The latest Trim Healthy Mama

As women, most of us have tried at least one diet--and failed.  Many of us have tried more than we can count--and failed.  I am not certain that God created us to deprive ourselves of any of the foods he put on the earth for us to enjoy and to nourish us, even the occasional yummy dessert.  Healthy eating and staying trim is a lifestyle choice and there are certain "rules" to follow that will permit us to enjoy all that God has given us, just not necessarily in one meal.  The authors base this plan on Biblical principles as well.

Three years ago, Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison (sisters) self-published Trim Healthy Mama, never dreaming it would be read by the masses.  I have seen my sister successfully use the principles within that volume to slim down and keep the weight off, just from following the advice within.  Basically, there are two different food types, those which are satisfying (less carbs and uses fat as the primary fuel) and those which provide energy (have more carbs and offer glucose as the primary food source.  All are permissible but not all should be eaten together in the same meal.

When I first saw this edition, I thought it was a new book and it is in some ways. It is less than half the bulk of the first and about half the price.  However, if you want to have recipes to accompany your new eating lifestyle, you have to purchase the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook.  Now, don't misunderstand, there is some new information in the Trim Healthy Mama Plan but, for the most part, the original is divided into two volumes.  It works.  Now your book with the basics of the plan isn't getting splattered with your cooking.  There are a number of menus included in Trim Healthy Mama Plan, just not the recipes.  A lot of the sister banter between the two is also not included in this new edition which I think adds to the first volume but this newer one serves its purpose.  Apparently, there were others who don't feel as I do and didn't care for the snippet editorials included in the original.  This volume is more affordable and can stand alone without the recipes.  It is far less bulky.  So, to make a long review shorter, I like it.  I think I will stick with my original dog-eared, well-loved, underlined volume for my own library and share this one but I do like it and think it will appeal to even more because of the affordability and smaller size.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was in no way obligated to write a positive one.

A precious Christmas story

Is there anything better than a home baked cookie?  Well, maybe a home baked Christmas cookie would top it.  Nothing says the holiday is here like baking them and sharing them with others for me.

Home and holidays just aren't the same without family though and nothing has been the same since Jack's father left to go find work and now Christmas just won't be the same either since he can't come home for the holidays.  Every penny has been watched since his father left so, when Jack comes home to the smell of freshly baked cookies, he is certain his nose must be fooling him.  He soon finds out that the cookies aren't meant for him but instead for the needy at church.  Disappointment filled Jack but he helps his mother with the baking while she shares with him the origin of the Christmas cookie. One special cookie is saved for Jack for Christmas morning and then Jack learns the true meaning of Christmas when a stranger appears at their door.

I think this review is going to be a bit partial.  All my life, my grandmother, aunt, and mother have made a beautiful (but not so great tasting to me since I don't have an appreciation for anise) Christmas cookie called a springerle, having a German descent.  This story revolves around these imprinted cookies so I loved it.  I also loved the story of the German family who started the tradition in this book.  Not only did they meet the physical needs of their neighbors, but met the spiritual needs as well, all through some Christmas cookies.

The illustrations are bright and colorful to attract children and at the end there are two Christmas cookie recipes to try with your children, one of them being for springerles.  The springerles will definitely be prettier and work out better if you can find a mold so check your local antique store to see what shows up.  Don't hold your breath for a nativity as is featured in the book though because most molds are pretty generic with leaves, fruits, birds and such on them.

I did receive this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligated to write a positive one.  Two tumbs up for Dandi Daley Mackall's, The Legend of the Christmas Cookie: Sharing the True Meaning of Christmas.

God Gave Us Sleep

Sleep.  Such an incredible gift God gave us to restore our body.  Doesn't every parent look forward to the time of day when they tuck in their children for bed?  Not only because that means you, as a parent, can take care of some tasks that may have gone undone throughout the day but also because we can settle in for the evening and get some much needed rest.

Little Cub is having a good time playing with friends that she doesn't want to come inside and go to bed when Mama calls.  Mama patiently explains the benefits of a good night's sleep, doesn't get angry when Little Cub finds every reason in the world to prolong getting into bed (sound familiar?) and then prays with Little Cub before leaving the room.  But Little Cub just can't sleep very well and awakes on the "wrong side of the bed" making it a pretty miserable day.  That night, she sleeps well and awakes with a whole new outlook.

God Gave us Sleep is just one in a series of God Gave Us books by Lisa Tawn Bergman.  Little Cub is a constant character throughout and, in each, gains new insight into God's love.  Each story has colorful watercolor illustrations, is hard bound, and the perfect length for a short bedtime story.  The paper has a nice heavy feel and is slick and durable. I think each of these books in the series make a nice baby gift and will be adding this one to my next gift.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and am in no way obligated to leave a positive one.

The story of Christmas carols

Anyone who knows me knows that Christmas is my favorite season and that my husband extends it as long as he can and never ceases to sing Christmas carols regardless of the time of year.  Guess that makes it easy to know who is coming down the hallway at school.

Christmas holds my favorite memories and one of my very favorites is the Christmas Eve service at church and, even today more than 10 years after her death, I can hear my grandmother's voice singing next to me, making it difficult to get through the songs but that doesn't stop me from loving the songs. How did we get these songs?  You may or may not be surprised to know that most didn't begin as Christmas carols.  Some had words while others were only tunes with words added later. But each of the 21 well known and loved carols has a story behind it.  Andrew Gant has done the research for us and his new book The Carols of Christmas: A Celebration of the Surprising Stories Behind Your Favorite Holiday Songs contains all you could want to know about songs from Advent to Christmas Day and beyond.  In each case, the history includes a copy of the music and, in some cases, a copy of the manuscript of the original score or words by the composer or author or a historical image that goes along with the song.

The volume is hardback but the paper more like the type found in a paperback volume.  I must admit that some of my favorites weren't included but that may very well be because Gant focused on English carols.  Gant is thorough in his explanation of the history of the song which may get a bit long for some if it isn't a song you love. For me, that song will always be The Twelve Days of Christmas which is included.  Each story is somewhere between 5-10 pages so I wouldn't recommend necessarily reading the volume from cover to cover in a few days.  I think it might be better used looking at each song as a short story and read one, ponder on it for awhile, then maybe read another. Perhaps use it each evening as a family time during Advent to learn together.

Carols include:  O Come, O Come Emmanuel, O, Christmas Tree, The Holly and the Ivy, I Saw Three Ships, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Good Christian Men Rejoice, O Come All Ye Faithful, While Shepherds Watched, O Holy Night, Ding Dong! Merrily on High, Angels From the Realm of Glory, Hark the Herald..., Away in a Manger, I Wonder as I Wonder, Good King Wincelas, Personet hodie, Here We Come a-Wassailing, The Twelve Days of Christmas, We Three Kings, What Child is This?, and  Jingle Bells.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligated to leave a positive one.

The story of Bathsheba

Bathsheba.  If you have been a church goer for any length of time, you have heard the name.  What comes to mind?  David?  Adultery?  Murder?  Solomon?  For me, all of those things and I must admit that I didn't ever look to Bathsheba and say "I want to be like her."  However, she is an excellent example of how God can take something evil and turn it around for God and His purpose. It is truly a story of redemption.

Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty by Angela Hunt is a fictionalized version of Bathsheba's life from a small girl who was prophesied to be "mother to a great man" and "affect the future of Israel" through her young adulthood and marriages, one of which was to King David and not through the ordinary love story.  The story is told from both Bathsheba's perspective as well as that of Nathan the prophet with the chapters going back and forth between the two.  The volume also includes a dozen discussion questions perfect for a book club.

Angela Hunt has written several novels of Biblical fiction. While I haven't read each of them, the ones I have are well researched and thought out. I have no doubt that the Bible is exactly what God intended it to be and that the background information on Biblical characters is, again, exactly what He wanted there.  I do enjoy author's attempts to breathe life into the history though and must caution myself  not to take the fiction I read as Truth.  This novel, though, prompted me to search the Scriptures a bit deeper to discover exactly who Bathsheba was.  Have I given her a bad wrap all these years or was it always her deepest longing to please Adonai?

In short, I loved it as I have loved all of Angela Hunt's writing.  One of my favorites?  Probably The Note along with the movie.  HOWEVER, this may take it's place.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligated to leave a positive one.