Following your dreams...

Roxanne Rustand lives in Iowa with her husband, their rescue dog Elmo, three horses and a number of cats. Their oldest son lives in Wisconsin, and the younger two kids are in graduate school. She's the author of over thirty novels, and is hard at work on a new series set in Montana.  She loves writing warm, emotional inspirational romantic suspense novels,  often set out West or with a small town flavor.   

Readers can find her at   www.roxannerustand.com                         and on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/roxanne.rustand.com

What a beautiful winter's day!  Brilliant sunshine, with a lovely covering of  snow white as crystalline sugar. Here in the Midwest, we're thankful for all the precipitation we can get, these days--and we still need a lot more of it.

We live out in the country, and my office windows look out on our wood-fenced corrals and the pastures beyond, where our horses graze all summer long, their summer-slick coats gleaming in the sunshine.  Right now they are in their winter pajamas and  look like fat, furry balls of fluff, but spring isn't far off.

In a few months, there will be dozens of  beautiful, wildly marked paint foals romping in the neighbor's pastures, providing no end of amusement to our border collie, who enjoys time outside, safely contained on the back deck that runs the length of our house.

Elmo loves to watch those foals, and becomes a study in total concentration.  Head low, ears pricked, body crouched, he stares at them for hours, his intensity deepening when they scatter and run (how dare they!)  Our son Brian says we need to buy two sheep, so Elmo can spend his days trying to keep them together.  He is a dog with a mission--but one without a job.  Which got me thinking, this morning.  Elmo knows what he is--a herding dog--and knows what he needs to do.  He never loses sight of that, even though he can't ever get close to anything he can herd.

What about the rest of us...were we blessed with direction and determination from the beginning?   Or have some of us come across our true desires later in life?  Have we followed through?   Our daughter is in graduate school, but is already determined to be a writer.  I have no doubt that she has the drive and ability, and that she can reach her goal if she stays on course, because she has already finished her first full length manuscript and has started her second.

I didn't start writing until we had grade-school aged children...and wish I'd started much, much sooner.  But I think God has a plan for all of us, and maybe I just wasn't ready earlier...or maybe I was just slower to recognize it.  :)   A series of people and circumstances came into my life that made me realize that I truly wanted to write--and then, I discovered how much I loved to write romantic suspense.

How about you?  What would you love to do?  Have you followed your heart?  Become what you want to be?  Is there something you could do toward that goal now, even if it can't be achieved any time soon?  I'd love to hear about it!

 I'd like to share a family favorite recipe with you--some perfect for a chilly winter's night.

Sunday Night Enchiladas

Roxanne Rustand

1# ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

Salt & pepper

1 16 oz can refried beans

4 oz can chopped green chilies

3 cups mild cheddar cheese

Sprinkles of Hot Sauce

1 ½ cups medium salsa 

12+ tortillas

1. Brown the meat and onions.  Place in a colander and rinse away fat under hot running water. Spread beans in 9x13 pan.  Top with beef & onions. Season well with salt and pepper, sprinkle with hot sauce per your taste, and add chilies. Top with the 3 cups cheese, then drizzle  with the salsa.

2. Bake uncovered 25 minutes at 400 degrees or until thoroughly heated and bubbly. Spoon mixture onto tortillas, roll them up, and line them up in a single layer in a 9x13 pan, sprinkle heavily with more cheese, and put back in the oven until cheese topping is nice and melty. ...then top with garnishes.

3. Top with garnishes such a slather of sour cream (helps everything else stick!)  topped with more shredded cheese, sliced green onions, sliced black olives, chopped fresh tomato, extra salsa--hot, medium, or mild variety.

I serve it with chips & salsa, and a nice, crispy lettuce salad garnished with tomatoes.   For company, add a sopaipilla cheesecake and non-alcoholic slushy strawberry drinks.