Today’s the day! Find an extra special way to tell those you love how much they mean to you today.
I have to admit that every once in a while, when the stuff of life overwhelms me, I question whether or there is room in my world for this blog. Then, snippets of readers’ comments start floating to the forefront of my mind and I realize I may not be the only one enjoying myself here. Whether here on the blog or in line at the check-out, you’re letting me know that you’ve tried that recipe or that your eyes have been opened to a whole new side of Smuffy or that you think Phoebe June is as much of an adorable character as I do.
To date, (other than episodes of “Life with Smuffy” – and who can resist those tell-alls – and the best soup recipe I ever invented) the post that has gotten the most views and shares is one about love – a tribute to my wonderful mom. Missing someone as much as I miss her is a great reminder to show people you love them while they’re still here.
Have a big, fat, chocolaty, lace-covered, huggy, kissy day filled with mush!
Life is good. It’s short. It flies by fast. It’s meant to be shared and love is all that matters.
“If I speak in the tones of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing…It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” -I Corinthians 13:1-3,7,8,13, The Holy Bible
I don’t know about you, but that seems to make Valentine’s Day worth celebrating!
We all need a little fun and games in the middle of winter, don’t we?
It’s First Friday
Freebie Day and I’ve decided to make this month’s freebie a surprise. Valentine’s Day is on the way and I love my
readers! My token of love for you is
either inside box Number 1 or Box Number 2.
It’s a little like “Let’s Make A Deal”, only you have nothing to lose and you don’t even have to dress up like you’re ready for the asylum. Although, should you prefer to do so, please send a photo – that would make this so much more fun!
Truthfully, my
idea stems from the fact that could not force myself to decide between two
freebies that I have for you. I decided
to escape from my decision-making dilemma by letting you decide.
All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, saying either “I’d LOVE Freebie #1” or “I’d LOVE Freebie #2”. All appropriate comments will be entered into the drawing and Smuffy will do the honors. Should you be the freebie winner, you’ll get the surprise gift you chose! (If you haven’t gotten to know Smuffy yet, he has his own page here on the blog.)
You’ll need to do
that before midnight TONIGHT, February 7th, 2020!
Remember: Comments on Facebook an Instagram are
excluded. You must be an email
subscriber to Midwest Storyteller and your comment must be made on this blog
post.
Important: Once you’ve entered, you MUST check the email
address you used to subscribe or you may not know you’ve won and have to
forfeit your free gift.
My Freebies last
for one day only – on the First Friday of each month. Tell your friends and family TODAY through
social media, send them the link in an email or just tell them, “It’s Freebie
Day!”
Leave your comment
now before you forget!
First Friday Freebies
are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. You’ll
find a subscription area in the right sidebar or you can use the menu to
navigate to the “Contact” page and subscribe to Midwest Storyteller
if you haven’t done so already. Confirming your subscription through the
confirmation email you’ll receive is absolutely necessary, so don’t forget
that!
The Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest icons on this page are there to help you
share.
Want to see past winners and their gifts? Check out my “Freebies”page.
TO RE-CAP: A winner will be chosen at random from those
subscribers who enter before midnight tonight by leaving a comment which
says either, “I’d LOVE Freebie #1” or “I’d LOVE Freebie #2”
I send Freebies to any winner who lives within the continental United States. For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, CLICK HERE.
Glitches
happen. If you subscribe and do not
receive a confirmation email for some reason, please email me and let me know
at barb@midweststoryteller.com
Are you ready for
Valentine’s Day? I’d love it if you’d
share some thoughtful and inexpensive ways you’ve shown someone that you
treasure them, so leave a comment and give us all some great ideas. People need a little love, you know!
[NOTE: It is my understanding that there is a weight loss plan out there using the phrase “food freedom” in promotion. Unaware of this, I chose the name “Food Freedom with Coach Barb”. The two are in no way connected. Just providing clarity for my readers.]
I’ve been looking
forward to making this announcement and sharing my journey with you. If you’ve been with me from the beginning,
you know that health is a top priority in my life. I have shared part of my health story here on
the blog, and though some of it is scary, I really haven’t told the whole story.
Years ago (I’m thrilled to say) a cancer diagnosis played a part. If you’d like to catch up on that part of my life, you can read about it here and here.
There are things more difficult to endure than a cancer diagnosis and its subsequent surgery and treatments. Stage 3 (I’m talkin’ in the pits, folks) Adrenal Fatigue is one of them and I can honestly say that a couple of times during that awful phase I found myself fearful of not making it through the night.
When I talk to
people who seem to care little about taking care of themselves, I sometimes
find myself thinking (not sarcastically), “Well, maybe you just haven’t been
sick enough yet.” I have.
Now back to chemotherapy. I knew then, but have really come to understand since, what a hormone disrupter that is – as if we women needed another one – right? As I sat in the chemo room trying not to watch the drip, I’d hear the other women talking about how much weight they’d gained during chemo. Frightening tales of up to forty-five pounds had me shaking in my blue vinyl recliner!
I didn’t gain
forty-five pounds, but I did gain fifteen – the fifteen that would not budge –
the fifteen that kept trying to turn into twenty.
I’m tall, but
small boned, and excess weight on my body hurts. It pulls me down. Because of my height, no one really regarded
me as “fat” because I gained it all from the waist down. This whole new world of walking past a loaf
of bread and gaining five pounds was foreign and frightening territory. I’d spent my whole life eating whatever I
wanted and not gaining an ounce.
I joined that group that measures everything and counts “points”. I stuck to it for years. It worked – twice, in fact. Still, at the root of the matter was the fact that I love food. I may have left the farm, but I took my farm-girl appetite with me, if you know what I mean. I want seconds – possibly thirds. I eat. The portion control police were after me all day long and in the long run, my blood work showed that the plan did me no favors.
When adrenal fatigue showed up and my holistic doctor advised me to give up sugar and grains, my family (the supportive little darlings) told me I couldn’t do it. After all, they did know me as the Bread & Pasta Queen. I did do it. I lost a few pounds, too! Then it began to creep back on again. Was there no end?
Then, a couple of years ago, a friend of mine started losing weight. What struck me most was the fact that she seemed deliriously happy doing it. Normally, the first thing a dieter loses is their sense of humor. She’d bring food to gatherings that tasted SO YUMMY and she’d lost over thirty pounds! When I asked about the recipe, she’d name off a string of ingredients that fit my doctor’s recommendations to the letter. So, why was she dropping pounds while I couldn’t wait to get home and get the too-tight jeans off?
That’s when she told me about Trim Healthy Mama. Later, I borrowed her THM book and tip-toed in. It all made such logical sense and avoided extremes. It didn’t take away food groups. It simply showed me how to stop duel-fueling my body with fats and carbohydrates at the same time and how to feed my body what all those hormones needed so I could not only walk past the bread, but stop and sniff it and even have a slice!
After a year of baby-stepping and learning how the plan was ideal not only for weight loss, but for those who wanted great cancer prevention like I did, but is ideal for people with diabetes, insulin resistance, cardiac and any number of other issues, I bought the books, including cookbooks and jumped in.
The first recipe I tried in my “Trim Healthy Table” cookbook was Creamy Garlic Spinach Spaghetti Squash Bake. Oh, my goodness! If I could eat like this and trim down, I was in! Smuffy gave it the thumbs up, too.
Today, I have the troublesome weight off. (Actually, I think I may go ahead and drop another three to four pounds.) I feel great and this may be my biggest announcement of all today – I’m eating! I eat seconds. I eat thirds. I try to avoid out-and-out calorie abuse, but I don’t measure my portions. I eat butter! Repeat after me – B U T T E R! I pour olive oil on my salad and top it with cheese and nuts. I eat carbs. I was made for fats and carbs and am so thankful THM has shown me how to eat them in a trimming way. It’s so sensible and safe that pregnant and nursing moms can feel free to jump right in! And guys, just call yourself a Trim Healthy Papa (or Dude) because this plan works for you, too.
Knowing that I could be of help to so many others, I decided to become a certified coach through Trim Healthy Mama. I’ll be sharing lots of recipes and information here on the blog and should you need more, I offer group and private coaching, cooking demonstrations and more.
For pricing and discounts, including your first session of coaching absolutely free, plus available discounts, click here.
If your church
group, homeschool group or organization is located in my area, I would be happy
to speak to people who are ready to find food freedom, get their health back
and if they need to lose the weight – get trim!
Trim Healthy Mama originated when two moms (originally from Down Under and now in the hills of Tennessee) found themselves DONE with diets. These sisters wrote a book for their friends that became a best-seller because the simple science and healthy guidelines worked for so many people. They now have the #1 health podcast out there, plus books, curriculum and their own line of healthy food and other things that will make your body better!
Meet Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison in this short video where you’ll learn a little more about THM.
That’s my big announcement! Coming up, I’ll be sharing healthy recipes
and providing notations concerning recipes that have already appeared on the
blog and whether or not they fit the Trim Healthy Mama plan. I’ll be making recommendations from THM
recipes and providing lots of information on my new Food Freedom Facebook page
where I’ll share THM knowledge, recipes, tips and all sorts of other
goodies. Please “like” and “follow” at https://www.facebook.com/Food-Freedom-THM-Certified-Lifestyle-Coaching-100703354727086/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Most of all, Happy Eating!
How’s your New Year’s Resolution coming along? Was it, once again, to either lose weight or eat healthier? Why do you think you fail? I’d love to hear your comments!
It’s been cold outside! If you live in the Midwest, you knew that already. I hate it when those single digits shrink my thermometer like this. Come to think of it, I don’t care for it when it falls below 70 degrees, but here we are and that’s how it goes.
January’s First Friday Freebie winner is prepared. Let’s meet –
Ruby
from Boonville, Missouri
You’ve met Ruby
before. She consistently enters to win
on the first Friday of each month and it’s paying off!
Congratulations, Ruby, on winning the eco-friendly green collar scarf by Life is Beautiful. When opened up (like a tube), it slips on over your head and forms a warm fringed collar that can be worn over a top, sweater or coat.
Ruby’s
a subscriber and that is Step 1 in entering to win First Friday Freebies here
on my blog. The only other thing you’ll
need to do is check your email for the post on the First Friday of the month
and comment as directed in the post.
It’s a quick read, but you’ll need to take the time to do that. Otherwise, you won’t know how to comment “as directed” and you may forfeit your
entry.
Freebies
are my way of reaching out to more folks who might enjoy the various stories,
recipes and more here at Midwest Storyteller.
When you share with all your friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free. How do I do it – month after month…?
Freebies happen every month. My Freebies pagefeatures past winners and the free gifts they’ve won.
February’s drawing will take place on Friday,
February 7th.
A
winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on
the day of the drawing by leaving a comment as instructed in the post.
REMEMBER: Should your name be drawn as the winner, you
will be notified via the email you used to subscribe. That means you’ll need to check your email
often in the week following the drawing so that you can respond and keep the
prize from being offered to someone else.
Be sure to take a moment make yourself familiar with the Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
These
four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on Friday February 7th,
2020.
Leave a comment! If you’ve won one of my Freebies in the past, why not let me know how you liked it and whether you kept the little goodie to yourself or gifted it to someone special.
Perhaps you’ve been wondering if Midwest Storyteller has fallen off a cliff or something – but no, what I have been doing is falling in love.
I’ve been a little too preoccupied to think about blogging for the last few weeks because we’ve started off the new year oh, so right!
This 9 pound, 9 ounce bundle of love managed to squeak in at the tail end of 2019, leaving Smuffy and me changed forever. We can’t get enough of staring at that fresh, sweet face and twiddling those precious fingers and toes. And the squeaky little noises and the smiles – don’t be telling us that’s just gas – every one is meant just for us.
We’re new at this grand-parenting thing, but we’re convinced that we’ll have no trouble falling into the groove. This boy is a miracle and his mommy and daddy are amazing us with the the natural way they take to parenting. We knew they had it in them all along!
Look for more at Midwest Storyteller in the days ahead – just as soon as I can tear myself away from the nuzzling and the head kissing.
If your 2020 is as blessed as mine, your world is going to be fabulous!
May you be blessed in each and every day that lies ahead!
I cannot even express how the first Friday of January has sneaked up behind me and caught me off guard! Somehow, though, in the middle of the holiday bustle and other life changes going on all around me, I did manage to remember that not only did I have a First Friday Freebie for you – I actually remembered to offer it to you today!
I’ll be having
some announcements to make soon, but not today – it’s Freebie Day!
Before we get to January’s Freebie, let’s take a look back. December is always a rush and I believe the
postal service, in their busiest time of the year, was a little late in getting
the Freebie to its new home. I’m sorry I
don’t have a photo to post as usual, but I do want to announce that December’s
Freebie, the embroidered oven mitt and potholder set, went all the way to –
Tamara in Lexington,
South Carolina!
Congratulations Tamara and I really appreciated your sweet note of
thanks. I hope you enjoy your First
Friday Freebie!
January is upon us and so is the cold. Actually, it’s been rather pleasant here lately, but I’ve lived here all my life and I know how this works. When January toys with you, offering you a few days of spring-like weather, it’s merely gearing up for the next round of torture. It’s bound to hit soon and when it does, you’ll be glad you have January’s First Friday Freebie.
This eco-friendly green collar scarf by Life is Beautiful appears at first glance, to be the world’s shortest scarf, but as you see in the photo, when folded in the opposite direction, becomes a warm fringed collar that you can slip on over a coat or jacket to keep the winter chill from whistling down your neck and at the same time, keep long scarf “tails” from getting in your way. Green, many times, becomes a neutral because it coordinates with so many other colors, so it will go with many of your coats and jackets. Or, how about wearing it indoors? As shown in the photo, it’s a great way to spiff up a plain pullover.
No matter how I tried to adjust the photos, the color just doesn’t show to be as pretty of a color as the scarf actually is. In reality, the green is “happier”.
To win the fringed
green collar scarf, all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post
saying, “Warm me up, Midwest Storyteller!”
You’ll need to do
that before midnight TONIGHT, January 3rd, 2020!
Important: Once you’ve entered, you MUST keep checking
the email address you used to subscribe or you may not know you’ve won and have
to forfeit your free gift. Also,
remember that this particular comment must be made here on the blog post and
not on Facebook or other social media sites.
My Freebies last
for one day only – on the First Friday of each month. Tell your friends and family TODAY through
social media, send them the link in an email or just tell them, “It’s Freebie
Day!”
Leave your comment
now before you forget!
First Friday
Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.
You’ll find a subscription area in the right sidebar or you can use the
menu to navigate to the “Contact” page and subscribe to Midwest
Storyteller if you haven’t done so already. Confirming your subscription
through the confirmation email you’ll receive is absolutely necessary, so don’t
forget that!
The Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest icons on this page are there to help you
share.
Past gifts and their happy winners are on my “Freebies” page.
Remember, a winner
will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight
by leaving a comment which says, “Warm me up, Midwest Storyteller!”
I send Freebies to any winner who lives within the continental United States. For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, CLICK HERE.
Glitches
happen. If you subscribe and do not
receive a confirmation email for some reason, please email me and let me know
at barb@midweststoryteller.com
Have a bright and
happy 2020 with and may your year be blessed beyond anything you can ask or
imagine!
Merry Christmas from Phoebe June, Smuffy & the Storyteller!
As you revel in Christmas fun or perhaps even struggle with “stuff” this season (you know the stuff), we hope your search for joy brings you to Bethlehem and the real reason we celebrate – Jesus, our Messiah!
READERS TAKE NOTE: Although I am a THM Certified Lifestyle Coach, not every recipe on this blog fits the THM plan This is an earlier post, BEFORE my THM days. I’m currently working on adapting some of these recipes to fit the plan.
Some Christmas traditions date back generations and for some, we have completely lost touch with their origins. We celebrate them “just because”.
Each one, however, had to have started somewhere, somehow and by somebody and on that day it was brand new. Everyone gathered around and some perhaps rejected it or gave it a try just to be agreeable and somehow it caught on.
Christmas morning will soon be here and I wanted to share our breakfast tradition with you.
Several years ago, I searched allrecipes.com for a recipe using cardamom because I’d bought the spice for another recipe and it was a little pricey and I wasn’t about to throw it away. I just didn’t know what else to do with it. Well, now I do!
This is a bread machine recipe that originally called for making one long braided bread rope. The aroma and the flavor of the cardamom in the bread was unlike anything we’d ever had before and I found myself looking for excuses to make it again. Later, as my cogs turned (they often do that), it occurred to me that if I divided the dough in half, I could braid each into two smaller “wreaths” and if topped with colored sugar sprinkles rather than just plain, I’d have a masterpiece. Now, I not only make them for us, but for others as gifts each Christmas and they are a hit. Several people tell me that they also have them as their breakfast on Christmas morning. One friend told me that she ate the entire thing on her way home in the car!
I’m telling you – these bread wreaths are fabulous! Now we can’t imagine Christmas without them. Those of you who follow my recipes know that I pretty much stay away from sugar. This recipe, when divided in half as I do to make the wreaths, has only 1/6 cup of sugar in the entire bread wreath and, Hey! It’s Christmas! I lost count this year, but I think I made around sixteen of these.
This recipe would make a great addition to your New Year’s celebration as well and when made as the original recipe directs, a wonderful tradition to begin for your family’s Resurrection Day festivities.
It can’t be done without the cardamom, but this bread makes that pricey little spice worth every penny!
Merry Christmas and may you and yours find time over the holidays to make at least one batch of this recipe: Bread Machine Swedish Coffee Bread. Note: When dividing the dough in half to make two wreaths, you will only need to bake them for 15 minutes in a convection oven, or 20 minutes in a regular oven.
I’d love to hear some of your tradition foods or activities for the holiday season, so please leave a comment!
It’s Christmas Eve and they coming – or you’re going – and then, suddenly, you find out that you’ve forgotten someone. Or, perhaps you’ve just discovered that So-and-So is coming after all. Yikes!
It truly is last minute. I’ve simply had no time for blogging lately, but I did want to share this great idea in case you need a little something extra to give.
So, run to the storage room and grab a small jar you’ve kept for no good reason other than that you just knew it would be ideal for something someday. Dash back to the kitchen now and grab a mixing bowl and spatula, because we’re making –
Homemade Peppermint Sugar Scrub!
You’ll find complete instructions here in my post about making the lavender coconut version, along with some tips and reasons why sugar scrubs are a wonderful addition to the bath.
However, since the effort to make this takes less time than it does to read that post and I know you’re in a rush, here’s a quick how-to on this falling-off-a-log gift for friends and family. You’ll probably have the ingredients on hand.
To a medium mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup softened or melted extra virgin coconut oil. With a spatula, stir in 2 cups of regular granulated sugar. Add about five drops of green food coloring and ten drops of peppermint essential oil. (I use therapeutic grade, since we are applying it to the skin.) Stir well to mix in the color and oil.
Oh, my goodness, I hope you’re not too exhausted to spoon this into your jars! The number of gifts you create will depend on the size of your little jars. With the jars I used, as pictured in the photo, I was able to fill four of them with one recipe. Small jelly jars work great and since they go to different people, a mix ‘n match batch of jars is just fine.
Now, grab a length of ribbon or twine and tie on a tag such as the ones I made that let the recipient know that they are “MINT” to have a Merry Christmas. If you don’t have time or don’t know how to make nifty tags like this on the computer, a hand-written tag is even more personal.
There you go! Have a very Merry Christmas and all my wishes that this idea has come to the rescue for at least one of you!
Gotta rush – there are still gifts to wrap at my house! Why don’t I have a recipe for that?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been baking cookies! Lots of cookies! By the time I get through the Christmas season, my kitchen needs a little help. Of course, if you’ve been keeping up with Smuffy’s kitchen makeover, you know mine needs a lot of help!
The smallest thing can add a bright spot during the holidays, so I think you’ll really enjoy December’s Freebie.
This oven mitt and potholder set will liven up your kitchen. Who wants to have people over for a festive gathering and show them all the potholders and mitts you’ve wrecked and scorched in the days and weeks leading up to the event? This set from “Handmade Holiday” was a great find at joann.com
I’ve really fallen for all the bright plaids that are on trend right now and this red tartan set is beautiful with its embroidered wish for a “Merry Christmas”! I suppose you could use it as a gift for someone else, but – awww…go on! Keep it!
I find so many great things at Joann. They offer great Doorbuster sales, wonderful coupons and are often times willing to combine them. For those of you who think they are just a store for crafters or those who sew, you might want to check out their great selection of home decor.
To win the Tartan
Plaid Oven Mitt & Potholder Set, all you have to do is leave a comment on
this blog post saying, “Merry Christmas, Midwest Storyteller!”
You’ll need to do
that before midnight TONIGHT, December 6th, 2019!
Important: Once you’ve entered, you MUST keep checking
the email address you used to subscribe or you may not know you’ve won and have
to forfeit your free gift. Also,
remember that this particular comment must be made here on the blog post and
not on Facebook or other social media sites.
My Freebies always
happen on the First Friday of each month and last for one day only. Spread the word to your friends and family
TODAY through social media, send them the link in an email or just tell them, “It’s
Freebie Day!”
Make your way to
the comment section now before you forget!
‘Tis the season, Dear Readers, for having so much on your plate that you
begin to forget everything.
First Friday
Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.
You’ll find a subscription area in the right sidebar or you can use the
menu to navigate to the “Contact” page and subscribe to Midwest
Storyteller if you haven’t done so already. Confirming your subscription
through the confirmation email you’ll receive is absolutely necessary, so don’t
forget that!
The Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest icons on this page are there to help you
share.
Past gifts and their happy winners are on my “Freebies”page.
Remember, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight by leaving a comment which says, “Merry Christmas, Midwest Storyteller!” That’s one way to get your Christmas greetings – right? The greatest gift you can send my way is to share Midwest Storyteller with all your family and friends. It really makes a difference in my unseen cyber-world.
I send Freebies to any winner who lives within the continental United States. For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, CLICK HERE.
Glitches
happen. If you subscribe and do not
receive a confirmation email for some reason, please email me and let me know
at barb@midweststoryteller.com
I wish each of you a blessed Christmas filled with family and friends. I’m with George Bailey – it truly is a wonderful life when you focus on what matters most. If you’re out of touch and don’t know who George Bailey is, I’ve just given you a great start on watching Christmas movies!
