Factory Connection

December’s Freebie Winner AT LAST!

~ Midwest Storyteller

Do you ever feel blah in that space in time following Christmas and New Year’s Celebrations?  Does it seem sometimes that nothing bright and cheery is happening until Valentine’s Day or maybe even till spring? 

Well, we had a Christmas we won’t be forgetting anytime soon!  It can all be revealed in an upcoming post, but the super-short version is that I came within a gnat’s eyelash of losing my beloved Smuffy and Christmas didn’t get celebrated until weeks later.  New Year’s is a blur and Lil’ Snookie and I even ended up having our birthday parties together because of all the “stuff of life”.  The bright side is that I’ve still got my Smuffy, he’s miraculously his old self and has provided me with fabulous fodder for the ultimate non-fiction story and if it all hadn’t happened and shaken up our world, I’d have never gotten to have a Baby Shark birthday party.

The frenzy of holiday preparations had me a little behind in announcing my First Friday Freebie winner and then when the stuff happened, it flew out of my mind like one of those snake-in-a-tube prank gifts.

Anyhow, let’s re-wind the holidays and make life festive again. Meet December’s winner  –

Eva from New Franklin, Missouri!

Freebie Winner Eva www.midweststoryteller.com

Congratulations, Eva!

This girl has a smile that will cheer you up no matter how gloomy the weather.  Perhaps it’s because she can now offer up cheesy goodness in style.

Eva is shown here with the black and white cheese server and spreader.  She has the option of removing the black ribbon and replacing it with a seasonal one for a Valentine party or spring event.   It’s a great find from Factory Connection. .  If you’d like to see past winners and their gifts check it out here on my Freebies! page.

You can see the original freebie offer here. 

If you’re not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller they might entice you to become one – First Friday Freebies are for email subscribers only.

NOTE:  If you enjoy entering to win, please make sure you subscribe with an email you intend to keep and will likely be checking the week after the drawings.  This is my only means of letting winners know they’ve won and so if your email isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!

Look for the subscription area.  It’s easy to find on the “CONTACT” page and after subscribing, confirm your subscription when the confirmation email arrives in your inbox.  If you’ve done that and not received a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”. 

Subscribing is the best way to avoid missing what’s new here on the blog because you’ll 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 who may not have heard about this blog and we wouldn’t want to deprive anyone of a good Smuffy story, would we?  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.  Smuffy is spoken for, but his stories are free.  Does it get any better than this?

Next up:  January’s First Friday Freebie winner because not only am I playing catch-up, but the winner was under the weather and…Oh, well, you get the idea.   Hello, “Normal”, I’d like to make a reservation for 2022…”

Then, February’s here so that means that this coming Friday, there is yet another Freebie!     You’ll see a photo of the Freebie and you can enter to win at any point all day that day.  Don’t forget to check the email that you used to subscribe for notification that you’ve won.

A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing. 

ONCE AGAIN (because you tend to forget):  Pay attention to the email issue mentioned above.  Check your email often in the week following the drawing to keep your prize from being offered to someone else.  Perhaps a reminder in the good ‘ole smartphone would help.

Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.

These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on Friday, February 4th, 2022.

Freebie, It’s Cold Outside!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 9 Comments

To be exact, it is a whopping nine degrees Fahrenheit outside as I type this, making my January First Friday Freebie seem like the wisest choice ever!  Let’s take a look.

I have friends who don’t wear scarves.  They just don’t like them.  I’ll bet they’re wearing them today or wishing they had one.  This big, beautiful scarf by Justin and Taylor is buttery soft and will stop those single-digit winds from whistling around your neck.

The soft gray and blush tones keep the feeling neutral so it will go with many of your outfits and coats.  The colors are separated into the four quadrants of this oversized scarf and as you can see from the photo, it looks like a plaid when arranged just right. On second thought, perhaps you can’t see, as I’ve had some issues getting the colors to show up as they really are. It is definitely as gray as it is blush, so you’ll just have to trust me on this one. Made of 100% polyester, it’s a great find from Factory Connection. 

To enter to win the  blush and gray oversized scarf, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Storyteller, it’s cold outside!” You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, January 7, 2022.

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.

First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so you’ll want to subscribe over on the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so.

I hope you get excited about winning freebies and share them and my blog stories with your friends and family through all your social media. If you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to 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, January 7th, by leaving a comment which says, “Storyteller, it’s cold outside!”.

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.

Subscribe and confirm right now before you forget!

With this first First Friday Freebie of the new year comes all my prayers and best wishes that you have a 2022 that is blessed, healthy and happy.

A Holiday Festive Freebie!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 8 Comments

‘Tis the season.  As we turn our hearts toward the celebration of the coming of our Messiah, the festivities and preparation for them begins.  However and whatever you may be celebrating between now and the end of the year, I’m thinking there is a good deal of food involved.

Various treats tempt us during the holidays and many of them are sweet.  High on the list, however, is a category all its own – cheesy goodness.

We’re cheese lovers at our house.  We attributed much of the overstock to Pookie over the years, but after she married and left us to start her own home, we soon discovered that we still could barely get the refrigerator cheese drawer shut.

This time of the year, whether we grab a ready-made at the grocery store or make a favorite family version, we yearn for a cheese ball.  At get-togethers, I confess to often thinking as I make my way toward the heavy-laden buffet, “Is there a cheese ball?”

Cheesy Goodness Serving Set www.midweststoryteller.com

December’s First Friday Freebie will help you serve yours up in style.  This black and white cheese server and spreader are just so cute!  It’s neutral colors will go with any of your décor and whether your other serve-ware is farmhouse, modern or somewhere else on the design spectrum, it just “goes”.  You have the option of removing the black ribbon and replacing it with a seasonal one, whether it’s for the holidays, a birthday party, New Year’s Eve or your spring fling. It’s a great find from Factory Connection. 

To enter to win the Cheesy Goodness serving set, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I need cheesy goodness in my life!” You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, December 3rd, 2021.

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.

First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so you’ll want to subscribe over on the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so.

I hope you get excited about winning freebies and share them and my blog stories with your friends and family through all your social media. If you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to 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, December 3rd, by leaving a comment which says, “I need cheesy goodness in my life!”.

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.

Subscribe and confirm right now before you forget!

Perhaps a nice cheese ball will get you into the holiday mood if your weather is not feeling Christmas-like. It’s been warm and wonderful here.  If you’re in the Midwest, you know it’s bound to change soon, so enjoy your Christmas shopping and other preparations while you can and have a blessed Christmas season from start to finish.

Meet November’s Freebie Winner!

~ Midwest Storyteller

Have you ever had one of those weird experiences when you are trying to give something away and it seems like it isn’t meant to be?

As you may have read in my last post, the October freebie winner had a change in email which set off a series of delays in getting the gift to its destination.  Then, in November a winner was notified who also had a change in email and I am sorry to say, she lost out on receiving her First Friday Freebie because I had no other means of contact with her other than the email she used to subscribe.  Then, (do these things come in threes?) when I had to re-draw a name from those who entered, the new winner also had a changed email and did not respond!  I did, however, find another means of contact and she has, at last, been united with her First Friday Freebie.

Meet November’s eventual winner  –

Heather from Prairie Home, Missouri!

Congratulations, Heather!

I was so excited that my freebie found a home that I threw in a bonus gift.

In addition to the cozy scarf in the original First Friday Freebie offer, Heather received the leather earrings you see pictured with her in the photo.  Heather is a first-time winner.  If you’d like to see past winners and their gifts check it out here on my Freebies! page.

The scarf and the earrings are both Factory Connection finds and you can see the original freebie offer here. 

If you’re not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller they might entice you to become one – First Friday Freebies are for email subscribers only.

NOTE:  If you enjoy entering to win, please make sure you subscribe with an email you intend to keep and will likely be checking the week after the drawings.  This is my only means of letting winners know they’ve won and so if your email isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!

Look for the subscription area.  It’s easy to find on the “CONTACT” page and after subscribing, confirm your subscription when the confirmation email arrives in your inbox.  If you’ve done that and not received a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”. 

Subscribing is the best way to avoid missing what’s new here on the blog because you’ll 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 who may not have heard about this blog and we wouldn’t want to deprive anyone of a good Smuffy story, would we?  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.  Smuffy is spoken for, but his stories are free.  Does it get any better than this?

Coming soon:  December’s First Friday Freebie – that takes place on Friday, December 3rd.   You’ll see a photo of the Freebie and you can enter to win at any point all day that day.  Don’t forget to check the email that you used to subscribe for notification that you’ve won.

A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing. 

ONCE AGAIN (because you tend to forget):  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.  Perhaps a reminder in the good ‘ole smartphone would help.

Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.

These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on Friday, December 3rd, 2021. 

Next up recipes to please and smiles to add to your Christmas cheer!  

Belated Freebie Announcement:  Better Late Than Never!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 2 Comments

Stuff happens.  And if you’ve been keeping up here, you know that it’s been happening in my kitchen.  We’re nearing completion, but at the time when I should have been announcing the October First Friday Freebie winner, it was really happening!  Then, there was an email glitch and the winner didn’t get notified in a timely manner and I didn’t get it mailed out in a timely manner.  I also didn’t get the announcement made.  I’m starting to think that time has no manners.

Anyhow, give a belated cheer to October’s winner  –

Jean from Hurricane, Utah!

Congratulations, Jean!

It is news to me that they have hurricanes in Utah, but maybe Jean could give us some history behind that name in the comments.

I love interesting town names.  Once, in high school, my best friend and I got hold of an old zip code directory and found ourselves in fits of hysterical laughter as we perused the pages.  I must do that again sometime on some gloomy day when I need a lift.

Jean won the pretty necklace you see her wearing in the photo and she agrees with me that it is much prettier than it appears in photos.  Jean has won a First Friday Freebie in the past, so check out all the past winners and their gifts here on my Freebies! page.

The necklace was a Factory Connection find and you can see the original freebie offer here. 

If you’re not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller they might entice you to become one – First Friday Freebies are for email subscribers only.

NOTE:  If you enjoy entering to win, please make sure you subscribe with an email you intend to keep and will likely be checking the week after the drawings.  This is my only means of letting winners know they’ve won and so if your email isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!

Look for the subscription area.  It’s easy to find on the “CONTACT” page and after subscribing, confirm your subscription when the confirmation email arrives in your inbox.  If you’ve done that and not received a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”. 

Subscribing is the best way to avoid missing what’s new here on the blog because you’ll 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 with my stories, recipes and more.  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.  Are you catching on this is a free thing?

Coming soon:  December’s First Friday Freebie – that takes place on Friday, December 3rd.   You’ll see a photo of the Freebie and you can enter to win at any point all day that day.  Don’t forget to check the email that you used to subscribe for notification that you’ve won.

A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing. 

ONCE AGAIN (because you tend to forget):  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.

Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.

These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on Friday, December 3rd, 2021. 

Next up:  November’s winner – in a more timely manner.  

A Cozy Freebie – ROUND 2!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 7 Comments

The nip is in the air, the colored leaves blanket my yard, the air has that certain crispness and the urge is there to grab a jacket and stroll hand-in-hand with the one I love.  So, Smuffy patted me on the shoulder the other night and said, “Maybe next year.”  Folks, I’m telling you, this kitchen remodel must end soon.  This is why things have gone awry here on the blog and again, I give my apologies.  Better days are ahead, but right now, life’s a blur of small finishing details. 

Yesterday, I found myself weaving around a ladder in the kitchen, trying to gather things together for my Trim Healthy Mama class and answer Smuffy’s questions about the appropriate distance between open shelving, trying to explain to Phoebe June that despite the presence of three of her humans in the vicinity of her dish she had already had a snack and listening to Lil’ Snookie’s request for “Puh-SHOPSH Cimmin” (applesauce with cinnamon if you’re twenty-two months old).  It will be a sad day when he actually learns how to pronounce applesauce, because I get the giggles every time he asks for it.

About that time there came a dim realization, forming in the spaghetti-like mass in the frontal lobe that I had arrived upon the eve of November’s First Friday Freebie and still am in possession of the Freebie that remains homeless!

As stated in the First Friday Freebie rules, the winner will be notified via the email used to subscribe.  It’s vital when you enter to win that you check that same email regularly in the week or two following the drawing to see if you’ve won.  October’s winner was “Julie”.  I emailed Julie, but have received no response, so I am going to put the freebie back into circulation again since I don’t know who Julie is. 

Julie, if you’re out there, I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but since I have no other means to contact you, it’s time to re-draw for the free gift.

So, here we go, let’s take a look at that First Friday Freebie again.  I’m going to throw in a surprise bonus gift along with it to make things extra special for November.

Fall Tan and Cream Scarf www.midweststoryteller.com

This beautiful scarf by Capelli New York will look great with all your fall fashion with its tan and soft white tones.  It’s 100% acrylic, very soft and is hand washable.  Including the fringe, it measures approximately 72” X 5.5”, so it’s long enough to loop and tie in all sorts of fun ways or wrap around your neck twice on those extra frigid days.

It was a great find at my local Factory Connection, where I often find fun fashion and great home décor at good prices.

To enter to win the Capelli New York scarf, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Keep me cozy again, Midwest Storyteller!” You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, November 5th, 2021.

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.

First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so you’ll want to subscribe over on the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so.

I hope you get excited about winning freebies and share them and my blog stories with your friends and family through all your social media. If you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to 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, November 5th, by leaving a comment which says, “Keep me cozy again, Midwest Storyteller”.   Remember, there’s an extra surprise included!

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here. 

Why not subscribe and confirm right now before you forget?

If you’re somewhere where the snow is already flying – better you than me.  If you’re somewhere where you’re basking in sunny warmth – enjoy every minute.  If you’re here in the Midwest like me – make the best of your daily surprises and during this season of Thanksgiving, give the Good Lord your gratitude!

A Freebie to Keep You Cozy!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 8 Comments

I’d feel just a bit silly if I didn’t know full well that things are about to change.  This is the Midwest, after all, and we’ve been known to have a fifty to seventy degree variance in temperature within a twenty-four hour period.  Still, as I sit here with the windows open and the ceiling fan in my office circulating the eighty degree air, the October First Friday Freebie seems entirely uncalled for! 

You’ll be ready for that nip in the air when it arrives, or maybe it already has in your neck of the woods. 

This beautiful scarf by Capelli New York will look great with all your fall fashion with its tan and soft white tones.  It’s 100% acrylic, very soft and is hand washable.  Including the fringe, it measures approximately 72” X 5.5”, so it’s long enough to loop and tie in all sorts of fun ways or wrap around your neck twice on those extra frigid days.

It was a great find at my local Factory Connection, where I often find fun fashion and great home décor at good prices.

To enter to win the Capelli New York scarf, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Keep me cozy, Midwest Storyteller!” You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, October 1st, 2021.

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.

First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so you’ll want to subscribe over on the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so.

I hope you get excited about winning freebies and share them and my blog stories with your friends and family through all your social media. If you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to 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, October 1st, by leaving a comment which says, “Keep me cozy, Midwest Storyteller”. 

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here. 

Why not subscribe and confirm right now before you forget?

October is like May – you just can’t get enough of either one.  Enjoy each crisp and colorful day!

This Freebie Brings Bling!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 8 Comments

The sounds of autumn are coming through the open windows of my office as I type this and I marvel that I find it a pleasant sound when it is actually a multitude of the insect host singing whatever it is they sing to each other this time of year.  God bless the one who invented window screens.  The sound does signal the end of heat and humidity and that’s a good thing. 

It’s almost three more weeks until the season changes officially, but you’re right on time for the September First Friday Freebie!  Let’s take a look.

Once at a ladies’ function, we played a “getting to know you” game where we had to jot down on a piece of paper “two things you love and one thing you hate” and toss the paper into the bowl.  When the bowl makes a second pass around the room, someone else draws your paper and tries to guess who may have dropped this list into the bowl.  I remember that when I played this, one of the things I jotted down that I loved was jewelry.  I do love a bit of bling.  I could so keep this freebie, but it’s all yours.

This pretty necklace by Accessory Connection is a long one.  It has an adjustable chain section that extends from 32” to 35”.  The “Y” section at the bottom adds an additional 2.5”.  This makes it great to throw on over all your great fall sweaters and tops.  Double chains of both black and gold (not visible in the photo) meet up with the beaded section which has iridescent beads in black, pale amber and a color I can’t decide whether it is a smoky blue or a smoky purple.  A small stone in the “Y” section hovers above a teardrop pendant that I’d describe as a golden caramel color. 

I took several photos trying to get the colors to appear as they do in reality, but the bottom pendant seemed to look washed out in every single one.  Anyhow, it’s prettier than the photo.

Factory Connection is a great store to find cute jewelry and other accessories along with some fashion clothing.  I don’t get there often, but when I do I often find great prices on items like this freebie.  Check out their website here for locations near you.

To enter to win the beaded necklace, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying “Bring me some bling!”.  You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, September 3rd, 2021.

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.

First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so you’ll want to subscribe over on the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so.

I hope you get excited about winning freebies and share them and my blog stories with your friends and family through all your social media. If you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to 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, September 3rd by leaving a comment which says, “Bring me some bling!” 

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here. 

Why not subscribe and confirm right now before you forget?

While you’re waiting to find out if you’re the winner, you’ll love a good Smuffy story – the most popular thing on my blog. Our Smokin’ Hot Honeymoon is a great place to start.

May your windows be open, may your hair un-frizz and may you sniff the first hints of fall!