December Reads

Christmas at Harmony Hill: A Shaker Story by Ann Gabhart: I picked up this light fiction read from my local library.  It chronicles the story of a young mother who finds refuge among the Shakers.  This book was honestly disappointing but I will say that my expectations were probably set just a little bit too high.

Professionalizing Motherhood: Encouraging, Educating, and Equipping Mothers At Home by Jill Savage: I am almost finished reading through this book and boy do I wish I would have had the opportunity to read it during my first year of mothering.  Although this book was published when I was actually in high school there is so much to glean from this book.  I love the idea of thinking about motherhood as my career.  I thought the author had a number of great ideas.  At the end of every chapter she included a few "personal reflections" that were wonderful.  It would be so much fun to work through these questions in a small group, with a friend, or even alone in a personal journal.

Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook: Eat Up and Slim Down with More Than 350 Healthy Recipes by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison: I jumped on the THM band wagon three years ago right before I became pregnant with my daughter Eva and lost about ten pounds.  Since then I have dabbled with it from time to time and have lost a little bit of weight.  My biggest issue with Trim Healthy Mama originally was their recipes which didn't include exact measurements.  Thankfully this cookbook contains EXACT measurements which is absolutely wonderful for a go by the books type of gal like myself.  This cookbook is absolutely beautiful and I have enjoyed cooking through a number of recipes in the past few weeks.  The best part is the fact that this time around the happy hubby will actually eat some of the recipes!  This cookbook is definitely an improvement on the original self published Trim Healthy Mama book.  My favorite recipes have been the multitude of drinks.   The pictures are absolutely beautiful.  My only complaint would be the fact that the book did not come in hardback or spiral bound.  I am sure that with as much use as my cookbook is receiving it will come apart by the end of the summer.  Please note that I did receive a review copy of this book from Blogging For Books.  All opinions are my own.  If you are new to Trim Healthy Mama you will need the book Trim Healthy Mama Plan in order to fully understand Trim Healthy Mama.

The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman: The children and I enjoyed reading this lovely book over the series of a few afternoons this December.  They were absolutely enchanted with the book and it made for such a fun Christmas memory!

Although not pictured we had a delightful time as a family reading through Ann Voskamp's Unwrapping The Greatest Gift.  This was our second time enjoying it and I plan on making the nightly readings during Advent a tradition in our family.  Hopefully next year I will take the opportunity to add a Jesse Tree to our Christmas celebrations.

What books did you read in December?  Do you have any recommendations for winter read alouds for my children (2 and 6)?