Independence Day

Freedom Isn’t Free, But Freebies Are!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 7 Comments

If you were new to the United States of America and were given the test you needed to pass to get your U. S. citizenship, do you think you’d pass?

Something tells me I might not get exactly an A+ on that one. I wonder how many members of congress would pass. Oh, well…moving right along…

We can’t appreciate what we have if we don’t know what we have.

I love this quote from a 1988 speech by Ronald Reagan – “”America represents something universal in the human spirit. I received a letter not long ago from a man who said, ‘You can go to Japan to live, but you cannot become Japanese. You can go to France to live and not become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey, and you won’t become a German or a Turk.’ But then he added, ‘Anybody from any corner of the world can come to America to live and become an American.'”

You don’t have to be loyal to any political party to grasp how important it is to know what is and is not granted to you as a citizen and to appreciate those who have given their lives, their fortune and their sacred honor in order for their dream to be handed down to you.

Now, more than ever, we need to know what we have so we don’t lose what we have. I’ve often made this my July First Friday Freebie in honor of Independence Day and it’s because I want you to physically get your hands on what it means to live in the greatest country on earth – not the perfect, but still the greatest – and to be able to share what that means with others.

U. S. Constitution www.midweststoryteller.com

These pocket-sized U. S. Constitutions are perfect for keeping with you at all times. The book includes the Constitution, Amendments, the Declaration of Independence and list of the signers, an index, a list of significant dates and a page on “Celebrating the Constitution”. I’m including three copies as your freebie so that you can keep on and share the other two with those who need to know what’s granted to them inside these pages.

To enter to win the set of three U. S. Constitutions, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “America, you’re beautiful!”  You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, July 7th, 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.

News about my upcoming books, my Life with Smuffy, recipes, freebies, fun things to make you laugh, reviews, creative ideas and even thoughts for you from Phoebe June – they’re all here on the blog so click through the menu and be sure to share 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”.  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, July 7th, by leaving a comment which says, “America, you’re beautiful!” 

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.

Three Cheers for the Red, White & Winner!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 1 Comment

July’s Freebie winner has been drawn. Let’s see who won the free gift at Midwest Storyteller –

Freebie Winner Ruby www.midweststoryteller.com

Ruby from Boonville, Missouri!

Ruby commented on last Friday’s post, saying, “I love the USA!” That’s all she needed to do to put her name into the drawing for three free copies of the US Constitution. Smuffy showed up for duty, as always, and chose a name from all those who entered by making the comment. This time, he opted for the pointing method. He likes to keep things fresh.

You just never know what freebie you might find at Midwest Storyteller. Gifts have included cozy winter gloves, home decor, sets of handmade Valentines, wood burning art and more. Take a look at our “Freebies” page where you’ll see some of the other gifts subscribers have been winning.

This time, in keeping with the celebration of Independence Day, I thought it appropriate to offer these wonderful books which embody everything our nation is founded on. If you’re disappointed that you didn’t win or just want to be sure your family is grounded in this founding document that makes us free, just click here. Like almost everything else, it seems, U.S. Constitutions are available on Amazon at a great price.

To see the original freebie offer, click here.

Congratulations, Ruby!   I happen to know that Ruby has children and grandchildren to whom I’m sure she wants to pass on her love of country.

The next First Friday Freebie drawing will be on Friday, August 3, 2018. It pays to SUBSCRIBE! Freebie offers are for subscribers only.

Share this post with all your friends so they can SUSCRIBE and enter to win. A winner will be 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.

It pays to SUBSCRIBE!

And now, here are the Freebie Rules.

  • First Friday Freebies are available to SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. That means if you come to the post through social media or someone has emailed you a link to it and you haven’t become a subscriber yet, you’ll need to hop on over to the right sidebar and do that really quick.   If you are on a phone or tablet, the easiest way is to go to the “About Me” page. All it means to be a subscriber is that you’ll receive an email each time Midwest Storyteller has something new, which won’t likely be more than once or twice a week. It keeps you from missing out on all the fun and FREE STUFF! And, I’m not sharing your emails with anybody.
  • IMPORTANT: After subscribing, you MUST check your email to confirm the subscription or it will not appear. Then, sadly, you won’t be eligible to enter.
  • To enter the drawing, scroll back up to the top of this post and under the title, click on “Leave a Comment”. Subscribers who comment as directed before midnight on the first Friday of the month will enter the drawing, provided they are already on the subscribers list and live within the continental United States.
  • Follow these three simple steps and subscribe now. Then, you’ll be ready for August.
  • .“Share”, “like” and “pin” this post! You’re friends will want to enter to win, too!  Have an opinion on the Freebies? Leave a comment! If you’re on your computer, scroll back up under the title of this post and let me know what you’re thinking. On various devices, you may find “Leave a Comment” at the bottom of the post.

The Land of the Free (and the Freebies)!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 10 Comments

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July and I hope that somewhere along the way, somebody called it Independence Day!

It’s so easy to fall into the habit of asking, “What are you doing on ‘the 4th?'” Every month has one, after all. I hope you truly celebrated the birthday of our nation with the kiddies, the grand-kiddos, the cousins, in-laws and others that you love.

It’s difficult to ignore at our house, as the USA shares its birthday with Smuffy. Yes, I’ve got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart and he’s my Yankee Doodle joy. I think Smuffy must have been nearly twelve years old by the time he realized the whole nation wasn’t having one big wing-ding all on his account.

When I married Smuffy, I had to get used to the fact that we would be up close and personal with fireworks. I’m still not, shall we say, “at my ease” until the whole thing’s over.  As I’ve said before, his guardian angels (and there must be a squadron) have to take care of things while I look the other way and hum the national anthem. Check out a prime example of his escapades here.

This year, once again, we give thanks that we all have all our fingers and toes and have survived celebrating the fact that we live in the finest nation on earth. Now, we can turn our attention to July’s First Friday Freebie!

As I pondered an appropriate gift for you this month, I kept coming back to love of country and the things that make us great. The thing that came to mind, first and foremost, was –

US Constitution www.midweststoryteller.com

The U. S. Constitution

Nobody’s perfect. Nothing this side of Heaven is perfect. But the U.S. Constitution is as near to a perfect document as has ever been crafted by humans (and, I believe, with Divine Guidance).

Most of us studied it in school, but, let’s face it – we did it to pass the dreaded Constitution Test, not because we were overly fascinated by it.

I’d love to send you these three copies of the U.S. Constitution –

Constitution Freebie www.midweststoryteller.com

Isn’t it about time you gave this little booklet another read? Look around the world at all those other countries – don’t you wish they had our freedoms? If nothing else makes it onto your summer reading list, make it this little forty page book.  The United States Congress has designated September 17th of each year as Constitution Day to commemorate its signing on that day in 1787.  Now your family can brush up on their “freedom knowledge” ahead of time!

There’s a copy for you, one for the kiddies (whether they be children or adults) and another for the grandkiddos or friends. If we do not teach the generations to value this precious document, we will lose it!

To enter to win all three copies, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I love the USA!”

SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!

Previous freebies can be found on the “Freebies” page. Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.

Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight by leaving a comment which says, “I love the USA!”

And now, here are the complete rules:

First Friday Freebies are available to SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. That means if you have come to this post through social media or someone has emailed you a link to it and you haven’t become a subscriber yet, you’ll need to hop on over to the right sidebar and do that really quick. If you are on a phone or tablet, the easiest way is to go to the “About Me” page. All it means to be a subscriber is that you’ll receive an email each time Midwest Storyteller has something new, which won’t likely be more than once or twice a week. It keeps you from missing out on all the fun and FREE STUFF! And, I’m not sharing your emails with anybody.

IMPORTANT: After subscribing, you MUST check your email to confirm the subscription or it will not appear. Then, sadly, you won’t be eligible to enter.

To enter the drawing, scroll back up to the top of this post (or all the way to the bottom, depending on your device) and click on “Leave a Comment”. Subscribers who comment as directed before midnight on Friday will enter the drawing, provided they are already on the subscribers list and live within the continental United States.

Three simple steps!

What are you waiting for? Go! Go! Go! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, July 6th!