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...

December 1st rolled around and I realized that I still had over half of my vacation days to take...so....Holidays started December 19th this year! I usually try to have most of my Christmas shopping done by the beginning of December, but, that wasn't the case this year, so I was SO GLAD to have some extra days to get caught up. 

Holidays meant local shopping in downtown Guelph, out for lunches & brunches, bevies (found a new fav!), cozy nights in and time with friends...all my favourite things to do this time of year! (...any time of year really)

The holidays started like this...on the couch, with a glass of wine, candles and doing absolutely nothing but relaxing!

Then...

After an evening of relaxation, time to start wrapping! I also had a wee helper to keep my mug of coffee filled and my supplies ready at hand....

Let me introduce you to....Bling Crosby!! The best Holiday Helper (aka Stuffed Dude) ever!!

Then...it was time for some shopping!!

At trip downtown Guelph wouldn't be complete without a stop at Blush!

I'll take one of each, please!

Then, it was off to another one of my favourite shops....

Coriander!  I absolutely LOVED these home decor pieces!

This ornament...too cute!!

After all that shopping, time for some lunch!

Off we went to Atmosphere for an amazing salad and BLT pizza!

Then to Sapphire for dessert (their homemade icecream and a brownie) and an 'adult' cappucino! Emily, thank you sooooo much for introducing me to this! Adult = Amarula! Yum Yum Yum!

It was so good, I had to go back for lunch again the next day....with magazines in tow! By the way...their sandwiches are fabtastic! (my fav is the summer sausage!)

Then back home to continue wrapping and Holiday preparations!

With plenty of coffee, espresso, Amarula on hand, I had all the necessities for a wrapping marathon! I also had Rick Grimes (of the Walking Dead) to keep me and Bling Crosby, company too! Another thanks to Emily for introducing me to that series!

Ready to press....

A HUGE "Thank You" to my wonderful gals pals for your generous gifts of all the holiday essentials, whether I'm snuggled up with a good book or getting ready to host some friends!

Emily made this mug…how wickedly awesome is that?!? 

Then....Mother Nature decided to throw us a curve ball....a very, very icy one!

 These photos are of my lilac bush in front of my home...

This absolutely insane weather was frightening yet beautiful....picturesque yet destructive! When the weather system blew through, it brought us all out of our homes in a true sense of community....de-icing, salting, sanding...driveways, sidewalks, vehicles...all the while, laughing, telling stories and making the best of a difficult situation.

Then...after packing up my vehicle....it was time to head to my other home...Mom and Dad's in the country.

To be continued...

RR

Ladies Who Lunch...

Or Brunch....or Dinner......or Breakfast...

As my last post eluded to, I am a HUGE believer in both making new relationships but also building and nurturing current and longstanding ones!

I truly do think that everyone you cross paths with, you do so for a reason. Those people that you then choose to welcome into your life open a wealth of new possibilities through whatever type of relationship may suit...professional, personal, romantic etc...

I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful group of women this past weekend at BlogPodium and I wholeheartedly look forward to growing, nurturing and building those relationships/friendships.

Through social media (see my last post for our new FB page), our blogs, get-togethers (some of us already have a brunch planned here in Guelph in October and I definitely think a treehouse get together is in order) I am sure new friendships will develop and to say I am looking forward to it is such an understatement!

I have written previously about how important my gal pals are to me and over the past few years, they have grown dearer and dearer to my heart for so many reasons. 

I truly am blessed by the wonderful women that surround me and that I am lucky enough to call friends. Whether we were on the ice together at 3 years old learning to figure skate, sitting beside each other in grade 9 homeroom, university roommates/classmates, co-workers at the same company, neighbours...the list goes on....But.. every one of those gals I cherish, adore and I truly miss their smiles/laughs/hugs when I haven't seen then as much as I would like to.

I have found that as we get older, lives get busier, families get larger, careers get more hectic....we turn to lunching, brunching, drinks, dinner etc to get together, get caught up and sit back and breath!

Whether it's around my dining room table with a stack of magazines (thank you so much again BlogPodium), chocolate cake (that my friend's husband made that was truly FABTASTIC!), some fruit and a latte..(and yes, this was breakfast)....it sets a mood of ease, comfort and relaxation. The minutes tick by, turning in to hours and you don't even notice it.

mmmm....chocolate cake, magazines and a latte...the perfect Sunday breakfast with a gal pal!

I am also a HUGE fan of going out for breakfast and brunch. It is the time of day that it allows for great discussion, a relaxed environment, many cups of tea or coffee and time to just focus on the gals (note: always turn off the phones, UNLESS, there could be baby problems at home)...

this is the breakfast pizza at Ox in Guelph...talk about the PERFECT brunch food...oh, and their lattes....TO DIE FOR!!

Then...there's dinner and drinks.... Really, is there anything much better than a fantastic bottle of wine, amazing food and stunning conversation! I think my friends and I have solved many of the world's problems when all of these things fall into line!



note: bottle of wine, amazing bar top, gorgeous stone walls, and a menu that was so yummy fantastic we couldn't decide what to order. 
we spent HOURS there that night my friend and I ...the setting was just perfect for great conversation and lots of laughs.



ambiance is key too (kinda obvious, I know)....this was actually just last night and the lighting fixture and the fireplace just added the little extra "muah" to the room!

To me, my girlfriends are like great design.....timeless, warm, welcoming, steadfast and comforting. Keeping those relationships well nurtured and strong is no different then oiling and maintaining that antique piece of furniture you love so dearly. 

Life has thrown a lot of curve balls my way the past few years and without my friends, I don't know where I would be today! Gals...you all know who you are and I am so utterly thankful to have each and every one of you in my life!

The reason I wrote this post is because I got the sweetest and timeliest message from one of my dearest and oldest friends the other day....I literally opened it up and the tears just started flowing. She and I have spent many, many a day, night, 3am either cooking, lunching, snacking, drinking, chatting, laughing, crying....those simple times have been the best times...and her message to me reminded me of that! Thank you so much Kris...Love ya!

So....get your gals together....throw a dinner party for just the girls (or have an ice cream party where everyone comes in their comfies with a tub of ice cream, cookies, sprinkles and you make sundaes like no other), make reservations and get all dressed up and go for dinner and drinks, or all plan to meet at the local bistro for brunch and coffee (maybe a mimosa too). Keep growing those friendships....building those relationships....these women are in your life for a reason. You have welcomed them into your life...take the time to keep them there!

RR

What a week..a great week :)

Or maybe I should say....what a month!

I have no idea where April went or how May 1st is next week.....

Life seems to get away from us sometimes, but this past Saturday I had the chance to put things on 'hold' and get together with my University Gal Pals here in Guelph. We had a great afternoon chatting, snacking, enjoying some vino...and just having a great time!

For the Gals' arrival, I had bought some tulips (just from the grocery store, nothing fancy) and became enamored with them (as evidenced by the photos below).

They still look great almost a week later.

Then, it was off to a 2 day conference in Simcoe with work. It was a chance to put our work on hold and let my co-workers and I get together from across the province for 2 days of sharing and learning.

We headed to Callahan's Beach House for dinner and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset, amazing fish and fantastic wine/spirits. 

The name just says it all..... ;)

This is going to be a busy weekend too...I'm doing the Spring Sprint for the Canadian Brain Tumour Foundation tomorrow, in memory of a great highschool friend.

What a week...what a great week! 

RR

Hamlet with a Heart!

I grew up just outside of a small village...or hamlet...called Belmore, Ontario.

At the ripe age of 3, I took my first unsure steps on the ice surface at the arena that would turn into my second home throughout my public school and highschool days.

I write a lot about how much I love small towns and I can tell you with 100% honesty, I would not be the woman I am today if it wasn't for this hamlet and the community that surrounds it.

From the hours spent on that ice surface trying to perfect an axel or double loop...to the time spent at my best friend's house by the campfire or in the horse barn....words can't truly express how lucky I feel to have been brought up in a community that relies solely on volunteers and what that sense of camaraderie and giving back has taught me and brought to my life.

This time of year means Maple Syrup Festival in Belmore and this was it's 46th year!

This entire 2 day event is run completely by volunteers....everything from the steering committee, to the people mixing batter in the kitchen, flipping sausages, serving tables, parking cars...the list goes on and on...but every single person is their, giving of their own time to support this  wonderful community and event.

 How many events can truly say this nowadays? It really is something to be experienced and to see the same people (and new faces) come out year after year, makes me smile but also makes me feel very proud and happy to be a part of it.

Here's a sense of the grocery list of some of the basics needed for the Festival....The maple syrup, sausages, milk etc are all sourced locally, from local farmers and butchers...That's another great part of growing up here....fresh, local produce directly from our neighbours and friends!

This is a picture of the arena floor...full of people who come from all across southern Ontario to enjoy a feast of fluffy pancakes, fresh maple syrup, and amazing sausage! Not only is the food fantastic, but there are also wonderful vendors (they fill an entire curling club and auditorium) with everything from quilts to pottery, jewellery, word working, local meats/cheeses etc etc...

The thing that I always look forward the most to on days like today is seeing all the of familiar, smiling faces of neighbours, friends, old skating comrades and being able to get 'caught up' just like we saw each other yesterday! You can't take more then 10 steps and hear a friendly, "Hello", "How are you?", "I just saw your Dad"...it goes on and on.



This year, we were the morning crew....I helped on the arena floor serving and clearing tables, my Dad was on sausage duty and my Mom was in the kitchen mixing batter....and of course, we aren't the only family there. There are some families that had 4 generations there either enjoying a yummy meal or working to help ensure a successful event. Again, words can't express how amazing it is to look around and see my friends with their grandparent's, their parents and their little ones, all sitting down to enjoy a meal together in the community we all grew up in.





I will never be able to express in words how grateful I am to this community and all the giving, caring and thoughtful people who I am lucky enough to call neighbours and friends. Speaking of friends and neighbours, the photo below is of a family friend/neighbour Bob, my Dad and our next door neighbour, 'Uncle Dave', hard at work, serving up scrumptious sausages.






Keep your calendars free in 2014, for the second weekend in April. Come on out to Belmore and enjoy some amazing food, small town hospitality and say "Hi"...I'll be there!

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

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.