Kick Off the Holiday Giveaway!

November 29, 2016 by 53 Comments

11377205686_d2fd287fe8_zNow that Thanksgiving has come and gone, let’s kick off the holiday season with a little giveaway. You may remember that I’m doing most of my giveaways through my Life Notes newsletter now (sign-up is free on the right sidebar), but I can’t let the Christmas season go by without playing Santa here on my blog. It’s just part of who I am! :)

This Christmas I’m giving away a $15 gift card to Starbucks as well as a signed copy of my book Mother of the Bride: Refreshment and Wisdom for the Mother of the Bride. Most everyone enjoys getting a gift card to Starbucks, and if you’re not a mother of the bride, you can give the book as a gift or donate it to your public or church library. I would love to see the book make its way into more libraries!

To be entered in the giveaway, leave a comment on this post by noon (CST) next Monday December 5th. I’ll announce the winner the next day in my regular Tuesday blog post. (Because of high shipping costs, you must have a U.S. mailing address to be eligible to win.)

Any comment will do, but maybe you could tell me what you will do with the book if you win. Are you a mother of the bride who will hang on to it for dear life? Will you give it as a gift? Will you donate it to a library? Maybe you will keep it for future use. Or maybe you just want a copy of my book and don’t have one yet. Believe it or not, you don’t have to be a mother of the bride to enjoy reading it! Lots of personal stories included and wisdom that can be applied to a variety of situations.

You may earn an additional entry if you’re a current or new Life Notes subscriber (sign-up is free on the right sidebar), and you can earn another entry if you Like (or have already Liked) my Cheryl Barker, Writer Facebook page. Just mention if you’ve done these things in your comment to get your extra entries!

Now here’s to a blessed holiday season to one and all. May you each feel our Savior’s presence in a wonderful way this Christmas season!

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 NIV

*Flickr photo by Daniel Y. Go, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: books, bride, fun, Gift, giveaway, holidays, Mother of the Bride book Tagged With: , , , , ,

Wedding Thoughts from Anne Lamott’s Plan B

October 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Kristin happyMother of the Bride, have you ever read any of Anne Lamott’s work? She has a way of speaking the truth—of laying life wide open in ways almost all of us can relate to. I love that humor is often a part of it.

I thought you might enjoy hearing some wedding truth laid open Anne-style. Enjoy this excerpt from Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith as Anne shares about a time when she was involved with a friend’s wedding:

“Building a wedding is a recipe for muddle—the bridal party, the families, the guests, the minister, the vows, the food. You’re attempting to make something beautiful out of unruly and unpredictable elements—the weather, the nuttier relatives, the rivalries, disorders, and dreams. Out of mostly old neurotic family and friends, you hope to create something harmonious. You do so as an act of faith, hoping that for a brief period of time, the love and commitment of two people will unite everyone; and it will sort of work . . .

. . .Here’s what the priest said: ‘I promise you it will all work out, in its own perfectly imperfect way. Weddings are about families, and families can be a bit of a mess under stress. But the love that will gather tomorrow night is much more important than anything else on earth, and bigger than anything else on earth, too. Because finally that love is sovereign.’”

So be encouraged, MOB. It will all work out.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in e post from Sept. 2013!arly November. All subscribers are automatically entered for a giveaway in each of the quarterly issues. A $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble will be the prize in this issue. Sign-up for Life Notes is free and to the right!

*Photo by Chris Humphrey

Filed Under: books, encouragement, faith, family, love, Mother of the Bride, stress, wisdom Tagged With: , , , , ,

Summer Photo Fun: My Book Launch Party!

July 28, 2016 by 12 Comments

IMG_6652Summer Photo Fun wouldn’t be complete this year without featuring one of the most exciting events of my summer—my book launch party!

To be honest, this summer has been an intense one for me, filled with all the work necessary to help launch and market a book. So when Mother of the Bride finally made its way out into the world, believe me, it called for a party!

So today, friends, enjoy a few shots from that special celebration. I’m still in awe and still praising God for allowing me to share Mother of the Bride with the world. May it bless many!

IMG_6670Visiting with long-time friend Pam and my husband’s cousin Lyssa.

IMG_6684Heather, a friend from church, looking at my website.

IMG_6655The cake turned out great! Thanks, Becky!

IMG_6690My dad, flanked by long-time friends Lynn and Diane and Larry and Paula, chose one of the door prize winners.

IMG_6719I read a chapter about the father of the bride to help keep the men in the crowd interested :)

IMG_6807Signing books was part of the fun. Thanks, Norma, Janet, and Becky for coming!

IMG_6761Teri, Cara, and Phyllis looking at the my book with interest. Yay! :)

IMG_6791Two of my sisters, Janice and Carolyn, live within driving distance so could come celebrate with me. I also talked them into serving the cake and punch!

IMG_6738A huge thanks to my daughter Kristin and son-in-law Shawn for being my tech-team extraordinaire throughout my publication journey and also for allowing me to share so freely about their lives in my book. My mother of the bride experience started with them! (Since my other daughter Kelli’s due date is drawing closer, she and her husband Jake couldn’t travel to be with us.)

Thanks for sharing in my joy today, friends!

“Rejoice with those who rejoice;” Romans 12:15a

*How can I celebrate with you? What blessing has come your way this summer?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter comes out next week. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*Photos by Shawn

Filed Under: books, celebrate, family, Friend, fun, joy, Mother of the Bride book, new thing, photo fun, summer, writing Tagged With: , ,

Mother of the Bride Book Launch Party

July 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment

IMG_6807Mother of the Bride, weddings aren’t the only thing that call for celebrations, are they? The birth of a baby is another one. And since I’ve birthed a book baby recently, I’d say that calls for a celebration. So celebrate we did!

I was so happy to have friends and family gather with me this past weekend for the launch party for my new book Mother of the Bride. I posted photos of the party on my home page since I’m doing some Summer Photo Fun there for a few weeks. I’m thinking you might like to take a peek into that very special event, too.

So pop on over, MOB! Today I’m inviting you to join the fun on my home page! Hope you enjoy!

*You can find out more about Mother of the Bride at MotheroftheBridebook.com. 

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter comes out next week. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*Photo above by my son-in-law Shawn

pinterest-pin-be-refreshed

Filed Under: books, celebrate, fun, Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Bride book, success, writing Tagged With: , ,

A Peek at Mother of the Bride’s Chapter Titles

July 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Google+ BannerMother of the Bride, would you like a closer look at the contents of my recently released book Mother of the Bride: Refreshment and Wisdom for the Mother of the Bride?

This is not a complete list, but here are many of the chapter titles you’ll find in Mother of the Bride. Hope they spark your interest!

*First Things First: Start with Fun

*Sleep—What’s That?: The MOB Brain Stuck in Overdrive

*When God Is Your Wedding Planner: Finding the Ultimate Coordinator

*Whose Wedding Is This: Finding a Balance

*To Have and To Hold . . . Until She Gets Married

*Mother of the Bride: No Job for a Weakling

*Father of the Bride: Make Room for Daddy

*The Man of Her Dreams Becomes Your Son: Coming to Grips with the Groom

*Bye, Bye, Comfort Zone: Diving into Unfamiliar Waters

*Lean On Me: The MOB’s Support Team

*Life Goes On, Too?: It’s Not All about the Wedding

*When Dreams Become Disasters: The Dreaded Horror Stories

*The MOB Dress: Time to Splurge on You

*Coming Down the Homestretch: Make a List and Hang On

*And Then There Were Tears: Expect a Meltdown

*Letting It Unfold: Enjoy the Wedding Weekend

Also, as a special gift at the back of the book, you’ll find all the vendor worksheets you’ll need, MOB, to help you with your planning. I pray that Mother of the Bride will be a blessing to you!

*Find links where you can buy the book on the sidebar to the right!

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out next week. Sign-up is free and to the right!

mob-meme-live-the-moments

Filed Under: books, encouragement, help, Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Bride book, new thing, opportunity, preparation, refresh, variety, wisdom, writing Tagged With: , , ,
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