NOT by SIGHT - 5 Star Book Review

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Not by Sight by Kate Breslin 

•°o•:*:•.ALL THE GOOD STUFF.•:*:• o°• 

Opening Scripture: For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this book. It was everything I could hope for!
Highlights: London – Suffragettes – spies – WWI – the WFC (Women’s Forage Corps) with a focus on one small group of interesting characters working the farm lands of a country estate in County of Kent in order to help the war effort – a brooding war victim hiding behind a “WWI splatter mask”. 

see more images for "WWI splatter mask"
on google or pinterest 

It's too bad the publisher didn’t think to include an image on the back cover but I have included one here for you}, –

a bit of Ireland near the end – faith – history – God – scripture – romance – mystery – secrets – a budding writer – tea & a tea room – healing – EEEEK! IT’S SO GOOD!

A little nod to Swan's Tea Room (this is really from Garden View Tea Room, Disneyworld, FL - internet photo)

I usually write much longer reviews, but this book is SO GOOD, just get it… go now!!! (-smile)

If this is Kate Breslin’s standard writing, I will be a fan for life!

5 stars

© 2015 Bethany House
366 pages + Author’s Notes and Discussion Questions

I received an advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion. CBD already shows it in stock!

Read: 07/21&7/23/2015 - Reviewed: 07/25/15

Publisher's Description

With Britain caught up in WWI, Jack Benningham, heir to the Earl of Stonebrooke, has declared himself a conscientious objector. Instead, he secretly works for the Crown by tracking down German spies on British soil, his wild reputation and society status serving as a foolproof cover.

Blinded by patriotism and concern for her brother on the front lines, wealthy suffragette Grace Mabry will do whatever it takes to assist her country's cause. When she sneaks into a posh London masquerade ball to hand out white feathers of cowardice, she never imagines the chain of events she'll set off when she hands a feather to Jack.

And neither of them could anticipate the extent of the danger and betrayal that follows them--or the faith they'll need to maintain hope.

Author Bio
A Florida girl who migrated to the Pacific Northwest, Kate Breslin was a bookseller for many years. She is the author of: For Such a Time and lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. Find her online at www.katebreslin.com.

Hugs and a cup of tea!

Heather Elizabeth

Book Lovers Tea

Greetings one and all!

I am your hostess, Heather, bringing you our final June tea for Team Darjeeling, for the FB group Afternoon Tea Across America.

Last week, Tilly TARDIS and I prepared our invitations to send out to the ATAA members who had agreed to attend our Book Lovers Tea.
But, before I get to that, let me remind everyone (in case ya missed it) what a TARDIS is.  TARDIS stands for Time And Relative Dimensions in Space.  Dr. Who is a BBC tv series, and his spaceship is hidden in plain site as an old-fashioned police box (but, it's bigger on the inside).  You can click here for more details.
Ok, back to the invites!  Since it is a book lovers tea, I decided to design my invitations to look like little books.

CLICK here to order these note cards
 (box of 20, each one different!)

I used blank note cards I already owned, and stapled in blank papers.  I also added a title, and author (that's me!) with a calligraphy pen.

Forward: This is the tale of the adventures of Tilly TARDIS and a Book Lovers Tea.  An opportunity for tea sisters from the group Afternoon Tea Across America to come together and fellowship, sharing their recipes and tea books, while brewing new friendships.
Ch. 1 The Date, Ch. 2 The Time, etc. etc.

Ch. 6 - 9

Music to greet the guests at the door (thank you to whomever posted this selection on the FB group page. I LOVE it!)

The lovely guests who traveled 

from far and wide through

time and space to be here.

Tea Music playing in 

our tea room.  Antonio Vivaldi 

6 hours on this YouTube link

The Tea Table

Last minute inspiration struck

this morning & I hung miniature 

tea books from the chandelier :)

citrus

A candle 

& more tea music

in the powder room

The Art of Tea

my #1 rule/tip for any party:

deep clean your bathroom

the day before, and give it a quick wipe down again after you finish getting ready

the day of.  Your

guests will appreciate it! 

However, if you have a yucky

bathroom, your guests will remember. ;)

Here are our 3 teapots.  Tilly

is center stage.  For

inquiring minds, she holds 

approx. 24oz comfortably. 

For Lady Heather

*
*
*

For Lady Bonnie

For Lady Juanita

For Lady Kay

For Lady Mary

Napkin & flatware

tucked inside a paper doily, sealed with a sticker.

Thank you Pinterest!

And nooooooow, the FOOD!

Lady Mary & Lady Kay (twin sisters btw), brought orange dreamsicle fairy cakes, chicken salad sandwiches, and pastel ribbon sandwiches, thoughtfully placed

on a tiered stand.

Here is the recipe for the unique and 

tasty chicken salad sandwiches.  The ladies kindly brought the book!

I did not get
the ribbon sandwich
recipe, but hopefully one of them can post it to the FB page :)

Lady Juanita brought this scrumptious

crustless quiche featuring 

ham, spinach and artichoke heart spread.  

Why, yes, it was amazing!

She also blessed us with chocolate chip walnut drop cookies, white chocolate orange zest cookies, and I think baklava (sorry, I forget...but it was delish!).  

And isn't her plate gorgeous too?

Lady Bonnie prepared baked havarti cheese & dill croissants.  What's that? Oh, YES.  I will be

needing to diet for the entire month of July!

But, wait.  There's more!

She also brought this darling little cake in purple and lavender.  EEEEEK! 

My favorite colors!

Oh, pardon me... minor burst of excitement.

In the background are some of the books we

discussed.  The one on the far right is a Shutterfly book I designed featuring 2 of my daycare Littles posing with tea & featuring many favorite tea quotes.  The center book matches the invitation note cards and is available on Amazon.  The one on the left was gifted to me by Mary & Kay :)

We spoke about other books, and 

recipe tips as well.

I made: Blueberry Scones 

(Sticky Fingers brand)

Served with "The Works"!  I learned this from a former So Cal tea room, La Tea Da, long since closed, but still living on in the hearts of many .

You slice your scone horizontally, top with fresh fruits, and drizzle with creme fraiche (pronounced crem fresh).

Below is my customized recipe (it's good on waffles too!)

This recipe can easily be halved for small groups
such as we had today.

Speaking of La Tea Da; we reminisced of past tea rooms we had been to: Frills, Buttercup Cottage, etc.  And we made tentative plans to get together again and travel to ones we'd like to visit (click name to see their page): The Queen Mary Tea Room, The Tea House on Los Rios, Marlene's Tea & Cakes, and more, not to mention each others homes.  We can't wait!  BTW in Southern California, regarding travel time, we say "Only an hour away.",  such as the distance from the twins house to mine.  Whereas other states might say.  It was AN HOUR away!   Hee-hee.  Perspective.

One of the books Kay brought was this charming tale of Abigail complete with stuffed, talking bunny, tea blanket and plush tea-wares.  PS: She kicked off her vacation with today's tea! Woo-hoo!!!

Besides books to share (and give!), Juanita brought this lovely demitasse cup and saucer she recently found.  Notice how the saucer has been repaired at the bottom of the photo (glue and staples).  She shared about a recent surgery, and how this sweet little set (she found at Goodwill for under $2), really spoke to her heart, reminding her no matter how broken a person is God can make her useful again.  Isn't that lovely?  We were all touched, and other ladies shared about their own medical testimonies. 

The Favors:

Each lady received a bookmark,

with her name on it 

(doubling as a placecard), 

which I wrote in calligraphy.

It features the name

Blue Jeans

and Teacups, 

which is the name of my blog.

I choose this name because years

ago, when I was first

introduced to tea, I had

the misconception that

ladies needed to dress to the

nines to enjoy tea.

I would think rude thoughts 

in my head when "un-educated" guests came to my home in jeans.  Whatever were they thinking?

Well, God did a work in my heart, and I learned, it's not about the clothes or how fancy the party is.  It's about the fellowship, and the friendships that are cultivated by being real and being open, and being gracious.  These days, I want everyone to feel comfortable, and I don't mind it for myself either! :)

Juanita handmade these angel earrings for me.

She also gave me these tea samples.  Mary made the little cards with teapot bookmark charms, wrapped in tea gift wrap & also brought tea samples.

Kay brought me this teeny ornament!

The sisters also brought little porcelain treasure boxes for us.

Bonnie brought me this beautiful floral porcelain bag.  She suggested I use it for my sponge in the kitchen! How clever.

Sadly, Lady Sylvia was not able to join us at the last minute as she was busy being a faithful servant of the Lord, and caring for an elderly couple; the parents of a close friend.  Sylvia, you were missed, but we do plan to have you join us next time!

I am so warmed to have had the opportunity to host the traveling teapot.  I have made many new friends, and look forward to future memory making opportunities!  Thank you ladies, from the bottom of my heart.  And thank you LaDonna and Rain for facilitating.

For now, the TARDIS is on her way to the next hostess in St. Louis, MO.  I can not wait to see what Mary will name her for the month of July, and what adventures await!

Thank you for joining me dear friends.
I pray you have a lovely rest of your weekend and look forward to hearing from you.

God bless you. Hugs and a cup of tea!
~Heather Elizabeth 
Guest blogging for Team Darjeeling at: 
Afternoon Tea Across America