fair, the courageous challenge the obstacles. Twelve-year-old Mary was disabled at the age of four by the same virus that took the life of her mother. While she longs to have a horse of her own, she’s limited to reading horse books. A talented artist, she spends her days on a blanket in the grass sketching the horses at the farm next door. She falls in love with one of the foals and is outraged to learn the filly is considered worthless as it was born lame. Mary befriends and enlists the help of twelve-year-old Laura, whose family owns the horse farm. Against the better judgment of the farm manager, a brief reprieve is negotiated for the foal’s life. The girls conspire to raise money to save her, but time is running out. Sadly, it appears the expensive surgery the foal needs has little chance to correct her problem anyway. Mary isn’t about to give up. She sacrifices what she holds dear, including the trust of her papa, to gain her heart’s desire. Will she lose everything in her struggle to save the foal?

What others are saying...

"An excellent and engaging book from start to finish. A must read." - Amazon Review

"Susan Count knows how to write about horses, family, friendship, love, faith, and sacrifice. Her true-to-life characters easily engaged me in wanting to know more about them and how their conflicts would be resolved." - Geoffrey W.

"A genuinely touching story about friendship and recovery. I strongly recommend this to anyone looking for a good horse book perfect for middle age girls!" - Amazon Review

My Review

Susan Count shares a unique and entertaining horse story through her book, Mary's Song. I always loved reading a good horse story when I was growing up and this one won't disappoint! It's unique in that the main character is not a horse, but a girl named Mary. Even though she is confined to a wheelchair, she gets up to plenty of mischief. There's a struggle of wills between her and her over-protective father, which doesn't help matters.

Mary's Song teaches about inner strength, friendship, and the bond of family. I highly recommend it for girls ages 10 and up.

About the Author
Susan Count

One day...I began to write with no preconceived ideas about anything. I’d read what I had written the day before and add another scene to the adventure. No one could have been more astounded than I was when it turned into a book. The whole process gave me great joy and restored my spirit after a season of loss. My motivation was my desire to bless one particular young lady with a story to show her a love relationship in a family, with the Lord, and with a horse. I truly thought the story would remain in a drawer until she was old enough to read it. Surprise.

I write at an antique secretary desk which belonged to the same grandmother who introduced me to horse books. The desk has secret compartments and occupies a glass room with a forest view. Bunnies and cardinals regularly interrupt my muse, as do my horses grazing in a clearing.

Though I am a rider and lover of horses, I make no claims of expertise in any riding discipline. I hope that my research keeps me from annoying those who would know.

The only thing more fun than riding might be writing horse adventure stories. Saddle up and ride along!

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Blog Tour Giveaway

Prize: One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card or $25 PayPal cash prize(winner’s choice)

Giveaway ends: January 2, 11:59 pm, 2017

Open to: Internationally.

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Susan Count and is hosted and managed by Stacie from BeachBoundBooks. If you have any additional questions feel free to send an email to stacie@BeachBoundBooks.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Peacocks with Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect

Party Linky #221!

Peacocks in My Garden

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on my photos to see them at their best!

In case you were wondering, the peacocks were purchased by Amanda's primary school along with other birds like turkeys and geese. They also have rabbits. The peacocks roam freely and we live close by, so we see them daily.

You might have noticed that my garden is not very green. South Africa has been experiencing drought and we are on water restrictions. Please pray for rain!

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My latest post

on 1camera1mom:

Let the Blind Lead - Part 2

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My Latest Book Reviews:

Heir of Thunder
by Karissa Laurel

Ornaments of Love Coloring Book
by Sharlin Craig

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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:

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

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

Friday, December 9, 2016

Reduce Reuse Recycle this Christmas with Linky

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #200!

Christmas is an especially good time to remember the three R's, because there is so much waste during the season. We can reduce, by buying less and more thoughtfully. We can reuse by re-gifting or saving bags, ribbons, and cards to use again. We can recycle by sorting our trash and disposing of it appropriately.

Here is an excellent resource:

How to Have a Green Christmas

Our family does recycling faithfully throughout the year. Our trash is mostly paper, plastic, tins, and glass, so it makes a lot of sense to recycle. In the USA, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, household waste increases by 25%.

Learn more by checking out this:

Facts on Holiday Waste

I like to save Christmas bags, ribbons, and cards. They are always needed at Christmas time and often look good from one year to the next. The Christmas bags usually only need a new gift tag. The ribbons are used to decorate gifts, of course, or cards. The old cards get cut up and glued on new blank cards with a white page glued inside. This is where I can get a little creative and if the kids get involved they can have some fun too. Below are three that I did this December.

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on the images to see them at their best.

Merry Christmas

Frohe Weihnachten

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My Latest Book Reviews:

Heir of Thunder
by Karissa Laurel

Ornaments of Love Coloring Book
by Sharlin Craig

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

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:

Weekend Linky

This is a blog hop!

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

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Heir of Thunder

About the Book

Title: Heir of Thunder: Book One in The Stormbourne Chronicles | Author: Karissa Laurel | Publisher: Evolved Publishing | Pages: 280 (approximate) | Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Book Description

The Lord of Thunder’s sudden death leaves his daughter, Evelyn Stormbourne, unprepared to rule Inselgrau in his place. Weeks before Evie’s ascension to the throne, revolutionaries attack and destroy her home. She conceals her identity and escapes under the protection of her father’s young horse master, Gideon Faust. Together they flee Inselgrau and set sail for the Continent, but they’re separated when a brutal storm washes Evie overboard.

In her efforts to reunite with her protector and reach allies on the Continent, Evie befriends a band of nomads who roam the world in airships fueled by lightning. She also confronts a cabal of dark Magicians plotting to use her powers to create a new divine being, and she clashes with an ancient family who insists her birthright belongs to them.

If she’s to prevail and defeat her enemies, Evie must claim her heritage, embrace her dominion over the sky, and define what it means to be Heir of Thunder.

Purchase Links:

Amazon Paperback | Amazon eBook | Goodreads

My Review

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Heir of Thunder and I didn't want it to end too quickly! It was the perfect blend of adventure and fantasy with a touch of romance. The story moves quickly and there are some unexpected surprises. It has vivid descriptions and lively characters. I especially liked the main character, Evie, who finds inner strength as she faces one challenge after another. I highly recommend it for teenagers, young adults, and the young at heart.

About the Author

Karissa Laurel

Karissa lives in North Carolina with her kid, her husband, the occasional in-law, and a very hairy husky. Some of her favorite things are coffee, chocolate, and super heroes. She can quote Princess Bride verbatim. She loves to read and has a sweet tooth for fantasy, sci-fi, and anything in between. Sometimes her husband convinces her to put down the books and take the motorcycles out for a spin or browse flea markets for rusty things to reuse and re-purpose.

Find out more about Karissa and keep up to date with new releases, including the sequel to Heir of Thunder, coming in 2017.

Website | Facebook | Twitter |

Instagram | Pinterest | Evolved Publishing

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

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Peacocks and Bougainvillea with Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect

Party Linky #220!

Peacocks,

Bougainvillea

And Guineafowl

In My Garden

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on my photos to see them at their best!

Cut Bougainvillea from my
garden and a peacock

Peacock

Peacock and Peahen

Peacock and Guineafowl

Guineafowl

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My Latest Book Reviews:

Ornaments of Love Coloring Book
by Sharlin Craig

Bear with Bear
by Hagit Oron

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

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.