Joy

Joy to  the world the Lord has come .Let earth recieve her King!   As we  celebrate Christmas,  joy can fill our hearts as we recieve the love God has sent. I'm so glad he made it so easy and did all the work for us! Have a Merry Christmas!

Shopping we go

To and fro to and fro, shopping we go. Kids hanging  from the shopping carts, some wanting Mario Carts.    Please daddy please,I want the latest release!    Then we turned our head  to the sound of the ringing bell, a chance to share is what I can tell. It feels better to give than to recieve. This is what my Mom and Dad believe.  (C)  by Alice F. Conklin

Candy Cane Lane Play

      The excitment of Christmas is approaching. Our play at church "Candy Cane Lane" ( You Tube has the whole play on it!) was  excellent. The kids sang and danced  with such talent it seemed we were at a broadway play. The outfits of red and white topped each  scene. As the story went on into a dream land the children could have fun with how the  play pointed toward the meaning of  Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus.
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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day will soon be here.It brings fond memories of my childhood.Mom and Dad would bring the turkey,roasted brown,to my uncle Bob and aunt Delores.There we would feast on the delicious meal,except for us kids who would stare at the goose stuffing that had big brown raisins in it.My brother would look me in the eyes.I responded ,Yuck! The day was not lost,homemade pies with fresh aromas of spices filled the air.The after noon had more excitement.The snow cover was just right for sledding.Hills in Dakota have plenty of  slopes for fun. All the kids enjoyed the outside  while the grownups played cards. We knew what would be waiting for us after sledding.Uncle Bob would bring out the icecream maker.He would make it outside and his son Bobby would help gather the ice and salt to pack in the maker to freeze the icecream. In the cylinder the fresh cream ,sugar,vanilla,salt and eggs were combined The lid was placed on. Now came the fun! Cranking by hand was fun for us to watch,but uncle Bob did the work.Round and round it went,at last the time we have been waiting for. I still can remember how the icecream taisted, rich,sweet and creamy.Thanks uncle Bob for such good memories!

Our Dog Bell

Thoughts of our dog Bell is swirling in my head as I think upon the joy she brings our family.Brown fur,sparkling eyes and white teeth show the contentment through her smile in a dog kind of way. Please, may I have a treat, she begs?Her look
 just melts my heart. With a gentle yawn of expression,she moves on to the next one who wll give her attention. How much more  should we  love our children who are yearning for our love and approval?

Chili Night

 Chili night is here.I can almost smell the aroma as we walk the isles in the supermarket. Slowly we round the corner to the dairy section.A list would be in order,but that will have to be next time.Mom asked, what do we need? I promptly replied,lots of cheese and thousand island dressing to dip my chicken strips in.I'm a kid so I like to think ahead.Mom said,lets get home and start the chili!Yes,I  thought,it will be a nice night at home and I'll even share our recipe.     Easy Chili    1/2 cup chopped onion,   1 tbsp.butter, 2 lb. ground beef, 2/3 cup catsup, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup chopped celery, 2 tbsp. lemon juice ,1 tbsp. brown sugar,1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce,  1 1/2  tsp.  salt,1 tsp. vinegar, 1/4 tsp. dry mustard   Saut'e onion in butter. Add beef and brown lightly.Drain off exess fat. Add rest of the ingredients; simmer covered for 15 min. Add 2 cans kidney beans or chili beans,including liquid, 2 cups tomatoe juice,3 to 4 tsp. chilli powder.Simmer 20 min.  Season to taste.Top with grated cheese. Sour cream is good,too. Enjoy!

The Bunny

It's early morning. As the sun filters through the trees,the shadows lay long on the dewy grass. I can hear the the conversation of the birds as they sing their praises to the most high.Peace is everywhere! Now I can sneek across the lawn in search of some breakfast.What!A new fence! It surrounds the morning buffet. Where should I go,thought the bunny?I know the Father feeds me so I must go to the woods.Filling my stomach will feel so good. But wait!Who is coming?It's big and brown and running fast.I must flee! It's the family dog.I heard them call her Bella.Good,she can only chase me to the edge of the woods.I think its her collar! It stopped her in a flash.  I'll be back tomorrow to start a new day.

Golden Minnesota Sunrise

As I look across the lake the amazing view displays the golden sunrise.The colors of fall are fresh and different than summer.Even the smell of the morning air has a beautful aroma.Peace is everywhere.It shouts of Gods creation!As the sun slowly breaks dawn the shadows seem to creep across our back yard. I know it is fall,distant gun shots tells me duck season is hear.All summer the ducks nest in the reeds along the lake.Our backyard also have these reeds that helped become a scene and painting for  my book "A Crown for a Princess".

Chirstmas Story

      I heard this special story of a Christmas around 1944.        I am the youngest child of  10 and my oldest brother, Jay,told the story at our yearly family reunion over the Fourth of July,2008.  My parents,Ralph and Violet, all with their four small children,lived  on a farm in South Dakota. It had no electricity,plumbing,running water or phone. Just before Christmas a huge snow storm hit. There was no food for the family left so Dad took off walking in the blizzard following a railroad track that would take him to Veblen that  was at least four miles away.   My brother and sisters said it seemed a very long time he was gone not knowing if he had made it or not.  The next day the excitment arose. Mom and the kids could see something dimly coming through the Dakota blizzard.    Even though it was snowing hard,they could see the shape of a Chistmas tree coming through the storm. It was Dad!  He was pulling a sled with food for the table and even Christmas presents for the family with  a tree tied on top. What excitement to have Dad safe and such a gift he brought to his family.                     
         I  was very exicited to win 2nd place.I entered the contest at our newspaper one hour before the dead line hand written.Now that
I have a book nearly published,I can see a real story unfolding from this!

I thought I'd tell a little  of my life, I was born at a farmhouse near Claire City,South Dakota, youngest of a family of ten to Ralph and Violet Ruckdaschel. I later moved to Brainerd Mn. and graduated from high school.I  now own Salon El Rio in Baxter Mn. I married  Dan and the adventure to North Long Lake brought the inspiration to write A Crown for a Princess.As I painted,the story began to flow.Each painting brought  the book to life. A Crown for a Princess is in final publishing and soon to be released.  

Book description

My book has a name change." A Crown for a Princess" is the new name. The book is in final layout and my publisher says hang tight  and they will send me  a book to approve soon. When I return the book the printing will start.I will recieve copies to sign before the  press release,That makes me very excited. In the mean time I have started a second book. Enjoying the beautiful fall colors of my Minnesota lake home my first painting for my second book is finished. Friend-ship oozes between the girls as they gather the colorful leaves.Now back to" A Crown for a Princess"   The book description  as it appears on the back  cover.       Faith and Daniela are best friends,and they love to play together They learn about nature by going for walks by the lake, staring at the clouds, and looking at all sorts of God's  creatures. But its'when they try on princess gowns that they learn the most valuable lesson of all: God's gift to them is  A Crown for a Princess.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Welcome to My Window

First, I want to thank you for joining my on my new and exciting blog.  I hope to provide you with insightful perspective on my new book The Princess Crown which is the first of a series of young girls books. Grandma's, mother's and daughter's will be captured by the adventures of young childrens imaginations that are birthed next to beautiful North Long Lake.