Cheers to 2013!

2013 has been a year to remember...full of many wonderful moments, surrounded by friends and family!

Cheers to a year that has brought me many unbelievable memories, helped remind me who I am and allowed me to express and share my gratitude! 

Here's a lil compilation of some of my favorite memories of 2013.....

I hope you have a chance today, to sit down and reflect on 2013 and also look forward to 2014! As I look forward, I can tell you there will be lots of new things with Rustic Retrievals for the year ahead...STARTING TOMORROW!!

Thank you to all my friends, family and clients for your support this year! I couldn't do it without you!

RR

**All images are property of Ardis McDonald - Rustic Retrievals

Holidays in a New Home - Part Two

The outside of my Mom and Dad's new home was decorated with care....

Time to move onto the inside...

Our first Christmas after the fire was in the farmhouse my parent's were renting while they finalized plans to build this new house. I will admit...that Christmas was full of mixed emotions. We are a family of sentimentality....we had and lost over 50 years of ornaments and decorations from family and loved ones. Every year, decorating the tree turned into a walk down memory lane as we put ornaments on the tree that held such significant meaning...especially the ornaments from those loved ones we have lost. Those will never....ever.. be replaced. But..I still have the memories of  decorating those trees, those ornaments and the significance they had. And...this first Christmas in the new house was a chance to start new traditions and make new memories while remembering and reminiscing about old ones.

As long as I can remember, we always had multi-coloured lights on the tree and that tradition continued in the new home. There's something so cheerful about the reds, greens and blues glistening through the branches.

As upsetting as it was to lose our family's ornaments, we did our best to turn that into a positive by constantly being on  the search for new ones...ones that reminded us of Christmases past but also brought something new to our Holidays as well.

Remember C.A.L.M from previous posts..... We saw these ornaments and just had to get them (oh...and my Mom LOVES decorating with red at the Holidays too)...These were perfect for more than one reason!

We just loved these vintage-look ornaments for the tree (they were actually gift tags that we decided to put on the tree instead). Those shimmery snowflakes were also a must have as my Mom collects snowflakes. 

So after picking the perfect tree, hanging the lights, arranging the decorations (a few times)......VOILA!!

This is the front entry... We used a combination of red, white and grey with a piece of artwork that symbolizes our summers on Lake of the Woods. 

Pinecones, painted feathers, Holiday ornaments, Christmas crackers.....they all worked together sooo well!

Another close up of the tree...I see a bit of a theme...red...white...and snowflakes.

Then there's this guy...the official Gift Guard.....with his new squeaker (he got to open a gift a wee bit early).

We then realized that we'd mayyybbbeee purchased a few too many decorations. We also decided that we wanted to keep a bit of a theme on the big tree...soooo.....I brought my smaller tree from my house and a second tree was decorated! A new tradition in the new house...2 trees!

This one had a more rustic and cottagey theme....it was covered in antlers, deer, moose, bears, plaid, fisher-snowmen, tackleboxes, burlap....This truly was for my Dad...

This guy is my favorite....Something about him reminds me of my Dad...I think it's the boots...(my Dad also collects moose)..

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!

This was in a card my parent's had received from one of their friends...it just seemed so very appropriate and suited the mood perfectly! 

"Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders that are unseen and unseeable in the world".

Looking back through these photos from last Christmas brought a huge smile to my face....and also a few tears. So many memories came flooding back...not just from last Christmas...but from all of them. One thing that I will always keep very close to my heart is my family....without family, for me, there would be no Holidays...no Christmas. They are what truly 'make it' for me.....

RR

**All photos are property of Rustic Retrievals/Ardis McDonald.

Family = Friend

It has been said that friends are family you choose for yourself. My cousin Bradey is family that I would have chosen as my friend.

We have lived our lives at opposite ends of the province (she's in the North - Kenora to be exact) and I'm here in the South. When we were younger, we spent our summers together at the Camp (our family cottage) on Clearwater Bay/Lake of the Woods and those are the days I will remember forever!

From Barbies and learning how to water ski, to where we are today....we sure have come a long way and I know that if we didn't live 23 hours away from each other, we'd be a 'dangerous' combo (in a very good way!)!

Bradey has the entrepreneurial spirit most of us only dream of. Her genuine love of life and positive outlook are infectious! And...to top it all off...she lives on a lake, in a log home her hubby built for her and her four boys...Talk about Super Mom!

Yes...this is her home...handcut logs, wrought iron and a bridge/walkway between the 2 upper areas/lofts.

Bradey with 3 of her 4 boys spending a day on the lake...

Bradey wrote this on her FB page today and it really does give you a snapshot of the amazing woman she is....

1. All four of my kids have the same blood type - A+. Same as their dad, NOT same as me (I'm A-). Go figure 

2. My top FOUR front teeth are veneers. And those of you who've been around long enough will remember the sad sad night of Pick It Up. Sigh.

3. I actually don't need vodka/wine/beer to tell me I can dance. I can and do at will....just do it 

4. I have started running. Again, those of you "in the know" will know this is some sort of voodoo magic. And I'm speedy 

5. I graduated as an Ontario Scholar and was nominated for Valedictorian the year I graduated. Which will remain a quiet, unnamed year in history.... 

6. I ALWAYS wanted 4 kids. Didn't matter what kind - despite the VAST myriad of people to assume otherwise - and I'm so blessed to have the ones I've been gifted.

7. I have been in love with my husband since I was 17 years old.

8. I collect aprons. Antique, vintage, new....I love aprons. And I wear them all the time 

9. I am content: with my life, my family and even myself.

10. For someone who talks a LOT, this was really a challenge. Apparently I must not talk about myself too much, because I had to THINK about most of this!!!


Number 6, 7 and 9 bring the biggest smile to my face... she just rocks!

I mentioned her entrepreneurial spirit as she has/had a home based business, making amazingly delicious home-cooked meals and selling them to the local community (ie. fresh, from scratch, wholesome, yummy and ready for you when you were home from work). She has put this business on-hold for now, but she still cooks and bakes everyday for her family and the pictures she posts make my mouth water every, single time!

There are just a few:

So if this doesn't have you salivating yet, this recipe will! 

I was looking for a tried, tested and true banana muffin recipe a while back and of course I turned to Bradey. This recipe that she sent me is FABTASTIC! It turns out every time and the muffins are absolutely delicious! I took a batch into work (ie. to a group of 12 guys) and they were gone before they headed out to the field for the day.

Bradey's Banana Muffin Recipe!

1 3/4 cups of flour (straight white or a mix of  3/4 cup whole wheat and 1 cup white)

1tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine (can also use coconut oil - I usually do 1/4 cup butter &1/4 cup coconut oil)

1 1/4 cups sugar (can use all white or a mix of white and brown)

2 eggs

1/4 cup sour cream (or yogurt)

3 medium bananas

Chocolate chips, coconut...whatever extras you'd like to add

I also put a tiny bit of vanilla extract in too 

In a large bowl, whip butter/marg and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in (by hand or on low speed) sour cream and mashed up bananas. 

In a separate bowl, mix all the other dry ingredients together. If you're adding choc chips or coconut, add them in with the dry ingredients.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients (by hand!) and then put into the prepared pan/muffin cups (ie. spray pans or use liners prior to adding batter).

Bake at 350 for muffins or a 9 x 13 pan or 325 for a loaf or bundt pan. Muffins or the 9 x 13 take about 25 minutes. Loaf/bundt take about 45-50. Test with a toothpick and if it's clean, you're good to go!!

There we go...I made a batch this morning and needless to say, they were breakfast (still hot, just out of the oven with the butter melting into them...yummmmm). Oh...they were lunch too!

Tomorrow is Bradey's birthday (Nov.17)...soo HAPPY BIRTHDAY LADY! Cheers to another year and thank you for being the wonderful woman you are! Miss you lots and can't wait till we can get together again.

RR

Re-Claim, Re-Envision and Re-Purpose

 

The countdown is on to 2013 and what better time to look back on 2012 and reflect on days past, but to also refocus to 2013 and days yet to have begun.

 

To say that this past year was a roller coaster ride would be an understatement.....I'd say it was more like every single ride at any big amusement park all in one! The ups and downs have been unbelievable, both in good and bad ways.

 

New babies have been born and we also lost wonderful people much too soon. The circle of life was very apparent this year....

 

 

New homes were built, new chapters of life began and the memories of homes once had will be with us forever!

 

 

 

 

Time spent with friends and family was cherished and thoroughly enjoyed! 2013 will hold much more of this...I guarantee it!

 

 

A weekend at the lake this summer....



Travel, work, more travel, more work....this year there will be much more travel (fun travel) and much less work...I promise to work to live, not live to work!

 

A trip to Thunder Bay this year....got to see first hand what our guys do day-in, day-out.

 

Lake Superior

 

Our world has also thrown some curveballs this year..some were hit out of the park in the most fun and exciting way, others, we completely struck out on! The Olympics were a perfect example of the world coming together, playing together and showcasing the best of the best! The human tragedies  and the absolutely crazy weather showed us the worst this world has to offer, but even through the worst, the best came out in people! ...I only hope that we can all take a step back, learn from what has occurred, try to treat eachother with more care and truly appreciate what we have!

 

 

My plan for 2013 goes back to my small business 'mantra'...

 

RE-CLAIM

RE-ENVISION

RE-PURPOSE

 

I will re-claim my life, refocus on me and taking care of myself, first and foremost. I will put on my "Oxygen Mask" and eat better, get back to the gym, take more time for activities I enjoy, get outside more......time to re-claim who I am!

 

Have more fun in 2013...and not only on weekends ;) !!

 

I will re-envision where I am heading in life. I am blessed to live a life that is holistically, a very happy and fulfilling way of being. That being said, there are areas I want to 're-jig', 'tweak' and revisit my vision. My small business, Rustic Retrievals, is one of them. I have a passion for home decor, styling and helping others create the home they have always wanted.....it's time to take it up a notch and really focus on this! I will also become a regulated health professional this year as a College of Kinesiologists has been established in the province of Ontario. This will open even more doors for my other passions....the human body, helping others and rehabilitation. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

I will re-purpose what I already have and keep reminding myself how very lucky I am to have what I have. This will be a year of 'less spending and more saving'. When I do spend, I will continue to focus on  supporting local shops and small businesses.
 I'm not only talking about material things....I will also continue to and constantly re-examine and re-visit relationships, my career, my goals and continually re-purpose, re-claim and re-envision all of these too!

 

 

2012 was quite a year....I look forward to what 2013 holds for me, my family and my friends!

THIS IS OUR YEAR!!!

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year from Charlie and I!!

 

 

RR

 

 

 

 



All You Need....

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and continue to have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends!

 

I am very lucky in my line of work to have been able to take time off around the holiday season this year and spend that time with those I care about most. However, many of my friends work in fields such as healthcare, emergency services and retail and they do not always have this luxury.

 

Our hospitals never shut down, accidents continue to happen, people still get sick... so those of us in the healthcare/emergency services field understand that there will be holidays that will be spent at work, away from family. That being said, for any of my friends that work in these fields, they don't work every holiday, they rotate on and off and do have a chance to spend some holidays with their family....

 

Then....there's retail. I just texted with a friend of mine who is a Store Manager at one of the busiest malls in Canada, just to see how she is doing....she sent me back a 2 word answer...."Friggin Crazy".

She loves what she does, but, as her friend, I would love to see her have the opportunity to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day with her family/children. As a Manager, she is there until close on Christmas Eve, is there first thing on Boxing Day and generally stays until the bitter end...EVERY, SINGLE YEAR!

 

Like I said, she loves what she does and she is darn great at what she does, but, if I could have one wish granted, I would love to see Boxing Day moved to December 27...or even December 28! I would love to see her be able to stay in her pajamas on Boxing Day, curl up on the couch with her 2 beautiful kids and just relax!

 

My friend and her daughter at the lake this summer...

 

We spend an entire day opening gifts that we haven't even had a chance to truly appreciate and enjoy, yet, some of us feel the need to line up as early as 1am on Boxing Day (or even before), to go buy more 'stuff'...yes, 'stuff'. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that, but, let's be thankful to those people who have given up their holiday time to be there to sell you 'stuff'.

 

We are a consumer driven society and yes, I understand completely that we need to continue to be consumers to ensure our economy stays on track...however....we also need to find a balance between needs versus wants! 

 

A person may need medical care on December 26 but no one needs to go out and buy an iPad on December 26.

 

As you can likely tell, I've never understood the hype behind Boxing Day...I'd much rather spend the day with people I care about versus fighting through crowds of strangers for 'deals' on material things.

 

I challenge you to spend time with your family today rather then your debit/credit card. Be thankful for what you already have versus what you feel you still want.

 

 

 

RR

 

 

Giving Thanks...



Happy Thanksgiving!

 

This is the time of year we gather together to give our thanks to family, friends, community and for all that we are lucky enough to have in our lives...

 

I am eternally thankful and appreciative for everything in my life....and sometimes it's the 'small stuff'...the 'everyday' events we can take for granted and forget to be thankful for.

 

Things like.......

 



 

... the simple pleasures of a long walk with a friend

 

 



 

..... the sun rising against the trees

 



 

.... the memories of loved ones lost

 

 

 

 

......nature's bounty

 

 

 

 

....sunsets and storm clouds

 

 

 

 

........the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

 

 

 

 

........a warm cup of comfort

 

 



 

 

Hope you have a wonderful long weekend!

 

 

RR

Gal Pals

I got together with a group of girl friends from university yesterday who I hadn't seen in ages! As we sat there and discussed meeting eachother, getting to know eachother and the past 10 years since we graduated (yes...10 years).....I couldn't help but think how lucky I am to have such amazing women in my life!

Most of them have married, had kids (there were 12 children under the age of 6 there and I'm so happy & proud to be their "auntie") and a lot sure has changed in the past 14 years! As we sat in the back yard, my friend turned to me and said, "it feels like we're at someone's parents' house".....it was a bit surreal.. but also a testament to how though life continues forward, it sometimes feels like it stands still. We are home owners, some are parents, we have careers...we're officially "grown-ups"....a far cry from university life of going to class, house parties and pubs from 10 years earlier!

They are an amazing groups of gals....and I am honestly and truly blessed to have them...and all of my other fantatsically amazing gals pals in my life! Whether we have been friends since birth or have newly developed a friends ship over the past few months/years...THANK YOU for being part of my life....you all help me be who I am, just knowing that you are always there for me!

Thank you again to my gal pals.....you are all extremely phenomenal women...

RR

Never Turn Down An Antique.....

I found this quote in the newest Domino Magazine. 

Having lost our family and my childhood home to fire and all of our family antiques, mementos, photos etc...I strongly, STRONGLY recommend you live by this.....

If you have the chance to keep a piece of your family's past (even if it does clash, even if its not pretty)...DO IT! Cherish it, enjoy it, re-visit old memories and make new memories with it....

I would give anything to change the events of that night...we will never have those pieces of our family's history back..but, I/we will always, always have the memories.

So, when your Gram or Grampa offers you a piece of their past...graciously, thankfully accept and bring it into your life...you never know how much time you have left with them, how many more memories may be made....and what might be gone tomorrow....

RR

Giving Thanks..

I can't believe my last entry was in February...yet, I have no idea how it is already almost December! The past 17 months have been a bit of a rollercoaster to say the least, but tonight, as I sit in my new/old home/cottage, I wanted to sit down and get everything 'out there' and reflect on how thankful I truly am...

It all started last summer...my Grama, who had been ill for some time, passed away in August 2010. I had been to Kenora to see her in June and we had had a WONDERFUL visit...she truly was and had always been such an amazing woman for so many reasons! I will never, ever forget her, "All Night Children", Coronation St, the Camp, our Sunday phone calls or her voice saying, "Goodnight Tootie" (her pet name for me).

November 2010 rolled around and while I was away on a business trip, my dog Charlie, was hit by a car. He/we were very lucky, even with a badly dislocated elbow and damage to his face....I'm just so happy to say that one year later he is out running again and is pretty much back to his old self! This picture was taken just a few days before his accident.

Then in December 2010...we lost my Godmother. The woman who helped raise me since I was 8 weeks old...she saw every first day of school, was at every major milestone...she really was a second Mom. Whether we were baking and getting flour all over the kitchen or at the lake, getting sand all over the cottage...she just let us be who we were/are and was behind us, supporting and loving us every step of the way. This is a picture of her, her husband and me at my birthday.

Don't get me wrong, there has been some amazing things happen this year too...friends having babies..true miracles; I'm lucky to have a job I enjoy and I inherited a great caseload of people to work with and I sold my loft and purchased a new home in August 2011 as I was more then ready to have a yard for Charlie to run in, a garden and a fresh start.

On August 24, 2011, I received a phone call I will never forget and this day will forever be etched in my mind. A severe storm system had rolled through that night (and it was only a few days after the Goderich tornado) and at 11:35pm, I got a call from my Dad who said, "the house is on fire". Every possible emotion rushed through my body at that moment and as cliche as it sounds, time stood still....My family home, the house I grew up in and that my parents had lived in for 33 years was gone..absolutely destroyed in minutes. It had been struck by lightening and my parents had had a matter of minutes to get out and thankfully, they did make it out. I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face as I write this...and they are flowing even more when I think about Chip...my dog's son, my parent's dog...who we lost that night in the fire. He had made it out with my Mom but we figure he went back in inthe darkness to get my Dad.....a truly loyal and loving companion until the end. He was such an amazing dog...you had to smile everytime you even just looked at him....

You are probably wondering where the "giving thanks" part of this comes in....but through all of these things/events that have happened, I have grown and matured as a person, our family has grown closer and stronger, friendships have continued and have also strengthened, new lives have been born...and most of all, my perspective has really, really changed. At the end of the day....the people in your life are all that matter! As long as you have a network of people around you, to love, care for and be there for, life is complete! I am so very, very thankful I still have my parents...and all the wonderful memories of those that have passed on...but also for the newer memories made as we all got together to celebrate the lives of those who are no longer with us. Family and friends have always been a priority in my life...but now, so much more then ever.