This may seem a little late, but our First Friday Freebie winner has been a bit under the weather. Now that she’s feeling better, she was able to send me a photo. Let’s meet –
Vikki from Boonville, Missouri!
Congratulations, Vikki! I know the symbolism in this freebie means a lot to you and that you will find a great place for it in your home or office.
Vikki’s name was drawn at random after she commented on the freebie post as directed in the post. I do have to ask you to go to a tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention. Vikki is a repeat winner for that very reason – she is paying attention!
Don’t think you’re too far away to enter. I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S.
As long as you’re an email subscriber, you can comment as directed on my post on the first Friday of each month. That is all any subscriber needs to do to enter to win. If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Vikki won here.
If you’re reading this and haven’t become an email subscriber yet, please do that today. Hopefully, my freebies, not to mention the stories, recipes and other great content, have enticed you to do that.
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
Computers, tablets, smartphones – they each give this blog a different appearance, but you can easily find the subscription area in the menu under “CONTACT”. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.
Again, comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies enable me to reach more people. I need you to help me share all the fun with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
Coming up on April 5th, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Subscribers, be ready to enter to win on Friday, April 5th, 2024.
I have tulips blooming all up and down my front walk. This is always a special time because I feel like it makes my house look happy after the long, drab winter. It may be my favorite part of spring. It’s less than two weeks till planting time where we live. What are your spring gardening plans? Leave a comment and tell me about the happiest place in your yard!
If you live where there are four seasons (and in the Northern Hemisphere), the month of March brings hope, warmth in spurts and newness of life. To add to all this, it also brings a First Friday Freebie!
Spring, unless this is just some sort of teaser, seems to be arriving early this year. Celebrating the Passover and Resurrection will also arrive early this year, so I’m not waiting to offer this Freebie until April. Let’s take a look.
This wooden cross wall hanging is a Hobby Lobby find and I love the three-dimensional look. It measures approximately 14” X 7.5” including the bead tassel at the bottom. Smaller wooden beads also cross in the center over the cut-out area. If you have a wall that is wallpapered or painted in a happy color, this decoration will really make things pop. The tassel, cut-out and 1” depth of the piece creates shadow and movement.
To enter to win the beaded cross, all you need to do is hum a tune and “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I Will Cling to the Old Rugged Cross!” You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, March 1st, 2024.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
If you are new to Midwest Storyteller and haven’t subscribed, you’ll need to do that before entering to win. Head to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can fill in your email address and then watch for your confirmation email.
No one will get to enjoy all the great things here on the blog unless you share it with your friends and family through all your social media, so if you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to share and if you save things on Pinterest like I do, hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, March 1st, by leaving a comment which says, “I Will Cling to the Old Rugged Cross!”
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
This month, if you are a believer, it is time to turn the eyes of your heart toward Calvary, tune the ears of your spirit to the Voice of the One who loves you most and set your feet on a path to share the Good News with someone who might be waiting to hear it.
You don’t have to be a believer to enjoy the humor, stories, reviews, creative ideas and recipes here on the blog, but I do share from my heart and unashamedly let you know who I am at times. God has blessed me and my family immeasurably and this glorious season is the most special and holy time of the year for us.
The month of love is about to expire, but gloriously it will be replaced by the month of spring! Before it’s gone, let’s meet the First Friday Freebie winner.
Ruby from Boonville, Missouri!
Congratulations, Ruby! You’re a repeat winner and that is because you always remember to enter to win. I hope you enjoy this bit of shelf décor that not only was great for the month of love but also for styling your home with a Resurrection theme or for any time of the year.
Ruby’s name was drawn at random after she commented on the freebie post as directed in the post. I do have to ask you to go to a tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
Don’t think you’re too far away to enter. I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S.
As long as you’re an email subscriber, you can comment as directed on my post on the first Friday of each month. That is all any subscriber needs to do to enter to win. If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Ruby won here.
If you’re reading this and haven’t become an email subscriber yet, please do that today. Hopefully, my freebies, not to mention the stories, recipes and other great content, have enticed you to do that.
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
Computers, tablets, smartphones – they each give this blog a different appearance, but you can easily find the subscription area in the menu under “CONTACT”. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.
Again, comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies enable me to reach more people. I need you to help me share all the fun with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
Coming up on March 1st, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Subscribers, be ready to enter to win on Friday, March 1st, 2024.
We’re emerging from a cold snap here and if the meteorologists aren’t messing with us, we’re heading into some glorious days as March rolls in, so I am hoping that the old saying that should it come in like a lamb it will go out like a lion is just a bunch of hooey. I just love it when spring feels like spring!
I’ve been spending every spare moment (hear me chuckle at the idea of one of those) editing the first novel in my series so that I can get it back to the publisher. This is so they can get it back to me and I can get it back to them and they can get it out to you. What could be simpler?
Much has been going on with our household lately and I find myself dealing with a greater degree of stress than I’d prefer. As I’ve often let you know, I’m a great fan of P. G. Wodehouse. No, make that an absolute addict. He is my literary idol. Although I do read many other books, I daresay that if you found yourself in a wager and had to guess what might be found on this writer’s nightstand at any given moment, it would be a Wodehouse. It would likely be one I’ve already read multiple times. His brand of humor just makes my day and since laughter is the best medicine I turn to him especially in times of stress. To enter his wonderful world of enjoyable characters and bathe myself in his ability to turn a phrase washes the day’s troubles away and gives me a reset.
Smuffy has an author who does the same for him. He’s able to re-align and de-stress within the pages of Gladys Taber. That might seem out of character for Smuffy, but if you’ve followed him on my Life with Smuffy page, surely you’ll be able to see how a writer who moves into a centuries-old New England farmhouse and chronicles her existence in a place where nothing much every really happens would be a stress-reducer for someone who manages to find himself in as many scrapes as Smuffy does.
Not too long ago, a dear friend of mine who also loves to read old books introduced me to Miss Read and I’ve had time now to read a couple of her books. I find delightful peace within the pages. I’ve just finished “Thrush Green”. It’s a short read and melts the world away.
As I’ve been acclimating myself to the publishing world for the last several years, I am so often told that the modern reader craves instant action, strong characters, twisting plots and, if at all possible, some kind of bomb going off on page two of the manuscript. I’m not opposed to it. In fact, my novel series will make you laugh, make you cry and yank you around in spots. I find, however, that as a lover of old books, I don’t always need that. Sometimes I just need a peaceful escape.
If you’d like to take a break from your stress, I’d recommend a visit to the quiet English village in “Thrush Green”. The story, set in the 1950’s, takes place on the first day of May as a one-day fair comes to delight most of the townspeople and aggravate a few of them. In that 24 hours, you’ll meet the trusted old doctor and his possible replacement. You’ll fill with hope for the girl with the broken heart and cheer on two young lovers as they navigate the hurdles that others place between them. You’ll discover who the scoundrel is and pat the hero on the back and give a few sighs of sadness at the thought that you may be witnessing the end of an era for this quaint village.
All this, yes, as the stress of your own life eases away. What better way to call it a day than to take a vacation to such a place before dropping off to sleep?
So, while you must wait a bit longer to get your hands on my own page-turner, you can check out Miss Read and start with “Thrush Green”, the first in her “Thrush Green” series.
You can find many of the books by this author at great prices here at Thrift Books. I find their deal of free shipping with at fifteen dollar purchase a great buy – just pick up two or three titles at once. And, as always, it’s here on Amazon.
Spring is so revitalizing and healthy for us in body, mind and spirit, but it isn’t quite here yet. Use these remaining chilly days to get in some relaxing reads.
What have you been reading lately? Leave a comment and share a book or books that soothe your soul!
I may need some soothing tomorrow. While we enjoyed 82 degrees today, it will dip to 22 degrees tonight and will fight its way to a mere 40 degrees tomorrow and my calendar says that I’m not allowed to stay in and keep cozy. This is where I live, folks!
Subscribe to my blog if you haven’t already. That’s where all my announcements will be concerning the release of my novel series coming soon!
The focus in February is always on love. Rather than grumble because it gets commercialized, why not be grateful for the reminder? You don’t have to have a “significant other” in order to feel the love or share the love. Look around. Someone in your life needs to feel special and know that you care.
I’d love to make all my readers feel special, but, alas, as there is only one First Friday Freebie, I’ll have to make do with one of you. Let’s take a look at it.
This cross makes a statement about the One who is love. While it will fit in nicely with all your reds and pinks if you decorate for Valentine’s Day, it’s green-on-white color scheme will take you right on into spring and celebrating the Resurrection which, by the way, falls early this year in March. The metal wording gives texture and shine. It measures approximate 8” X 5” and does not have a hanger on the back. However, it is an inch in depth so it is meant to be a shelf sitter without tipping over. I thought many of you would enjoy this great Hobby Lobby find.
To enter to win the Love Cross, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Send me the love!” You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, February 2nd, 2023.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
If you are new to Midwest Storyteller and haven’t subscribed, you’ll need to do that before entering to win. Head to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can fill in your email address and then watch for your confirmation email.
No one will get to enjoy all the great things here on the blog unless you share it with your friends and family through all your social media, so if you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to share and if you save things on Pinterest like I do, hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, February 2nd, by leaving a comment which says, “Send me the love!”
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
One of the great things about a February is that even if you don’t care to keep it for yourself, you can spread the love by presenting it as a thoughtful Valentine to someone you care about. You can be that person who lets them know they are special just when they might be needing to hear it.
Speaking of love, you know I love Smuffy. Have you read each and every episode of my “Life With Smuffy”? I love and sharing those with all of you and filling your lives with joy and laughter.
I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle CoachI do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.
I had some excitement today and I couldn’t wait to share it with you!
For the back story, I had a birthday several days ago and Pookie asked me what kind of cake or other dessert I’d like to have, but stipulated that since the restaurant they were taking me to for my birthday dinner wouldn’t allow us to bring in our own dessert, we would have to have a separate little birthday celebration just for that. Well, I’m all for celebrating twice so that was fine with me. Then, as is the way with things, stuff happened and then more stuff happened and Birthday 2.0 seemed to get bumped and bumped and bumped some more and I finally received my delicious treat today.
What did I request, you ask? As you may know, I don’t eat the SAD (standard American diet) stuff. I know, I know, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I ate something hideously bad for me on my birthday, but I’ve learned that it’s not worth it. It makes me feel rotten (now that I know what it’s like to feel good all the time) and then there are additional portions of it in the house for days. After flipping through various Trim Healthy recipes, I suddenly remembered exactly what I wanted and told Pookie to make me the Cake of Wonders.
This recipe, from page 37 of the Trim Healthy Indulgence cookbook seemed to be the talk of social media, the podcast and all over the Trim Healthy community ever since the cookbook came out but I just hadn’t gotten around to making it.
I’m giving it an absolute 5-Star review. Even though Pookie didn’t give it a topping of chocolate drizzle and an arrangement of fresh berries on top as shown in the photo in the cookbook, I don’t see how the taste and texture could be any better. Esther Allison hit the ball out of the park with this recipe. This is fit to serve at any wedding. It is that good!
Yes, I am a Trim Healthy Certified Coach, but no, I am not a retailer of their products. When I recommend this cookbook and this recipe, I am not gaining anything from it but your smiles and happy tummies.
Also, the pie crust recipe in that book is out of this world. I think I’m going to bake one sometime and just eat it by itself! That’s how good it smells while it’s baking. Right now, Esther’s Peanut Butter Cup Cake is featured as a free recipe on the website, so be sure to print that out.
If you do need support in your journey to better health and weight loss, blood sugar control, hormonal balance, etc., head to the Contact page or my Food Freedom pages on Facebook and Mewe and let me know. I’ll give you all the info on group sessions which I conduct locally in person as well as details on private coaching in person or by phone. Share with friends and let’s see how many are ready to get Trim & Healthy!
The Trim Healthy Mama Plan is a great way to boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and certainly to lose weight safely and sustainably if you need to do that. I know that many people want to steer away from the standard American diet because they know it’s taking a toll on their health, but they just don’t know how to be happy doing it. That’s what I teach.
If you’ve tried Esther’s Cake of Wonders, leave a comment and let me know how you liked it. I’m curious – what is your favorite dessert that you’d miss most if you decided to adopt a healthy eating lifestyle?
And (sigh), as is the way of things, I didn’t get to share my cake with Lil’ Snookie today. More stuff happened. But you know what that means? It means I’ll freeze slabs of it between slips of waxed paper and then we’ll have Birthday 3.0 in a few days. I know how to manage this birthday thing.
It’s time to meet 2024’s first First Friday Freebie winner.
She’s local, so I got to deliver her gift to her in person at a luncheon we were both attending.
Let’s meet –
Carol from Boonville, Missouri!
Congratulations, Carol! I hope you enjoy the bracelet set and find all sorts of ways to wear it, either all five pieces at once, one at a time or in various combinations. Carol told me she has an upcoming special event that will be just the right time to accessorize with these pretty bracelets.
Carol had her name drawn after she commented on the freebie post as directed in the post. I do have to make it just a little tricky each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
You don’t have to be in my neck of the woods like Carol to be a winner. I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S.
As long as you’re an email subscriber, you can comment as directed on my post on the first Friday of each month. That is all any subscriber needs to do to enter to win. If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Carol won here.
If you’re reading this and haven’t become an email subscriber yet, please do that today. Hopefully, my freebies, not to mention the stories, recipes and other great content, have enticed you to do that.
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
Computers, tablets, smartphones – they each give this blog a different appearance, but you can easily find the subscription area in the menu under “CONTACT”. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.
Comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies enable me to reach more people. I need you to help me share all the fun with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
Coming up on February 2nd, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Subscribers, be ready to enter to win on Friday, February 2nd, 2024.
We’re heading not only for the next Freebie, but for the month of love. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to trade snowflakes in for red and pink hearts. January around here was difficult to love in certain spots. If you’re needing a mid-winter boost, try this quick read: The Underused Four-letter Word.
And so it goes on – winter. The cold and snow can keep you homebound. Gray skies, when they don’t get the memo that enough is enough, can make you gloomy. Christmas is over and sparkly decorations are put away. Every other week it seems some new strain of crud is going around and doing its best to cancel events or make you wish they were canceled.
Then, those post-holiday bills arrive to remind us once again that next year the spending limit ought to be reduced. Boosted by this bit of cheer, you hop online and print out your tax forms. Since you haven’t filled them out yet, you try to bask in a little ray of sunshine with the optimistic thought that perhaps, this time, Uncle Sam may have caught on to the idea that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Around here, Smuffy has always been the one to see the glass as half empty while I typically view it as half-full. I have to admit, though, that gray days spent with tax forms can take their toll on me. Sometimes, you just need a reminder or a little jolt to alter your outlook. I got one last week.
As is my habit, I watched the Trim Healthy Podcast (affectionately referred to by us THMers as “The Poddy”) on YouTube. Sometimes it’s full of rock-solid science to boost your health and well-being. Sometimes, it’s full of rabbit trails that provide the silliness that you may be lacking in your life and sometimes it provides a level of encouragement that will rock your world.
I love it when there’s science behind encouraging things! Near the beginning of the podcast, Serene shared that studies have shown that in order to create a synapse in the brain where you know a thing – really know it and you’re not going to forget it – it takes 400 repetitions of the information. However, if you are laughing and playing while learning it, the process only requires 12 repetitions! P-L-A-Y is the four-letter word that can change everything. They went on to share many ways their mom incorporated play and ways they feel like they’ve lost their sense of play and want to get it back again.
Just think of it – how many times did you labor over those multiplication tables until they finally got in your head, but then heard some silly TV theme song around that same age only a handful of times, yet you can still sing it word-for-word today? Are you maybe just a bit too grown up for your own good?
Why do you consider cleaning house or preparing meals for your family some type of drudgery when, as a child, you had hours and hours of fun with a toy cooking set and thought it was great when you got your own little broom and dustpan for Christmas or birthday. I think of our Lil’ Snookie and his love affair with all things lawn care. His excitement over toy mowers, leaf blowers and weed eaters knows no bounds and his mommy and daddy will be delighted if this attitude continues for many more years!
Smuffy and I discussed the podcast and agreed that we needed to tackle all the everyday stuff with an attitude of fun and play. It takes a little effort at times. He’s been having his share of issues lately that all seem to revolve around vehicles needing repair and I am in the middle of edits on the first novel in my upcoming series. We’re trying to remind each other that we’re having fun.
Some days you succeed. Some days you don’t. After a mad search through a cupboard the other day that resulted in what sounded like three quarters of the contents landing on the floor, he finally found what he’d been looking for, but looked a bit out of sorts when he came into the room where I sat. I tried to remind him that not only did he find it, but he had fun looking for it. He promptly informed me that he did not have fun looking for it. But we did laugh.
Famous industrial engineer and efficiency expert, Frank Bunker Gilbreath, always thought of innovative ways to help his twelve children learn. The family always rented the same big, old lighthouse for summer vacations and no one really cared whether it was kept pristine. He would write all over the walls in Morse code and tell his children to figure out what the messages said. He would likely have been a frustrated teacher if he had not written such things as, “The candy bar is in the top left desk drawer.” In no time at all his children were challenging themselves to learn the code because they never knew what fun or prize might be in store.
Lil’ Snookie’s presence is a great reminder for us to P-L-A-Y! You can see in the top photo that he’s excited about putting on the apron over his jammies and fixing food for everybody! Give him a watering can and he’ll do his best, even if in reality he’s about a thousand cans short. The middle photo was more of a safari (apologies for quality as I snapped it through the porch screen). He asked if he could go out in the yard because he wanted to find a big stick and look for a lizard hole, after which he would insert the stick and then bend down over the hole and shout, “Hallooooo!” Someday, he may consider that to be frustrating or fruitless, especially if the lizard doesn’t answer, but right now, it’s P-L-A-Y!
I’ve learned to approach cooking healthy meals for my family with a sense of learning, adventure and play. It has made all the difference! Now, I just need to find out how to play with these tax forms.
If it’s snowy, make snow angels or at least watch someone else doing it. Put out some cute decorations for winter or Valentine’s Day, or start making homemade Valentines now. If the day is gloomy, try new soup recipes, play games with the kiddos or watch a funny movie. Call a friend who’s recovering from the crud and spread some cheer. Challenge yourself to cranking out those tax forms with some fun reward when it’s all over.
It’s time for my First Friday Freebie, of course, and I confess I nearly forgot it. Maybe this one will serve as a reminder to both you and me to stop and smell the roses this year.
As I like to say every year here on the blog, I’m in protest about the timing of celebrating the new year. Even though we are having a mild winter so far here in the Midwest (though I may have to scold the meteorologists concerning their loose talk in reference to next Tuesday), I am generally not in favor of having winter at all. Aside from not wanting to deny Lil’ Snookie the joy of building a snowman and throwing himself into the stuff to make angels, I could skip the whole thing. I think we’d all feel so much better if we could run around shouting “Happy New Year” around the third week in March when spring actually arrives, but one of you is going to have to be the one to bring this to the attention of the proper authorities. I’m too busy with edits.
I can, however, have my say in regards to the First Friday Freebie, so here it is!
This set of five bracelets will bring sparkle and shine to your dull winter days. It’s by Trelu Accessories and is great Factory Connection find. All the bracelets are stretch-to-fit and can be worn separately, mix ‘n match or all together. Since all of them are neutral, they’ll go with any of your outfits and work for all seasons.
To enter to win the bracelet set, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Brighten my new year!” You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, January 5th, 2024.
And fellas – you can enter also and gift this to your favorite lady!
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
Haven’t subscribed yet? You’ll need to do that before entering to win. Head to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can fill in your email address and then watch for your confirmation email.
Be sure to share my blog with friends and family through all your social media. They’ll never know about it unless you do. If you save things on Pinterest like I do, hover over the photo and “pin it”. Hey! The world needs to know. People have enough news every day to drag them down. Give them something smile about.
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, January 5th, by leaving a comment which says, “Brighten my new year!”
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
Enjoy the season. Play out in the snow if you can. Stay warm and cozy. Read books. One of these days, you’ll be reading mine!
Greetings in this Bright New Year and all my hopes and prayers that yours is one to remember for all the right reasons.
I’ve been overwhelmed lately, as I’m sure many of you have been over the holidays. Add to that some (well, lots) of attention that needed to be given to the publishing of my upcoming novel series and some other exciting things that have to do with the future of my book series and I feel I can safely say that I’m what they officially call frazzled. There’s been no time for chatting with you here recently and that has made me sad. We can, at least, find out who won December’s “surprise” First Friday Freebie.
Let’s meet –
Francine from Boonville, Missouri!
Congratulations, Francine! I hope you enjoy and made good use of my hand-made projects. The reason this had to remain a surprise is because I wasn’t finished with them when the First Friday Freebie offer was posted. I told you I was frazzled.
Francine received her First Friday Freebie in plenty of time to put it to good use for its intended purpose. I’m always itching to up-cycle something and when I have time, I pull out the craft supplies and my stash of “saved up stuff” and start making things. This year, Lil’ Snookie and I made lots of homemade Christmas cards, using the pretty fronts I’d saved from cards over the years and adding his creative Nativity artwork (or as he called it, “a barn with statues”) inside along with a Christmas blessing. Having plenty of cards left over, I decided to decorate gift bags! Many of the cards had flocking, lots of glitter or sparkle or metallic enhancements even before I added my own touches.
Each bag has its individual Christmas card on the front which I embellished with crystals and metallic ink. I inserted coordinating tissue and added one of my handmade tags which I also embellished the crystals and metallic ink. After being pleased with my own bags, I decided that a set of five would make a great gift for one of my readers.
I do send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t let your location keep you from entering to win. It seems that though I have many subscribers and followers, a relatively small percentage enter to win. That makes your odds fantastic!
Francine had her name drawn after she commented on the freebie post as directed in the post. I do have to make it just a little tricky each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
You can comment as directed on my post on the first Friday of the month also. That is all any subscriber needs to do to enter to win. If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out here on my Freebies! page.
You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Francine won here.
If you’re reading this and haven’t become an email subscriber yet, please do that today. Hopefully, my freebies, not to mention the stories, recipes and other great content, have enticed you to do that.
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
Computers, tablets, smartphones – they each give this blog a different appearance, but you can easily find the subscription area in the menu under “CONTACT”. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.
Comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies help me reach more people. I need you to help me share all the fun with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
Coming up on January 5th, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Subscribers, be ready to enter to win on Friday, January 5th, 2024.
I hope you are beginning this year with bright hopes and high expectations. After all, is there any benefit in going about it any other way?
