“Not by Sight” by Kate Breslin

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“Not by Sight” is set in England after WWI.

Grace Mabry wants to follow thru with her feminist suffragette responsibilities with fellow friend Agnes, but is sent to the countryside to work after embarrassing her father at a large social party. While at the party Grace sees Jack Benningham, heir to the Earl of Stonebrooke, who annoys and unnerves her in every way. She is determined to “call him out” because of his lack pf patriotism, but then realizes later things aren’t always as they seem. But the damage has been done and now they both are in danger.

I felt like the story started off a little show but then by the last chapter of the book I didn’t want it to end. This story is almost 400 pages so its not a quick read but I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

I loved the main characters Grace and Jack! I loved their interactions with each other and Grace’s love for descriptive writing. I loved reading about Grace’s mishaps while trying to work on the farm with the womens group. Grace is such a loyal, kind, and loving character. Jack reminded me of a handsome, mysterious “James Bond”.

This dramatic story has spies, romance, mystery and treason. This clean fiction book has some religious references in it and no sexual references or bad language.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

Amazon Book 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.

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Biography
A Florida girl and former bookseller, Kate Breslin migrated to the Pacific Northwest where she lives with her guitarist husband and a persnickety cat. Author of travel articles and award-winning poetry, Kate received Christian Retailing’s 2015 Best Award for first time author, and her debut novel, For Such A Time, is a Christy award, RITA award, and Carol award finalist. Kate’s second novel, Not By Sight, releases August, 2015. When she’s not writing inspirational fiction, Kate enjoys reading or taking long walks in Washington’s beautiful woodlands. She also likes traveling to new places, both within the U.S. and abroad, having toured Greece, Rome, and much of Western Europe. New destinations make for fresh story ideas. Please visit her at www.katebreslin.com.

You can purchase a copy of this book here:

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Week 2/ Day 3 #BosuStrong #SweatPink 4 week challenge

Wednesday, 9/23:
Let’s lunge it out sweaties!

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You can also view my Instagram video here:
https://instagram.com/p/7-J_69t5RM/?taken-by=empowermoms

Bonus: #workitwednesday, show us how you’re workin’ it this Wednesday.

Did 3 miles of a Leslie Sansone cardio dvd this morning with some friends!

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Join BOSU and Sweat Pink for 4 strong weeks of BOSU fitness fun, starting on 9/14 and ending on 10/9!
DETAILS HERE:

http://empowermoms.net/2015/09/week-2-its-all-about-that-balance-bosustrong-challenge.html

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Leslie Sansone: Burn to the Beat *full review and pictures*

I did this BRAND NEW Leslie Sansone workout this morning. It was just released today and can be bought on Amazon. I included a buying link at the end of this post and if you go to the Amazon dvd link you can also see a sneak peek video!

I received a complimentary copy of this DVD from a PR company in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own. I also purchased an additional copy of this workout from Amazon.

“Burn to the Beat Walk” includes 3 walks-totaling 3 miles if done all together, as well as a bonus core section.

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This is what the main menu looks like.

I choose to do “Full workout play” so I could do all 3 walks, plus the cool down.

You can either do 1 mile or 2 or 3 miles-whatever order you want.

If you want to do the cool down, you will need to select the last walk (super beat) and skip to frame 12:00 on the clock to start the cool down. I wish the cool down was a 4th menu selection which would make it alot easier to select.

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Leslie leads this workout in her regular studio with the usual cast we’ve come to love. She interacts with them and walks around alot more than I’ve ever seen her do in previous workouts. It was a little bit distracting, but it shouldn’t discourage you from buying this workout.

The music has a great beat the whole time-no words.
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Mile 1: EASY BEAT MILE
0-20:05
3 mph pace doing her usual movements.

Mile 2: BRISK BEAT MILE
20:05-35:20
4 mph pace doing movements like step/knees, v steps, 8 quick steps.

Mile 3: SUPER BEAT MILE
35:20-47:25
5 mph pace doing movements like shuffle/punch, jump rope, jogging. Because the pace is faster, this mile has more “impact” than the other two selections.

COOL DOWN and STRETCH:
47:25-52:25
or 12:00 on mile 3/Super Beat mile selection

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BONUS SEGMENT:
This segment is to strengthen the mid section-the core.

0-11:00
You will be on the floor on your back doing movements like leg lifts, crunches, bicycle, bridge, scissors-several times repeated.

11:00-16:55
This segment is still on the floor, but you will be on your knees and not on your back. Movements include plank and leg lifts-couple times repeated.

16:55-21:10
Full body stretch on your back laying on the floor.

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I completed this entire dvd this morning-all 3 walks, cool down and bonus section; which totals 1 hr 15 mins.

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This entire dvd is just cardio-no strength training. My heart rate stayed in the 120-130s range which for me is “fat burning” mode. I consider myself an intermediate to advanced fitness level and have been doing Leslie Sansone workouts for about 5 years.

I enjoyed this workout and the different paces that you can do with the different walks. Because of my fitness level, I would use this dvd for my “easier” days or for family walks.

If you are looking for a tougher workout, or a workout that includes strength training-you won’t get that with this dvd just to be clear.

I noticed that Leslie has been doing alot of boosted walking (jogging) and more intermediate movements in her last several DVD releases which appeals to some, but not others.

If you are looking for an easier pace and less complicated movements, I think you will like this workout! With the exception of a little bit of jogging in the 3rd walk, this DVD does not have high impact movements.

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Amazon product description:
Kick start your fitness goal by BURNING TO THE BEAT!

This walk workout gives you the speed you need to get started on your goal of getting fit and boosting your calorie burn!

You’ll learn the easy way to increase your speed and intensity simply by increasing the BEAT of the music.

These walks are all designed around the beat of customized fitness music for a workout that can take you from a starter speed all the way to a SUPER WALKER speed.

Start with the EASY BEAT MILE. This 20-minute, 3 mph walk is the perfect pace to get you started on your fitness journey.

Then move to the BRISK BEAT MILE. This 15-minute, 4 mph walk is a pace that is brisk enough to give you a big burn!

And finally, try the SUPER BEAT MILE. This 12-minute, 5 mph walk will have you walking— and burning—more like a runner!

We are talking BURN… Calorie Burn… and this workout allows you to choose the right pace for you right now—whether that’s an easy burn, a brisk burn, a super burn or all three in a row!

You can buy it from Amazon here:

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Week 2/ Day 2 #BosuStrong #SweatPink 4 week challenge

Tuesday, 9/22:
We want to see you #dropitlikeasquat…on your BOSU or perhaps one leg?

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Bonus: It’s time for #treetuesday! Show us your best tree pose.

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Join BOSU and Sweat Pink for 4 strong weeks of BOSU fitness fun, starting on 9/14 and ending on 10/9!
DETAILS HERE:
http://empowermoms.net/2015/09/week-2-its-all-about-that-balance-bosustrong-challenge.html

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Week 2/ Day 1 #BosuStrong #SweatPink 4 week challenge

Monday, 9/21:
Happy Monday sweaties, this week we’re all about that balance. Let’s see you stand on one leg – ready, set, GO!

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Bonus: Y’all know we love to #jumpjoymonday! Show us your BEST jump shot.

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Join BOSU and Sweat Pink for 4 strong weeks of BOSU fitness fun, starting on 9/14 and ending on 10/9!
DETAILS HERE:
http://empowermoms.net/2015/09/week-2-its-all-about-that-balance-bosustrong-challenge.html

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Week 2/ Day 1 #BosuStrong #SweatPink 4 week challenge