Thought for the day......

I found this and just had to share it......I'm going to frame it and put it beside my bed! One of my promises to myself this year was to "leave it at the gate/door", as my Manager says. We do all we can, we will never make everyone happy nor will we be able to help everyone...but...we do the best we can ..every single day.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

RR

Ownership....Accountability

I have been in meetings the past two days, surrounded by my amazing group of co-workers, reviewing complex case/files. In review of these files, we kept coming back to the same conclusion....

Ownership+Accountability = Success

With each of our cases/files, each individual has set goals, there are SMART plans in place and practitioners to monitor and offer support/guidance...but without each individual taking ownership of these plans, their treatment..their life....there is no accountability and without accountability, the odds of success are very, very low.

Being accountable for your actions and or your lack of actions can be quite difficult, but one must 'step up', take ownership of them self and take each individual step forward towards success.

Taking that first step towards any new goal and implementing your plan is the scariest part....perhaps even harder then picking up that pen and beginning the plan to reach that goal in the first place. So many thoughts rush through your mind...."what of I can't do this"... "what if something goes wrong"...

When those thoughts cross your mind, always refer to your SMART plan....review the specific steps you have outlined in order to reach your goal...look at your timelines. If you think something needs to be tweaked...tweak it...working towards a goal is a fluid process and there is always very likely going to need to be re-adjustments along the way. This is also where accountability come in....you need to be able to admit to yourself that things may be 'falling off track', re-establish ownership and get back on track to that goal.

I have many personal goals, professional goals...some are 'in progress', some are still 'in the works' or planning stages, and some I have yet to even begin to plan...but I still keep them in mind....keep them in focus. Life is never 'static'...seconds fly by...hours, days and years. Make sure you make use of every second you can....agree to take ownserhip of your  life and live exactly the life you have always dreamt you could.

Whether it is a New Year's Resolution to 'get healthy' or the next room in your plan for home renovations...whatever you feel are the highest priority goals in your life....be sure you have a plan...a SMART Plan in place. You deserve to achieve these goals. There will be days of forging forward and days of standing still......but one thing you can never forget is the following,.. from one of movies all time greatest motivators.....

Yes...I am a HUGE Yoda fan.....and those 8 little words are so very, very powerful.......



A dream....

...without a plan is just a wish.

Dreams, goals, vision, planning....step-by-step...dreams can become a reality.

Home Decor is only one of my passions.....I am a Certified Kinesiologist and Certified Disability Management Professional 'by-trade' and  helping people achieve their goals through 'SMART' planning is a pivitol part of my day-to-day life...both as a Kin and in Home Decor.

As a Kin, I work with people to achieve personal goals regarding their health, recovery from injury/illness, and returning to work/'normalcy'. A key part of the success of life changing goal setting is the strength, clarity, specificity and follow up/re-review of the established SMART plan in order to achieve the outcome that is expected and hoped for. 

The same can be done with home decor. A house that you can home to every day and as you walk through the door, feel an encompassing sense of relief, calm and relaxation is what I believe we all strive for. A true sanctuary....a place to call your own, ..that you can put your own 'stamp' on, ..to be proud of ..and most importantly...a home to that is reflective of you, your personality and your dreams. All of this can be achieved through self reflection, 'dreaming big' and taking what you find in those reflections and dreams and putting them into action through goal setting...SMART goal setting.

I have always believed that for a person to be truly content...truly 'whole'....they not only have to be happy with who they are as a person, but also with their everyday surroundings.

My upcoming posts will cover in more details...the 5 steps of SMART goal setting and how you can take these steps and apply them to you, your home and in some cases, both simultaneously.

If anyone has a specific goal they have been thinking about or were unsure how to take the first steps forward to attaining it....send me an email to rusticretrievals@gmail.com  and I could use your example in one of my upcoming posts (of course, 100% annonymity is promised).

Some day....

It was back to work (real work) today. As good as it was to get back into my routine...I found my mind wandering from time to time and I kept looking at the sign I purchased over my vacation...a sign that reads "Dream Big".

Maybe it was all the time off (the longest I have been away from work in years) or the fact that I was able to really, truly relax, unwind and dive into the home decor side of things...but I found myself dreaming ...dreaming of a home I could one day have (ok...maybe if I win Lotto Max)...but none the less...I found some truly inspiring photos that have completely reignited the decor and design fire inside me!

To come home to this every day...the winding gravel drive (I am a country gal at heart), cedar shingles, stone, the fence and the horse barn.....THIS is my dream home/setting! 

Then there is this....the stone patio, the rolling hills, the forest, paddocks with galloping horses...I would never go inside! Some day....again, dreaming big!

The barn.....it speaks for itself. I can just imagine a horse in cross ties, tacking him up and then heading out for a ride on those rolling hills....



Everyone needs a weekend retreat....this 'cottage' suits the bill of dreaming big! If I could ...I would spend 24 hrs a day outdoors...and with a deck like this, I very well almost could!


I believe dreams really do inspire....they give us hope, an idea, and something to strive for. So whether it's a new kitchen you have been dreaming about or that cottage that you have always hoped for....take that dream and start taking the steps to making it a reality!

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

Cheers to 2012!!

Happy New Year!! As we start a new year, with hope and wishes of the great things to come, here are a few things to always remember and never forget!!

Life is a gift....

Life is art...

Life goes on......



If you make one resolution for 2012, make it this...TO LIVE!!!

Homemade Holiday Wreath...Silver and Blue..

I had the kind of custom order come in that I always really enjoy....my customer said that I could do whatever I would like!
Knowing she and her husband's favorite hockey team (Maple Leafs) and the fact that they just had twin boys, I decided to do a natural greens wreath with a blue and silver colour scheme.

I lined up the greenery on the deck (the weather was fantastic so I did this whole project outdoors!). I used a mix of white pine, cedar and spruce.

I then assembled all of the adornments for the wreath...the 'picks', ribbon, balls etc.

I made this wreath from 'scratch'...adding the greenery to the wire wreath frame with florists wire...cutting and putting together every bunch to place on the frame. Tools required include: florist wire, garden snips (for the greenery), wire snips (or an old pair of scissors), wire wreath frame (I got mine at Michaels).

I LOVE the creative process of rearranging bunches to get just the right fullness, trying picks and ribbons/bows in different spots and just the overall  'trial and error' that makes home made items as much fun to make as they are!

Here is the finished product....

I am really, really happy with this piece.....if you'd like to see more, please pop onto Facebook and check out/"Like" my page, Rustic Retrievals or, follow me on Twitter, @ructicretrieval (no "s" on retrievals). I'm also in the midst of setting up a shop on Etsy, so definitely keep you eyes open for that as well!

"Oxygen Mask"

One of my recent posts was about looking back and reflecting....this post is about looking forward, planning and truly LIVING every single day.

Quite a few people are already talking about resolutions for 2012...but I have decided to start them now....immediately! Those of you who know me well, know I do not sit still all that well and what better way to keep moving then to keep pushing forward, set new goals and really focus on something that I hope is so very important to all of us..."Oxygen Mask".

I use this analogy quite often...when I'm out presenting to my work groups, when I'm speaking with friends...but, like a lot of us, a lot of the time, I forget to actually implement it myself. I was on a flight the other day and like every good airline steward/ess says during their pre-flight..."Please put the oxygen mask on yourself before trying to help others". Such a small sentiment but with such HUGE meaning!!

You MUST take care of yourself (mind, body and soul) before you can even begin to take care/help others! 'Oxygen Mask' is my #1 resolution...take care of myself before I can take care of others!

Like these 2 quotes say...see each day as a new beginning and begin each day with a deep breath (put on your 'Oxygen Mask' and the air begins to flow)! If the 'going gets tough' throughout your day, take a step back and "just breath".

A part of the 'Oxygen Mask' and taking care of yourself, is knowing yourself. Knowing who you are, what you stand for, where you want to go in life and how you want to get there, strengthens you in so many ways. The stronger you are in who you are (when you have your 'Oxygen Mask' fully on), you can begin to truly live every day of your life...and help others.





A HUGE percentage of everyday well being is psychological..how you approach your day-to-day and everyday life..this is the oxygen flowing into that mask. This quote says it all.....

.........."then be" your own 'oxygen mask' and LIVE every single day of your life to the absolute fullest!



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.

My Visit West

I was lucky enough to recently travel to Calgary to see some wonderful friends and enjoy/experience the lifestyle of the "west"...one that I absolutely love and hope to one day, experience on a much more regular basis!

We did some skiing at Castle Mountain (see below) and then went and had some of the best pizza I have had in some time at in Fort MacLeod at this little 'hole in the wall' pub/restuarant.

The next day was spent in Canmore.....could I ever get used to living there! Between the spectacular scenery, the lifestyle, the design/home aesthetic and the shopping/dining....all I can say is WOW...it has everything I could ever ask for!

We did some shopping at an amazing (an my new fav) store called Stonewaters. We then had a wonderful lunch and some local beer at the Grizzly Paw.

Here are some pics of items I wish I could have brought home with me from Canmore:



Overall, it was a wonderful and inspiring trip...and I can't wait to go back!

Such a wonderful holiday!

What a wonderful past week and a bit spent with fam and friends! I can't get over how fast the time flew by...back to work tomorrow.

I was able to get home to my parent's and spent a good amount of time outside with the dogs.

This is the sunrise on Christmas morning...almost eerie, but very picturesque!

The snow on the trees was spectacular and I was able to get some great pics! Boxing Day also had a wonderful sunset that I just had to snap a few shots of.

I was lucky enough to get a sewing machine and acessories from Santa and I also received items so that I can begin to knit.....I have a feeling its going to be a very crafty 2011!!