Mother of the Bride Book’s Birthday Giveaway and a Blogging Break

*7-24-17 – Winner is Laura! Congrats, Laura! I’ll get your winnings to you soon!

Last year at this time I was in the midst of celebrating the launch of my book Mother of the Bride. Since July 1st was the official launch date, I consider that the book’s official “birthday” too. So now my book baby is one year old!

If you weren’t a mother of the bride last July, you probably missed all the hoopla. I hosted a big giveaway here on my website, my family sent me flowers, and friends and fellow writers wished me well and shared the book via social media. Later in the month, I had a launch party at our local library. After all, the birth of a book calls for lots of celebration!

I think a first birthday calls for some celebration too so how about another giveaway? One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of my book along with a set of the Wedding Inspiration cards I developed a few months ago (see below.) For those who are reading this but are not mothers of the bride, you don’t have to be a mother of the bride to enter. The book and cards also make perfect gifts, and I love to see the book donated to church and public libraries as well. For a description of the book along with endorsements, I’ll link you to the Books section of my website.

Now for the giveaway. Here’s how it will work—and you must follow the instructions to qualify for the entries. You may list all of your entries (as outlined below) in one comment:

*1 entry for leaving a comment on this post here on my website. The comments on Facebook are greatly appreciated, but to be entered in the giveaway, you must leave a comment here.

*2 entries for Liking my Cheryl Barker, Writer Facebook page (tell me in the comments.) If you’ve already Liked the page, just say so. That definitely counts!

*3 entries for sharing the giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (tell me in the comments.)

*4 entries for subscribing to Life Notes, my free quarterly inspirational newsletter (tell me in the comments but be sure to confirm your subscription when you get a confirmation email.) Sign-up is to the right under “Free For You”. (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) If you’re already a Life Notes subscriber, you bet that counts. Just mention it in your comment.

*Giveaway is open to US residents only due to customs and mailing costs.

*Drawing will be done by Random.Org.

Enter by noon CST July 22nd, and I will update this post with the winner announcement as soon as I’m able, depending on travels, etc.

I won’t be posting here again until August 1st. Yes, that’s a long blogging break, but July is going to be a super busy month for me so I’m being kind to myself and taking a break. I’ve learned it’s okay to do that!

For “mother of the bride” help in the meantime, check out my list of Favorite Posts and also the drop down menu in the Archives. You’ll find both of these on the sidebar. (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find them.) I encourage you to check out my Pinterest boards for some great ideas as well. Have fun with all of that, MOB, and I’ll see back here on August 1st!

The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early August. One lucky subscriber (new or current) will receive $15 cash (summer mad money!) and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

Left to right: Life Lessons from the Mother of the Bride, A Mother of the Bride’s Prayer, A Bride’s Wedding Day Prayer, Praying for Newlyweds, and For the Newlyweds.

Kick Off the Holiday Giveaway!

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

Appreciation Giveaway in Every Life Notes Issue Now!

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Something new is on the horizon for all subscribers to my Life Notes newsletter—a giveaway in every regularly scheduled quarterly issue! I probably won’t do many giveaways here on my blog anymore, but don’t worry, you can still get in on the giveaway fun if you’re a Life Notes subscriber.

All current and new subscribers will automatically be entered to win each time, and I will announce a winner in each November, February, May, and August issue. Occasionally I send out a special issue with big news, but those issues won’t include giveaways—unless it’s just a surprise. Who knows, that might happen sometime!

The giveaway prizes will be varied throughout the year, but the next issue of Life Notes will come out in early November and the prize will be a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble.

The past several years I’ve had a subscriber appreciation giveaway this time of year and have given the B&N gift card so I thought I would go ahead and continue that tradition for our November issue this year. For other issues, the prize may be a book, a gift card, or whatever else I happen to decide. Fun, huh?

So, if you haven’t yet subscribed to Life Notes, why not go ahead and do it today? Sign-up is free and to the right. To be included in the draw this time, be sure to sign up by Oct. 31st. Doing the giveaways will give me a chance to show appreciation for my subscribers all year long now. I really am grateful for each and every one of you who take an interest in my life and writing. Thank you so much, friends!

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3 NIV

*How do you like to show appreciation for people in your life who support you?

*Flickr photo by racineur, Creative Commons License

A Winner Plus A Message for the Newlyweds

12893863323_341719a366_zThe day has come—time to announce the winner of the Mother of the Bride Book Launch Giveaway! That lucky winner is . . . drumroll, please . . . Susan Best! Congrats, Susan! I’ll get your winnings to you as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy each and every item and find my book to be super helpful and encouraging.

And now a little gift for the rest of you—a special message you can share with your sweet soon-to-be newlyweds! Perhaps you could share this message with them by reading it at the wedding reception during the time for toasts or perhaps you could mail it to them in a card. It could be a sweet surprise waiting for them as they return from their honeymoon.

Hope you enjoy sharing this with the new Mr. and Mrs.!

For You, Dear Newlyweds

What a joy it’s been to watch
Your story of love unfold,
From dating to engagement to marriage vows
You’ve made the perfect couple.
The wedding may be over now
But there’s still much to celebrate,
A chance to say “I do” again
Each day for the rest of your lives.
Right now that may seem easy
But days of challenge may lie ahead,
Keep saying “I do”, keep choosing love,
The rewards will surely come.
One day you’ll be that older couple
That everyone admires,
They’ll see your lasting mutual love
And decide to work for their own.
But today live life as newlyweds
Enjoy these fleeting days,
And in the process you’ll inspire
Others to choose love again.

Copyright © Cheryl Barker

*When you read this piece or print it out, please give attribution by saying it’s by Cheryl Barker, author of Mother of the Bride. Thanks!

*You might also like to read A Prayer for the Newlyweds and Gift Idea: The Newlywed’s Instruction Manual.

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

*Flickr photo by KerriNikolePhotography, Creative Commons License

Winner Plus Summer Photo Fun Kick-Off: Caption This

IMG_5442 Hey everyone, I’m back! And to start things off with some smiles, I’m announcing the winner of my Mother of the Bride Book Launch Giveaway plus kicking off my annual Summer Photo Fun here on the blog. Good times, huh?!

First things first—time to announce a winner! The winner of the gift assortment  including a signed copy of my book Mother of the Bride as well as some other special items is . . . Susan Best! Congrats, Susan! Hope you thoroughly enjoy each gift!

And now for Summer Photo Fun: For those of you who may be new here, each year during July and early August, I feature some fun photo posts rather than my usual inspirational/devotional style posts.

This part of summer is always topsy-turvy for me since my husband is on his break from teaching so I try to take a more casual approach to blogging for a few weeks. Since photos can really brighten our days and since I’ll also be including a verse from the Bible, my hope is that you’ll still leave here feeling refreshed or nourished in some way.

Let’s start with some Caption This fun. The photo above is of one of my twin grandsons (Isaiah) after enjoying one of Grandma’s love-filled chocolate chip cookies. The rest is up to you—how would you caption this photo?

Thanks as always for stopping by, friends. I hope my sweet Isaiah put a smile on your face today!

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us,” Psalm 67:1

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

*My photo