Fall Decor

Meet October’s Freebie Winner!

~ Midwest Storyteller

It’s time to see who won the most recent First Friday Freebie.  I promise I got it to her in plenty of time for decorating throughout the month, even if I am slow in posting this.

Let’s meet –

Freebie Winner Shirley www.midweststoryteller.com

Shirley from Boonville, Missouri!

Congratulations, Shirley!  This was my “two-fer”, so I hope you enjoy them both.

Shirley is a repeat winner.  She’s learned to enter every single month and that it pays off.  Remember that I do send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t be shy.  I seem to have many more subscribers than those who enter to win.

Shirley 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 Shirley won here. 

Not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller?  Hopefully, my freebies, not to mention the stories, recipes and other great content, will entice you to become one – freebies are for email subscribers only.

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, Twitter, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also.  Subscribing is free.  Freebies are free. 

Just a shameless plug here.  When my soon to be released novel comes out (the first in a three part series), it won’t be free.  Well…perhaps one special copy might just pop up as a First Friday Freebie?  We’ll see!

Coming up on November 3rd, 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, November 3rd, 2023.

Enjoy the glories of autumn.  Like the First Friday Freebie, it is fleeting – it’s not here to stay. 

It’s an October Two-fer and It’s Free!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 4 Comments

I couldn’t resist.  My favorite season is spring, but my favorite season to decorate for is fall! So, when I found myself choosing a First Friday Freebie for you, I couldn’t make up my mind.  Take advantage of my indecision today because I got both!

Let’s take a look at them.

Fall Decor Give-a-Way www.midweststoryteller.com

The slatted wall hanging on the left measures 13.5” X 9” (not counting the twine hanger) and invites your guests to “Gather Here with Warm Hearts”.  The metal section adds some sparkle and shine against the rest of the rustic wooden slats which are all connected with twine, enabling the whole thing to collapse accordion-style for storage.  This is great if you have limited space as I do.  On the right you’ll see “Leaves are falling – autumn is calling” on a 6” square wooden box that can either perch on a shelf as it is 1.5” deep or hang on the wall.

When I say I was undecided, I really mean it.  I started out with three items and ended up falling in love with one and keeping it for myself. Just true confessions here.

To enter to win the “October Two-fer” wall décor, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Make mine a double, please!”  You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, October 6th, 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.

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.

If you’ve missed my recent post, you’ll want to visit my Food Freedom page and get the recipe for “Lime Sillies” which only takes seconds to make.

ANNOUNCING: The September First Friday Freebie went to Ruth in St. Louis, Missouri! Ruth didn’t have a way of getting a photo to me, so if you’d like to see what she won, check it out here.  Congratulations, Ruth!  I hope this finds a great spot on your wall during “sweater weather”. 

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, October 6th, by leaving a comment which says, “Make mine a double, please!” 

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.

We’ve been doing a few things to beautify our porch and also screening it in.  We’re thinking we may not see much of Phoebe June when she finds out she can get out there and glory in the fresh autumn air.  You get out and do the same and remember – October is a gift!

Welcome September and Sweater Weather!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 5 Comments

We have arrived.  It’s “relief month” here in the sweltering Midwest.  September means that there is a chance that perhaps even half of the days this month won’t be those that enable you to fry an egg on the sidewalk in less than a minute.  A few of them may even leave your hair without the frizzies.  One or two might even get you out of your flip-flops. Today it is a certainty that you can enter to win my First Friday Freebie.

Let’s take a look at it.

Sweater Weather Wall Hanging www.midweststoryteller.com

I’m a believer in positive confessions, so join me in announcing “Sweater Weather” even if it hasn’t actually made itself felt yet.  This round wooden declaration of crisp days to come measures just under 8 inches in diameter.  The white inset is metal with cutout lettering and leafy embellishments.  It’s just the thing to prop on an easel, tuck into a shelf or hang on the wall using the attached metal hanger or even its twine extender.  This is just one of Hobby Lobby’s great fall items.

This time, instead of just getting one for you and wishing I had one just like it, I went ahead and bought an extra for myself.  Now I’ll have no regrets when this one leaves my house for yours! 

To enter to win the “Sweater Weather” wall décor, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I can’t wait for sweater weather!”  You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, September 1st, 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.

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.

If you’ve missed my recent post, don’t forget to check out the results of Smuffy’s kitchen remodel!  We are both glad to have the bulk of that ordeal behind us and I can’t wait for you to see how my design and all Smuffy’s hard work turned out! 

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, Septemer 1st, by leaving a comment which says, “I can’t wait for sweater weather!” 

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.

Enjoy every bit of pleasant weather coming your way.  I know I’m going to try.  Life for me will fluctuate between getting outdoors to enjoy these days and closeting myself to do final edits on my novel series.  More news on that in the days ahead!

Freebies Return for Fall!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 6 Comments

Just the little flip of the calendar from August to September makes you want to sniff the air for the scent of pumpkin “something”.  We’re actually trying not to sniff too hard right now around our house because our great outdoors is not so great.  “Something” is out there.  We don’t know what it is or where it is, but we do know it’s dead.  I have been informed by Lil’ Snookie that he “smell sumping.  I don’t like it.”  We may have to diffuse pumpkin spice scent all over our back yard pretty soon. 

Now that I’ve gone unpleasantly off-topic, let’s get back to Freebies.  Last month’s first Friday fell victim to circumstances.  The internet went off, the router suffered the same fate as that mysterious carcass (blessedly without the stench) and Lil’ Snookie didn’t allow me the hours I needed to sort the whole thing out in time to post the First Friday Freebie.  Again – my apologies.

I’m here to help you get back in the mood with this bit of cute décor –

Autumn Acres Sign www.midweststoryteller.com

This Autumn Acres sign will direct people straight to your pumpkin patch.  It measures 6” X 4” so it’s small enough to tuck into a shelf or prop on an easel on your desk or counter.  It does have an attached twine to hang it on the wall as well.  Does it matter that you may not be offering apple cider, hay rides and hot cocoa to your guests?  Of course not – we can all pretend. 

This was a great find at Hobby Lobby and I hope you enjoy it. 

To enter to win the Autumn Acres sign, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Bring on the autumn days!”  We’re ready for them here in the Midwest – it’s been a long, hot summer.  You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, September 2nd, 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 enjoy 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 2nd, by leaving a comment which says, “Bring on the autumn days!” 

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.

Oh that we could spend each and every glorious day ahead just taking walks and enjoying lower temperatures and humidity.  Smuffy is building a porch and I have many irons in the fire as well but we plan to snatch every pleasant moment ahead before winter sets in.  I hope you can, too.