What a Day at the National Archives!

GranFran and I had a wonderful time at the
National Archives in D. C., including a
book signing!

     GranFran and I had a fabulous trip to Washington, D. C., where we, along with my brother, Wayne, not only spoke during a historical seminar focusing on Operation Dragoon (the 1944 invasion of southern France that my dad was in), but also visited the DAR Headquarters building (a great year to be there, since GranFran was one of their Women in American History Award recipients in May, nominated by the Lily of the Cahaba Chapter).

     Then we had a book signing at the National Archives--my favorite place in Washington! The National Archives gift shop carries both R is for Rosie the Riveter and Free-Falling for Freedom, so it was wonderful--and surreal, to be honest--to have an autograph table there. We stayed nearly twice as long as scheduled, because people just kept coming--Rosie Mania once again! Unfortunately, no photos were allowed, but I can assure you it was fabulous to greet people from all over the country and the world.

My favorite place in Washington, D. C.--the National 
Archives--carries two of our books in their gift shop--
it doesn't get any better than this!

     As an added bonus, it was on Constitution Day. When I was a school librarian and was tasked with providing our school's Constitution Day emphasis, more than once I set up in the library a mock Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, which is at the National Archives building, where the original Declaration of Independence, U. S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights are on display.

     If you have never visited this fabulous place, start planning a trip now--it's awesome! Many thanks to the bookstore staff for being such fabulous hosts!

Rosies and Speaking and TV, Oh May!. . . er . . .Oh My!

May was a really busy month for GranFran and me -- here's what we were up to!

First, we were on the Talk of Alabama show
on our local ABC 33/40 station
to publicize the upcoming Rosie Rally
at the Southern Museum of Flight.
Here is the link if you want to see the segment
with Nicole Allshouse.

Then we had a ball with students at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School
in Birmingham as part of their Ultimate Authors Day.
What awesome students we met! Many thanks to
Cindy Westbrook, the teacher who coordinated the day,
and all the others who made us feel so welcome!

There was an interview of GranFran and two other Birmingham Rosies
to be included in a video for the Southern Museum of Flight's
Mary Alice Beatty Scholarship for women in aviation technology.

And then came the day of the actual Rosie Rally at the Southern Museum of Flight!
What an extraordinary day!!! Six Rosies from our Birmingham Chapter
of the American Rosie the Riveter Association,
plus another Rosie from Georgia, sat on a panel and answered questions.
And were they a hit!

Here's our whole group of Rosies, Rosebuds, and Rivets
from the Birmingham Chapter who were on hand
for the Rosie Rally. We were only a part of more than 650 people--including lots
of children and teens, how about that!--who were there for the many activities of this fun day.
A major highlight was seeing the "Fifi," one of only twoB-29 bombers still flying.
B-29's were made in Birmingham during WW II.

And when Elizabeth Grady, the museum's coordinator for the event, found out
that GranFran's 94th birthday was on the Rosie Rally day --well, next thing you know,
there was a ginormous birthday cake and cupcakes and party hats and horns!
What a special birthday! Many thanks, Liz!
Click here to see our local ABC 33/40 station's coverage of the event.

Isn't this a fun picture from the day --
GranFran and I are with the very talented Louise Barbour (left),
our favorite illustrator who drew the wonderful illustrations
for R is for Rosie the Riveter.
Note that she is holding her "left-handed wrench!"
(If you don't know what that is, see the "L" page in R is for Rosie!)

But May wasn't over yet! We so enjoyed speaking to the Senior Adult group
at Shades Crest Baptist Church in Birmingham.
Many thanks to Senior Adult Pastor Mark Johnson for inviting us.
We reconnected with many old friends, including Dr. Sigurd Bryan,
long-time Professor of Religion at Samford University,
and his lovely wife, Sara.

We topped off May with a tremendous honor for GranFran -
She was selected to receive a national "Women in American History" Award
from the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Here she is pictured with Susan Moore (left), Chapter Regent for
Birmingham's Lily of the Cahaba DAR Chapter,
who nominated GranFran for the award, and LeeAnn Metzger, who coordinated
the celebration at Brookdale Village, where GranFran lives.

The celebration was a part of Brookdale's gala Memorial Day event
for all their residents.
What a perfect way to end the month of May!

R is for Rosie the Riveter won an award!

We are thrilled and honored that R is for Rosie the Riveter won a gold medal in the 

2015 Indie Excellence Awards in the Pre-teen Non-Fiction category! 

Rock on, Rosie -- keep on inspiring the next generation to have the "We Can Do It!" spirit. 

Cross-stitch kit can be
completed with or without
the words.

And here's some more fun -- our friend, Posy Lough of The Posy Collection, has transformed the cover of R is for Rosie into a cross-stitch kit! Sorry, the frame is not included.

Redwork kit -- Posy made it into
a sweet pillow

And the cover is also
available in a redwork kit (red thread outlines on muslin). Again, sorry, the polka dot fabric and other finishing is not included, but many thanks to Posy for working these out.

Posy's motto is "Preserving Our Story in Stitches," and if you check out The Posy Collection, you will be amazed at the historical buildings and scenes she has preserved in those stitches! We are tickled to be part of her collection.

Order cross-stitch kits through the American Rosie the Riveter Association's Rosie Shoppe, or email me at nellbran@yahoo.com for cross-stitch or redwork kits.

Rosie Mania continues!