Midwest Storyteller

Feasting the Trim Healthy Way:  A Thanksgiving Menu

~ Midwest Storyteller

When I first started to really eat healthy, like many other people, one of my thoughts was “What in the world am I going to eat on Thanksgiving and Christmas?”  It’s all “frankenfood” – or haven’t you noticed?

At first, I just considered it a time to splurge and I knew I had the grit and determination to get back on track afterward.  After a year or two of that, I realized it wasn’t worth it.  I felt horrible after those meals!

These last few years, I’ve developed a plan that enables me to indulge in all the yummy foods without feeling the least bit deprived on the holidays.  Deprived is something I have no intention of being.  I am a volume eater and I can really put the stuff away!

Now, as a THM Certified Lifestyle Coach, I knew my clients needed to be able to do the same.  Most of them have never been through an entire holiday season during which they needed to try to stay on plan. 

That’s why we’ve been focusing lately on how to put together a fabulous Thanksgiving meal that won’t raise your blood sugar, mess with your hormones or negatively affect your health in any way.  We all acknowledge that it is a day of feasting and there may be a level of calorie intake that doesn’t occur during average daily living, but that doesn’t mean the ingredients have to be destructive to our health.  Also, in THM eating, “crossover” (XO) meals might not help with weight loss, but they are definitely on plan and after all – it’s a feast!

Some of the recipes I’ll be mentioning here are from the Trim Healthy Mama cookbooks.  They are such a valuable resource even for those of you who may not be interested in losing weight or doing the plan, but who are interested in fabulous and simple recipes for real families living real lives who want to be healthier.  You can find them here or you can also check with your public library or places such as eBay and maybe catch a bargain.  I use all three of their cookbooks all the time, so this has proven to be a great investment.

NOTE:  The Trim Healthy Mama site is down as I am typing this due to the mad rush caused by their Cyber Monday sale, so please be patient.

In my weekly Food Freedom group sessions, we’ve been focusing on the countdown to Thanksgiving by demonstrating and taste-testing a different recipe each week leading up to the big event.  Here’s the menu that my class taste-tested and agreed would let them feast while staying on plan.

THM Pumpkin Silk Pie www.midweststoryteller.com

Trim Healthy Thanksgiving Menu

Grandma’s Secret Turkey Recipe:  Trim Healthy Mama Facebook page post of November 15, 2021

Coach Barb’s Stuffing-to-End-All-Stuffings:  Coming soon to Midwest Storyteller.

Mashed Fotatoes:  Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, page 219

Basic Gravy:  Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, page 483

Green Bean Casserole:  Trim Healthy Mama Facebook page post of November 1, 2021   There is also a slow-cooker verson in the post of November 21, 2021.

Macafoni & Cheese:  Trim Healthy Mama Facebook page post of October 29th, 2021

Pumpkin Silk Pie:   “Trim Healthy Table”, pages 410-411.

Pumpkin Muffins:  “Trim Healthy Future”, page 272 (Icing on page 372).

Let’s review each one:

Turkey:  That’s a given in most households at Thanksgiving and it’s a great healthy choice.  We’ve been brining the bird at our house for years and recently I noticed on the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook page that they have brining instructions that are very similar to what we are used to doing.  Scared of having a dry bird and ending up with a scene at the big dinner that resembles the one in the Christmas Vacation movie?  Brining is simple and totally prevents this disaster.  See the THM version here.

Coach Barb’s Stuffing-to-End-All Stuffings:  All I can say here is that I’m gonna try.  I have adapted my stuffing recipe to fit the THM plan as a crossover (XO) and I think it’s the best stuff ever.  There are two camps when it comes to stuffing and mine falls into the “throw-everything-in-there-but-the-kitchen-sink” category. Some folks are fall into the “brothy-bread-with-some-seasoning-and-you-might-need-a-spoon” category. I’ll try to get the recipe posted here before the big day.  If you’ve been eating healthy for a while, you know there will need to be some bread changes here from the type of stuffing you grew up with or the boxed version.

Mashed Fotatoes:   There are a lot of recipes out there that call for substituting cauliflower for those high-glycemic, carb-bomb taters we were all taught to eat, but this one is yummy.  It’s found on page 219 of “Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook”.  I make it exactly as directed.  The only tip I can offer here is to stick close during the cooking process and then get the cauliflower straight into a colander and toss well right away to get every last bit of water out.  That is the most important thing to remember.

Basic Gravy:  This gravy is delicious and it’s a Fuel Pull (FP) or can be made with pan drippings and/or heavy cream to make it even more delightful.  Doing this will, of course, swing it over into the “S” category, but hey!  It’s Thanksgiving!  Check it out on page 483 of “Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook”.

Green Bean Casserole:  This one recently popped up on the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook page and I couldn’t resist demonstrating it for my class.  It was a hit, so you can get the recipe from the THM Facebook page post of November 1, 2021 or use the slow-cooker version in the post on November 21, 2021.

Macafoni and Cheese:  I confess to not having tried this one yet, but it looks and sounds so yummy that it is on my list to make soon.  I also spotted it on the THM Facebook page post of October 29, 2021.

Pumpkin Silk Pie:  We were all so impressed at how decadent this simple pie is.  You can also make it into squares, but I tend to think of Thanksgiving as Pie Time, don’t you?  The crust, made with almond flour, is a mixture that goes from the food processor into the pan and is pressed into place with your fingers.  The filling goes into the blender, which takes the pumpkin from its usual fibrous texture into a smooth-as-silk delight.  I topped mine with homemade whipped cream by simply pouring the cream into the mixer, adding 1/8 Tablespoon of salt, a tablespoon or two of Gentle Sweet, a splash of vanilla extract and a tiny bit of freshly ground nutmeg and whipping on high speed.  I can’t say enough good things about this pie!  (see photo.) You’ll find it in “Trim Healthy Table” on pages 410-411.

Pumpkin Muffins:  If you absolutely don’t have enough time to make the pie for this special occasion, try this recipe on page 272 if “Trim Healthy Future”.  They are a super-simple dump ‘n stir type of recipe and the Cream Cheese Icing (with the Maple Burst flavoring added) on page 372 is the perfect crowning glory.  These are so easy and so yummy that I could seriously form an addiction to this healthy dessert and have to start hoarding cans of pumpkin.

If you need support in your journey to better health and/or weight loss, head to the Contact page and let me know.  I’ll give you all the info on group sessions which I conduct locally in person on a weekly basis.  Private coaching can be done 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 and we all need that right now, don’t we?  Leave a comment when you try these great recipes and tell me how you like them.

Offer up some extra thanks this season to the One who blesses us with all good things!

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!

Life with Smuffy (Special Episode – Part 7 of ?):  Playing “Let’s Make a Choice!”

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 3 Comments

I know what you’re going to say once you start reading this – “Aren’t those people ever gonna finish that kitchen?”

That, my dear friends, is exactly what I ask myself, sometimes multiple times per day.

We’ve got to cut Smuffy some slack, though.  After coming home from his day job, he tackles everything else that pops up (or falls down, as the case may be) with this seventy+ year old house.  There’s all the yard work, the garden and how a huge outdoor project he’s had to undertake.  My “new” kitchen goes forward in spurts and I try to have patience.  I will admit to having tears, though.  Every once in a while, the whole thing about having a toddler here every day with no cabinet doors gets to be a bit much.  Careful placement and a good boy are all that stand between us and disaster.

Well, the doors have arrived!  I’d do the happy dance, but they’re not up yet.  You see, they’ve been handed over to me.  Yikes!

I’ve done a lot of DIY in my time, so I had a hard time figuring out why these made me so nervous.  Then, I realized where my jitters were coming from.

It’s one thing to drag something home from a yard sale or resale shop and dive in to give it a whole new life.  It is quite another to take brand new things that Smuffy has poured blood, sweat and tears into and risk screwing it up!  As I said in an earlier post, most people who say they did their whole kitchen makeover by themselves have few bragging rights compared to what we’ve undertaken on this project.  Ripping out things, bringing home new cabinets and installing them and then slapping on some trim pales in comparison to what we’ve done.  It’s been me with my sheets of graph paper and research and Smuffy painstakingly hand-crafting each and every cabinet, pull-out, replacing windows, framing in new ones, building the pantry and making all the shelves to my specifications.  It’s been a long, long road and each interruption and setback has been tough. 

Now, Smuffy has handed me his beautiful cabinet doors and it’s turned me into a big chicken.  My design all along (I tell him that at all times he must remember that he’s Chip and I’m JoJo), was to have antiqued creamy cabinets.  I went to great lengths to get just the right paints, additives, glazes and colors to achieve the end look.  I did all right through two coats of primer.  I did all right through two coats of paint.  Then, somehow, as soon as I got ready to antique them, nerves kicked in.  How could I ugly up Smuffy’s beautiful doors?

It was all I could do to go down to the basement and smear the glaze over the perfection and start wiping it around with old rags over that pristine first door.  It was as though I kept forgetting that the  installed cabinets upstairs had already been antiqued and it was too late to turn back now.  Duh!

There are reasons I chose antiquing.  So many kitchens are what I call “hospital white”.  I hope it’s a trend that ends soon.  Sometimes I think way too many folks out there are working in labs or schoolrooms or medical offices and this look is seeping into their souls.  Anyhow, I didn’t want that.  I wanted homey.  I have a working kitchen – a really working kitchen.  With homecooked healthy meals every single day and all the prep for cooking demonstrations at the classes I teach, it would be hard to keep a sleek kitchen looking sleek all the time.  Also, I have some things of my mom’s I’d like to use to decorate my open shelving and they’re just pretty shabby and farmy.  In honor of her, I’m calling this my Emmabelle Kitchen.

Cabinet Doors Before and After www.midweststoryteller.com

As you can see in the photo, I went ahead with Door #2 and then I started to calm down. In game shows, there is something behind the door to jump up and down about.  In my case, I’ll just have to wait a while longer.  Smuffy keeps assuring me we are in the home stretch.  I nod and sniffle.  The home stretch is every bit as exhausting as the rest of this turtle race.

Just in case you’re wondering, Smuffy’s masterpieces are finished off with two coats of Benjamin Moore primer, have had a light sanding and received two coats of Benamin Moore trim paint in “Fresh Narcissus” with Floetrol added.  This additive makes all the brush strokes or roller marks “melt” away.  The antiquing is done by taking eight parts Benjamin Moore Studio Finish Acrylic Glaze and adding one part Benjamin Moore satin finish paint in “Devonwood Taupe.  This is wiped on and then off immediately with cotton rags, leaving accents in the wood details.  Two coats of Benjamin Moore polyurethane are added after glazing to restore the hard finish.  Otherwise, the glaze would remain too “soft” for durable cabinetry.

I must add that in this photo, the antiqued door looks like it has much more antiquing on it that it does in actuality.  There’s no explaining why photos do that sometimes.

Smuffy does more than just build things.  My Life With Smuffy page is loaded with stories that will make you laugh, cause your hair to stand on end and probably bump us up to the top of your prayer list!

The kitchen makeover chronicles include my embarrassing “before” photos in “Death of a Kitchen”.  After that, you can catch up with “A Glimmer of Hope and Stainless Steel”, “Birth Pains of a Kitchen”, “My Not-A-Kitchen Kitchen”, “A Trim Healthy Pantry and Some Plywood” and “Transition of a Kitchen”.  Check those out and you’ll be ready for the next and, hopefully, final stages of my kitchen.

Leave a comment!  What do you like/don’t like in your kitchen?  Or, have you seen something online or in someone else’s kitchen that you’d like to have if you could remodel your kitchen?  My kitchen is small.  Give me your best storage tips and tricks!

Another Freebie Winner!

~ Midwest Storyteller

My apologies for running late with this announcement.  Not only did I fall behind a bit, but our winner has been under the weather (though I doubt the weather had anything to do with it) and getting it to her and getting a photo has had its challenges.

She was kind enough to snap a picture of her First Friday Freebie in its new home and send it to me, so let’s congratulate and extend get well wishes to –

Liz from Boonville, Missouri!

Liz often enters to win and has been a previous winner, so if you want to meet her, just check out all the past winners and their gifts here on my Freebies! page.

The “Then Sings My Soul” box-style décor is a Hobby Lobby 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.

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:  September’s First Friday Freebie – that takes place on Friday, September 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, September 3rd, 2021. 

A lot of people say, “I never win anything!”  I’d love to hear from you.  Leave a comment and tell me the best thing you’ve ever won.   

A Summer Freebie for Your Soul!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 5 Comments

Welcome to August!  (I say that like I’m hosting the month personally.)  Actually, I’m missing out on a lot of it due to the Big Kitchen Crunch, but that has nothing to do with Freebies unless you count the fact that it’s forcing me to do this post past my bedtime.

Yes, it’s the First Friday and that means that commenting as directed in this post will enter you to win my August Freebie.  Let’s take a look at it.

Then Sings My Soul Freebie www.midweststoryteller.com

This black and white wooden décor will look great on your table or tucked into a shelf.  It measures 4.875” X 7.375” including the knob on top and if you’re up on your old hymns, it reminds of that famous one, “How Great Thou Art”.  The little damask print bit of stenciled art at the left adds just the right touch and I think it will look great year round as well as with all your upcoming fall decorations.  It’s a Hobby Lobby find, because, as you may have noticed, I can’t stay out of that place.

To enter to win the “Then Sings My Soul” décor, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying just that, “Then Sings My Soul”.  You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, August 6th, 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, August 6th by leaving a comment which says, “Then Sings My Soul”. 

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here. 

Why not subscribe and confirm right now before you forget?

Summer’s winding down.  Enjoy every minute of warmth and bloom.

Meet July’s Freebie Winner!

~ Midwest Storyteller

If you are in the Midwest, I hope you’re a heat and humidity lover or are blessed to stay in and enjoy some air conditioning.  Our air conditioning went out recently and replacement parts were never more welcome.  One thing you can enjoy in this weather is a First Friday Freebie, so let’s meet the winner –

First Friday Freebie Winner www.midweststoryteller.com

Ginger from Prairie Home, Missouri!

Congratulations, Ginger!  Ginger enters to win on a regular basis so it’s no surprise that she’s happened to win more than one of my First Friday Freebies.  Take a look at the inset photo and you’ll see she’s not the only one enjoying it.  She used it to decorate the front door of her chicken coop and now all her “ladies” are simply cackling with delight over their new decor.

You can see all the past winners and their gifts here on my Freebies! page.

The bright red metal flower Ginger just won is a Hobby Lobby 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.

Ginger’s been a subscriber ever since the beginning of this blog.  She became one by entering her email in the subscription area here on the blog and then confirmed her subscription when the confirmation email arrived in her 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:  August’s First Friday Freebie – that takes place on Friday, August 6th.   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, August 6th, 2021. 

A lot of people say, “I never win anything!”  I’d love to hear from you.  Leave a comment and tell me the best thing you’ve ever won.   

Celebrating Freedom and a Freebie!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 10 Comments

Since Smuffy shares a birthday with the greatest country on earth, things will be busy for me in the next couple of days.  So, let me take this First Friday Freebie post to also wish you a Happy & Free Independence Day! (And, Happy Birthday, Smuffy!)  I invite you to make this Sunday more than a great time for family and fireworks.  Spend some time with those you love celebrating the real meaning of what it means to be an American and the brilliance and freedoms established and granted to us by our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.  These are short documents, but do we know what’s in them?  We are a country of political will and ideals that are not found anywhere else on earth. 

If I may quote Ronald Reagan from a 1988 speech –

“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.'”

I just heard some early fireworks going off outside as I finished typing that quote, as if to punctuate this truth.

Now, remembering that today is the first Friday of the month, let’s take a look at your Freebie.

The Spring Shop Red Daisy www.midweststoryteller.com

This bright red metal daisy with its sunny yellow center from The Spring Shop shouts of summer and also of the fact that I’ve been roaming around Hobby Lobby again.  It measures 8.75” across and is ½” deep.  My first thought how this would make your garden area pop if hung on a fence.  Then, I quickly realized that it would look great inside the house as well, adding a little summer to any room.  Kitchen, kids’ room, porch – anywhere that bit of red to catch the eye is needed.

To enter to win the red metal daisy, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I love freedom and a freebie!”  You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, July 2nd, 2021.

NOTE:  There seems to be an occasional problem with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails.  If this happens, please 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 love it when people enjoy my blog stories and recipes and get excited about winning freebies.  Share with all 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!

Subscribers win every single month!  On the “Freebies” page, you’ll be able to see what they’ve been winning.

A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, July 2nd by leaving a comment which says, “I love freedom and a freebie!” 

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here. 

Why not subscribe and confirm right now before you forget?

Do you have special Independence Day traditions?  Leave a comment and let me know how you make the day special.