A lovely, little book!

Little One, God Loves You by Amy Warren Hilliker is just the right size and length of reading for a young child. It is listed for ages 4 and under but I have grandchildren in ages from under a year to 10 years old and I think it will best fit ages 2 and under. It is so adorable and sweet, it will be a cute read at any young age! 

The illustrations from front cover to back are absolutely beautiful. There are short and single sentence per every page or so and this is ideal for the kind of book it is. 

Giving children God's message of love cannot start too soon and this is a great help in that direction. I think it would also a dear and lovely gift on it's own or tucked into an Easter bag or child-themed gift basket! 

I received this book free of charge from Book Look Loggers in exchange for an honest review. 

Trim Healthy Mama Plan

The Trim Healthy Mama Plan is a beautiful book and it has simplified things a lot from the original, Trim Healthy Mama book.

I have this thing about reading every single page of every book I review and this includes cook books. This is a thorough read and filled to overflowing with pages. Had I not been reviewing,  I may have sipped it more like a tea rather than the gulping down like one of the delicious drinks in the cookbook I reviewed recently.

It still isn't commonly clear to me how to balance S meals (Satisfying) and E meals (Energizing) and Fuel pulls, Crossovers, and so on are not second nature to my diet. All of those are finally making sense and I'm grasping more of how they work the more I read!

The main point of the entire book is the same as the original and is found on page 18 of this book:

"Your body does not burn both fats and carbs at the same time. When you eat a meal, you must always burn the carbs in the meal first."

This idea is explained in deep detail and I loved seeing meal builders - a quick way to see how to pull together which ever meal you are having.

I really liked a lot in this book but I will highlight a few of my favorites:

* It is important to space S to E meals as well as E to S meals 2 1/2 to 3 hours apart. This may not make sense reading it here. . . it sure hasn't to me until now ... but the spacing is excellent even for regular meals. I'm on thyroid medicine and when I discussed my weight gain with my doctor, he gave me some ideas to help me safely lose weight and one important thing was to space eating three hours apart.
* Chapter 12, Thirsty Mama shares a good deal on what drinks are good and those not so good. This is important because it is important to stay hydrated but most drinks are as many calories as meals. There is a more nourishing way and this book shares it!
* The authors place an importance on nurturing your body and your life. They mention (more than once) to allow grace and to not stress.

I'm not on the full Trim Healthy Mama Plan but I am using a good deal of it and I will just see how things go from here!



Harmony Books sent this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Be Humble Stay Hungry Always Hustle by Brad Lomenick

"Becoming a better leader personally doesn't happen on a whim. Or by accident. You have to work at it. You don't develop leaders by accident. You have to be intentional. Remember, leadership is hard work, and thus must be habitual work."

Brad Lomenick

The highest rating we can give books is five but this deserves 10. 

I have been reading books on leadership, motivation, positive living, and success for 27 years. "Be Humble, Stay Hungry, Always Hustle," by Brad Lomenick belongs on the same shelf as "How to Win Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. For me, I am grouping it with some of my all- time favorite authors like Zig Ziglar, Stephen R. Covey, Jim Rohn, Napolean Hill, Norman Vincent Peale, and Og Mandino. 

One amazing thing about this book is how much wisdom it offers for anyone in any kind of leadership role. The main focus is on creating and sustaining success and it will work for anyone from a mother to the president of a huge organization.

Each chapter is filled with golden gifts of truth to let in, learn from and live out. At the end of these chapters are small and relevant tips from successful people.

Brad Lomenick has done a fantastic job of neatly packing an amazing amount of life's lessons into one book. He takes his readers through the importance of identifying who they are, how they could and maybe should be, and shares the real need for connection and community with others. He guides through creating consistency, establishing habits and breaking past fear. One of my favorite quotes in this book is found on page 120:
"Fear is the calling crippler. Bravery is the antidote." Love it.

I'll close this review with what is the most vital, for me, of everything else. It is biblically sound. The Scriptures included fit right in where they are shared and  guide right to the heart of it all. What is God's call and will you answer it? This book may be a great help on the journey!

Sandy Willoughby received this book from HarperCollins Christian Publishing  in exchange for an honest review.

Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook

I wasn't sure what I think of this cookbook since I already have the Trim Healthy Mama original. That book is on the top of my cookbook shelves for the easiest access because I love it. The cookbook? I think I love it MORE! 

The quality is excellent and it is beautiful inside and out. Glossy pages are filled with absolutely delicious looking pictures! I am hoping to try out each and every easy- to- read recipe. 

The introduction is likely the best of any book I've read through yet. Serving sizes are explained, a few, helpful kitchen tools are suggested and notes on stocking up the kitchen are given. 

I have made many of the recipes in the original Trim Healthy Mama book by the same authors and loved every one. I love the new cookbook so much that I rushed to review it and before I tried the recipes in it. I am really looking forward to making them from a "Wicked White Chili" for the crockpot to a "Soothe Your Soul" soup. 

This is an instant favorite! 

I was given this book for review Harmony Books in exchange for an honest review.

Best Green Drinks Ever

Best Green Drinks Ever by Katrine Van Wyk

I love this book so far!
I have been reading and am really looking forward to trying the green drinks - all 125 pages of them.

The author shares lots of lovelies in this pretty and perfectly sized book. I find myself tossing it in my tote bag to read and flip through on the go.
The book gives a brief list of equipment to have, a section on greens, add in's like superfoods and a page on natural sweeteners.
On your way to the recipes, you will find time savers, money-saving tips, and smoothie bases. Once you get to the recipes, they are organized by type. Seek out juices and/or smoothies from detoxing to energizing.

I'm not getting anything for this review. My sister gifted it to me from a thrift store but after having it a few weeks, I would likely purchase this!

Limitless Life

Limitless Life by Derwin L. Gray

I found myself really wanting to meet Derwin L. Gray the more I read. His heart walked me through the chapters and he shared a message worth reading the whole book to get:

"Only God knows how many dreams have been killed at the altar of fear. It must break His heart to see dreams He has placed in so many people's hearts go unrealized because we have more faith in fear than in Him." Powerful!

I loved the point he shares on our courage being as big as our belief in God!

The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because after the first couple or few chapters and until the last two or so chapters... it me awhile to get through. I didn't connect deeply enough with it to really look forward to reading it every time I opened it. 

The last part is as good as the first though and the truth in it is something I used to inspire my husband. He has always told me to stop putting human ties on dreams because God is big enough to make them come true far beyond what we see. Along the way, he kind of tucked that belief in a stack of bills somewhere and forgot what they looked like. 

He was sharing something he wanted to do concerning a big project he is doing for our home. It dawned on me while he was talking and later ... I had to go tell him to not put boundaries around his dreams... that God can do anything! 

After a day of thinking about it, he came back and said that I was right. He also started dreaming again!

I'll close this with one more quote:

"How many people woke up this morning hating their jobs? How many people only pursue certain jobs because of the money they will make? Life is too sort, and you are too important to God and His plans to occuy earth with His kingdom, for you to simply 'go to work.' " He placed a song in your heart that He wants you to dance to." 

Trim Healthy Mama

Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett

This is one of my favorite books of all time and I love a lot of books! I couldn't wait to get it and am so happy to have it. There is so much nutritional wisdom that it is amazing and is filled with great recipes.