PICTURESQUE ~Folk Art by Cheryl Krahn

I have decided to start a small folk art painting business in my home.  To contact me, you can message me on this blog, email me at picturesquefolkart@gmail.com, or call me at 204-324-1761.

Do you collect snowman ornaments to display at Christmas?  How about a person you'll be buying a gift for this Holiday Season?

This fall I will be painting whimsical snowman patterns onto decorative stoneware plates.  The plates vary in size, measuring between 6 - 8 inches in diameter.  I hand paint each plate, and much attention is given to fine detail, making each piece special and unique.  Each plate will be priced at $30.00.  As a customer, you are able to choose between the following options for your order:

1.  Which whimsical snowman pattern you'd like on your plate.

2.  Which background color you'd prefer for your plate.  (absolutely any color of your choosing)

3.  What type of design you'd like around the edge of your plate: Vines & Berries, or Checks & Dots. 

*These plates are decorative only, not dishwasher or microwave safe.

Pictured below are the patterns you can choose from:

"Peppermint Angel"

"Two Toasty Marshmallow Snowmen"

"Lamp Light Friends"

"Little Guardian Angel"

"Three Toasty Marshmallow Snowmen"

"Holly Berry"

To contact me, you can message me on this blog, email me at picturesquefolkart@gmail.com, or call me at 204-324-1761.

 

Random Family Circus Clip

Beware Of The Balloon Monster!!!

Last weekend Griffin hosted his birthday party sleepover...finally!  His birthday was actually in July, but when we tried to plan his party then, none of his friends could make it because of camping and baseball and stuff.  So yeah, he invited 4 of his best buds over for hours of Wii and Nerf fun.  Our house is quite lively on a regular day with 7 people hanging around, add four more 10 year old boys hopped up on sugar to the mix, and, well, things got just a little bit crazy!  But we all survived, got SOME sleep, and the boys had a blast.

On the day of the party in the afternoon, I went to buy some helium balloons from the dollar store.  I brought them home, and set them down on the kitchen table, when suddenly I heard nervous growling.  Our dog Charlie's kennel is near the kitchen table, and when those green and blue floating thing-a-ma-bobs with crazy curly strings came into her view, she did not like it one little bit.

I opened up her kennel, saying in a soft voice that it was okay, it was just balloons for Griffin's party, they weren't going to hurt me...or her.  But she wasn't buying it.  Nu-uh.  As I picked the balloons up off the table, Charlie started to skid on the laminate flooring, trying so desperately to run, but clumsily tap dancing on the spot instead.  Finally her attempt to propel herself forward succeeded, and I watched her curly white body fly across the room at the speed of light.  She sailed over the suitcase that blocks our basement stairs with ease, then became a doggy-ninja and rolled down the stairs with such stealth that Jackie Chan himself would have beamed with pride.

Chuckling to myself, I slowly made my way down the stairs.  After surveying the room, I found what I was looking for.  One terrified Charlie Bucket, crouched beneath the coffee table, shaking in her curly little boots.  I picked her up, and brought her back upstairs to face her fears.  She kept glancing sideways toward the balloons, then went bumbling off sheepishly in the opposite direction with her tail between her legs.  I finally managed to coax her to join me in the kitchen where I was working on Griffin's Lego birthday cake.  I had to smile when she rested her soft little chin on my foot for comfort.

Charlie did eventually get used to the balloons, and as long as they were up on the table, she was okay.  Griffin had a great time with his friends at the birthday party.... 

....and a few days later, he and Elliot entertained me by inhaling the helium from the balloons and singing like Alvin & the Chipmunks.  It.  Was.  Awesome.

Embrace The Season

 

Saw this posted on Facebook this morning, and it inspired me.  Fall can be a melancholy time for me, because it's a sign that good ol' Manitoba's frigid winter is on it's way.  However this year, instead of focusing on winter's impending doom, I shall try to embrace every exquisite moment that the fall has to offer.

On this second day of autumn, I am simmering a large pot of chicken soup on the stove.  I'm sitting on the living room floor wearing my cozy kitty slippers, sipping a steaming mug of Earl Grey.  Later, I shall take our dog Charlie for a brisk walk in the chilled breeze and stomp on as many dry leaves as possible, enjoying their wonderful crunching, crackling sounds.  And when the kids are home from school, we will bake some pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pumpkin-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/.  This is going to be a delicious fall day indeed. 

So....how will you choose to embrace the season?  :)

There Is Hope

Lamentations 3:19-33

It’s a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God

^19-21 I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
    the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
    the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember,
    and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

^22-24 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
    How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
    He’s all I’ve got left.

^25-27 God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
    to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
    quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
    to stick it out through the hard times.

^28-30 When life is heavy and hard to take,
    go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
    Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
    The “worst” is never the worst.

^31-33 Why? Because the Master won’t ever
    walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
    His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.

Are you feeling troubled today?  Is there something going on in your life that's causing you to feel sort of lost, or maybe even hopeless?  It struck me this morning, as it has at times before, that every person is experiencing trouble of some kind.  You know that quote: "Be kinder than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some sort of battle"?  It is so true.  No one is exempt.  No matter how much that "perfect" person you may be comparing yourself to appears to have it all together, they don't.  Seriously, they don't.  Sometimes actually, it can be that person that appears to be so strong and so capable that is struggling the most.  Because once you've given the impression that you've got it all together and can handle everything on your own, it's so much harder to ask for help.

I'm one of those people that tends to compare myself to others.  A lot.  All the time, actually.  I struggle with being "me", because I so desperately want to be like this, that, and the other person that I don't even know who "me" is any more.  I've asked God to help me with this, and I believe that I'm slowly starting to grasp what He whispers to me when I pray.  And that truly amazes me...God's whispering.  No matter how often I battle with this, no matter how many times I stumble and fall, God never yells.  Never.  I wouldn't blame Him for doing it, if He'd just belt it out: "Cheryl!  Get with the program!  I've told you a million times, just be yourself!!  It's not rocket science!!"  But no.  It's always a whisper I hear.  Soft, yet strong.  Gentle, but firm.  "Cheryl, you.  are.  mine.  I created you with a special, unique purpose for this life, and I love you.  You.  Not who you wish you could be like; but exactly you.  Cheryl Krahn."

If you are struggling with feelings something like this, or with very different things, just know that God loves you.  He cares for you, and is always by your side.  He is literally reaching out His arms, waiting for you to run into them and grab on tight.  I would like to encourage you to spend some quiet time with God today.  It's in the quiet times with Him that we are able to hear His gentle whispers of love.

Random Ramblings #2

Because of that crazy "What does the fox say?" song that's become popular on Youtube, I am now determined to find out.  What DOES the fox say???

When Jeff & I were engaged, I had an atrocious dream in which I was wearing my wedding dress, and I had to go to the bathroom.  I was suddenly overtaken with explosive diarrhea and it sprayed and sharted all over my beautiful white dress.  It.  Was.  Horrifying.

My husband Jeff likes to eat ribbesper.  Not cool.

The other day our dog Charlie was caught chewing on a maxi pad.  DEFINITELY not cool.

Do you believe that humans have actually landed on the moon?  I'm not sure I do......

Are gourds that you grow in your garden named after a dude named Gord with warts all over his face?

There are sixty seconds in a minute.  There are sixty minutes in an hour.  There are 24 hours in a day.  And there are 12 rooms in our house.  You do the math.

It is almost midnight and I need sleep.  Good nite world.

Sprechen Sie Englisch?

Z Is For Zombie

Came across this beauty today browsing through my pictures.  I believe this moment was inspired by World War Z.  Luckily our brains are still intact (for the most part)...........

"Braaaaaaiiiins, BRAAAAIIIIIIINS!!!"

So La Tea Doe

Well, okay.  So much for that "see you tomorrow" talk...

But here I am, one week later, on day 7 with drinking only water, unsweetened teas, and milk.  Let me tell you, I feel GREAT!!  I am never again going to allow any, and I mean ANY aspartame to enter my body.  During the first 4 days of my challenge (and a CHALLENGE it WAS) I definitely experienced some withdrawal symptoms.  I felt hot and cold at the same time, feverish, queasy, and majorly ticked off at pretty much the entire universe.  But there's a plus side to all of this: Jeff is also cutting out aspartame for good, so we got to go through these symptoms TOGETHER!!!  Double joy, double bliss!!!

Now that we're over that crazy hump, we are both feeling sooooo much better.  The improvement I'm noticing the most for myself is that I've not had a headache for a whole week.  That like never happens.  I also feel a lot more energetic.  I will have to ask Jeff this evening what improvements he's noticed, and I'll try to remember to share them with you at some point.

I have been drinking so much tea (unsweetened) this week, that I'm constantly peeing like a racehorse.  I feel a lot less bloated than usual, which is way awesome, because feeling bloated is something I've tried to combat for years and have failed miserably.  I have discovered a new brand of tea that has quickly become my favorite.

Dilmah tea is the most flavorful, aromatic, delicious REAL tea I have ever tried.  I highly recommend it to those of you who love to drink tea.  In Altona you can buy it at both Co-op and IGA.  This tea is grown and packaged in Sri Lanka, and is a pure, single origin tea (there's a pamphlet included in the box that explains what this means).  I am totally sold on this product, and look forward to my steaming mug of Earl Grey or English Breakfast in the morning.

I also love green tea, and bought this yesterday.

I have highly enjoyed the flavors I've tried so far.

So tell me, what is YOUR favorite tea?  :)

Low On Sugar & Goin' Nuts!

Why is it that sometimes an idea can seem so awesome, and feel like it's gonna be easy...and then it's not?  I came to the realization this morning that I drink a lot of sugar.  And a lot of artificial sweeteners.  I've recently seen some pretty terrifying posts about aspartame, and it kinda got me thinking...could it really be true?  Could my daily diet Pepsi fix be slowly poisoning me on the inside?  And how about sugar consumption?  I can easily drink 3 tall glasses of Good Host iced tea in one sitting in the summer.  Heck, probably in the winter too!

So anyway, I feel like I'm rambling a bit, and you know what?  That's okay.

*sigh*  This morning, I made up my mind:  For 1 week, that's 7 days, 7 WHOLE days, I will not drink any pop (regular or diet), or iced tea or lemonade or anything else sugary, and not fruit juice either, because they're also loaded with sugar.

The things I WILL be drinking are: water, tea (without sugar of course), home-brewed real iced teas (again, no sugar added) and some milk.  I am aware that milk contains some sugar, but to my knowledge it is naturally occurring sugar, and I don't want to take away the calcium from my diet that milk provides.

How hard can this be, right?  I mean, come on.  It's not like I'm cutting out foods, or depriving myself of something monumental, but shoot!!  I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want, I want a - I want a - I want a fizzy diet Pepsi...zigga-zig-ahhh!!!!  Sorry for that little Spice Girl flashback there, but this is really hard for me right now.  I'm a little bit afraid of what day 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 will be like?  Will I become some grouch that deserves to live in a garbage can, mumbling and grumbling and driving my family nuts?  I certainly hope not!

Oh well, it's after 11:00, and I should get off this crazy inter-web thingy.  Good night world.  Talk to you tomorrow.

World View

So when you have a blog, you are able to track how many people are viewing it.  Not only that, but you can also see what country your viewers are from.  I am surprised, honored, and quite frankly tickled pink that people from 10 different countries are viewing my blog.  That just blows my mind. 

I am very grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts with all of you.  I would like to honor each of you by including a picture of your country`s flag in this post.  Thanks again for stopping by!!  :)

Serbia

United States

 Russia

 Nigeria

 Netherlands

 Korea (South)

Lithuania

Malaysia

Germany

Canada

Back To School

Well, the first day of school is upon us today.  One of our younger children was battling some nerves, but the morning went well.  Everyone ate breakfast, got dressed, brushed teeth, packed their backpack, and headed out the door - on time!  I would say that's a major success!

I am praying a verse over our children, and over all of the children going back to school today.

 
Psalm 59:17
You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely. 

It is such a comfort to know that we can always rely on God.  He is always faithful, He is always by our side, and it is HIS strength, not our own, that will get us through the day.  2 of our 5 children are entering a new school today, one to junior high, and one to high school.  I`m looking forward to hearing their stories today, and in the weeks ahead.

Thank You God for our children.  Thank You for being right there in the classrooms with them, and for the strength and courage You will give them at school. 

So Happy Together

Jeff and I look so forward to the Wednesdays when his children come back home, and we get to all be together for the next 7 days.  Alyssa is always super excited as well, and looks forward to a week of spending time with her step-sisters and step-brothers.  She enjoys sharing a room with Emma, and the two of them play together for hours on end.  It is so good.  God is so good.  Our family is blessed by Him, every day.

From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.  

~John 1:16

And now, I would like to take the time to honor this man right here.

Jeff is a man who loves Jesus, reads his Bible every day, prays alone, prays with our kids, prays with me.  He works hard and provides wonderfully for our family of 7.  He takes out the garbage, feeds the cat, takes the dog for walks.  He says that he enjoys doing laundry and dishes, and helps out with these tasks often.  He is one awesome cook (move over, Bobby Flay!) and often makes delicious meals for us.  He loves our kids, and spends quality time with each one of them.  He loves me, and makes sure that I feel loved by him every day.  There are so many more amazing qualities I could list, and I'm certain that this blog could not contain them all.

Jeff, you are a truly wonderful husband, and I love you with all of my heart.  Thank you for 

everything you do, and I thank God every day for the amazing man that you are.

Like Mother Like Daughter

The first picture is of our daughter Alyssa when she was younger.  The second picture is of me as a child.  Any similarities?  :)

Twinkle Twinkle Little Starbucks

Here's a little heads up for all of you chocolate lovers out there...this Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino from Starbucks is all that AND a bag of chocolate dipped Doritos.  It is creamy.  It is seriously chocolatey.  It is everything a chocoholic could ever want on a hot day to cool off and instantly pump up the caffeine level in the bloodstream.  Ladies: if you're feeling hormonal - this treat is definitely for you!  Whether you're a guy out there who loves chocolate, OR if that special lady in your life is having a "bad day", get yo' chocolate-crazed self to Starbucks asap.  Trust me.  You won't regret it.

*Warning: This product may cause severe hyper-active behavior, slight to moderate random body shakes and/or tremors, and major brownie points scored with your wife.*

Mmmmmmm...did someone just say brownies???

Blast From The Past

Oh, so I'll let you know that I used to have a different blog.  I have shown it to my husband Jeff, and last night as we were talking he mentioned a post that he liked.  Well, this morning I dug it up out of the archives, and I shall share it with you.  Right........................................................now.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Toilet Paper From Heaven

Man, was that ever STRANGE!! God certainly does work in mysterious ways. He sure saved MY butt!!!

A couple of days ago, I came to realize - at an inopportune time that we were dramatically low on toilet paper. Alyssa was dancing around the room, saying something about hershey-squirts on the horizon, and we had like 9 squares of the good stuff left. I begged her, pleaded that she use as little of the remaining parchment as humanly possible. If she didn't, it would mean succumbing to the dreaded Harmonie Brand table napkins as a substitute. NOT GOOD!!!

As she was doing her thing in the john, I breathed a quick, desperate prayer. Please God, oh pretty please let there be a beautiful, shiny roll hiding in the cupboard that I overlooked the other 9 times I checked.

When she was finished and I surveyed the damage, there remained - you guessed it. Half a square left on the roll!! Definitely not much hope seemed to be in store for the next occupant to the porcelain throne.

Just then, I remembered the prayer. I told Alyssa I'd check the bathroom cabinet one more time, just in case. She said, "Mom, you already checked a thousand times. It's hopeless!!"

Oh ye of little faith.

I slowly inched the door open, and peered inside. Behind the scale and nestled between random old conditioner bottles, I spotted it. The most gloriously wonderful sight I've ever beheld in my life. A full roll of toilet paper. Thank You Lord!!!!!

I know it's no manna, but toilet paper from heaven is still pretty miraculous, don't you think?