This week has everyone talking about how summer is ‘over’ but tbh guys, there’s still a bunch of nice days left. It was so hot out yesterday. It’s that perfect time of year when the days are warm, nights cool for sleeping, and there are NO bugs. As I mentioned the other day it’s a great time to ditch old habits, clean out that closet, and make a new routine. I really need to get my ass in gear when it comes to what I’m eating and exercise. Maybe I just need to workout more? People always said that after 30 your metabolism slows down and damnit they were right!  A photo posted by ? C A S I E S T E W A R T (@casiestewart) on Aug 30, 2016 at 6:07am PDT We hadn’t planned to be at the cottage this past weekend but in a twist of events, it was vacant so we jumped in the truck and hit the road. We never stop for anything but burgers (Webers!) on the way up BUT Sean asked if I wanted to go to the 400 Market. It’s just before Barrie on the 400 HWY and neither of us had ever been. WELL, it’s a sight to be seen. Before we event went inside the building I fell in love with this fur coat. Sean tried on an awesome leather biker jacket with a half-naked lady on the back. I wish I took a photo but only posted it on Snap. ? Sorry! Follow me over there: casiestewart.  There were so many treasures in there. We got some amazing hot sauce, samosas, a couple sausage rolls, sunglasses, and a few other knick knacks. SUMMER OVER? ??WHATEVER. ✌?️ New jacket from market. ? @weare1188 ? #furbaby #winter #cottagelife A photo…

In Muskoka for the weekend. ☀️???? The weather is so nice. We came up today instead of last night because it was a long week! Finished Stranger Things on Netflix, great show. ?  I hate that empty feeling when you’ve binged something good and then it’s over. ? We’re at PIE right now waiting for pizza. ?????  There’s a couple locations in Barrie, this is the first in Muskoka. The pizza is SO GOOD. We order a coulple then take some home each time. Cold pizza is my fav breakfast. ? Saw this sweet Corvette outside. Sean has one from 1982 sitting in our garage. ? This weekend I’m driving a new Cruze from Chevrolet Canada, it’s sweet! I borrowed a tent from Mountain Equipment Co-op and Emily and I put it together with no sweat. ?☀️??  The last time I put up a tent I think I was her age. Things have gotten easier since then!  Tonight we’re having fireworks and a fire.  ??  PIZZA IS HERE, OK BYE. ❤️?

Yesterday I went out on my bike for the first time in weeks. Since my surgery I’ve been trying to get out for a walk in the morning and then before sunset. I find leaving the house in the morning gets me in a good groove for the day. I have a coffee, soak up some sunshine, catch a  few Pokemon, take some photos, update Snapchat, all before 9am. ?✌? I caught a JYNX today and then saw a man drawing a Poké Ball in his notebook at the coffee shop. It’s amazing how much you learn about yourself going though a surgery or big life event. It was pretty hard at first not being able to reach for things or lift things but I managed. Sean has been really helpful in this whole process and tbh I’ve kinda liked not having to load the car for the cottage or carry groceries! (Thanks babe love you! He prob won’t read this ?)  I’m back in the kitchen making great snacks and have perfected a trick of using tongs to grab things high up. I found this darling little Tuck Shop around the corner from home yesterday. I was there just as it closed but they make all kinds of delicious (sounding) food I can’t wait to try. So, I popped into Wallace Espresso on Dupont instead and picked up some real fruit pops and a cup of the most incredibly delicious chocolate ice cream. The Junction Triangle is seriously evolving, there’s a bunch of great spots in the area now. There’s also a Rancho Relaxo on this same corner to fulfill the need for tacos. HUzzahhhh! This is a happy person on bike with wind in her hair. Watch the story on Snapchat here.  Perfect top for coffee walk @sarasaraduke @StoriaPR! ☀️☕️#butfirstcoffee…

It’s been just over a week since my surgery and I’m feeling more like myself today, finally. I didn’t realize how much having huge boobs affected my mental health. Everyday when I got dressed I’d try an find an outfit that carefully hid them enough not to be obnoxious but also looked cute. I actually feel a big weight off not only my chest but my shoulders in an emotional way. It was so easy for me to make a huge mess trying to find something to wear each day. Clothes mountain was a regular occurrence, I’d try things on then toss ’em on the bed or floor with frustration. I’m so glad I didn’t get rid of clothes that were a little too small, I can wear them now! Last week I wore a jacket from Nasty Gal I ordered online about 2 years ago and it fit like a charm. Before last week, it looked unbalanced and too small to sit nicely on the chest. I’m a size 4 at most stores and often I’d get a tops size L or a 10 just to fit them in. Now, so many of my dresses, button down shirts, and T-shirts actually fit. They’re not stressed at the buttons or stretched. It feels amazing!  The whole process of going through surgery was less horrifying and painful than I imagined. My surgeon, Dr. Rice, was really great and his staff helped calm my nerves through the whole process. For the first 3 days I was really in pain, couldn’t move much, needed pain killers. The next 2 days I was feeling good, able to walk around. On the 6th day I felt so great after my post-op appointment. I went out for dinner, then met up with friends, stayed up late, and had a few drinks. In hindsight, this was…

Sitting in the waiting room with my sister. An hour from now I’ll be in surgery. I can’t wait to have new boobs and ditch some of this weight! I’m looking forward to this all being over and starting a new workout regime in a couple weeks. I’ll be able to wear cute workout clothes for once! And only 1 bra! In other news, someone’s dad decided the waiting room for surgery was a great place to listen to all the different bird sounds from a bird watching website. I politely asked him to get headphones or stop. I’m in hospital clothes (he wasn’t) so I feel like I can do that rn.

It’s like a mini vacation with every visit, like hitting the reset button. ?????? Today Sean and I had the best day, ice cream and a car show, then Grand Electric Muskoka for tacos and ceviche. ??? TBH I like the Grand Electric Muskoka vibe WAY better than the Queen West location, not as loud and the staff are higher on the chill scale.?

This weekend was so nice and chill. We had a couple friends up at the cottage. Saturday was super sunny and beautiful while Sunday was the perfect lazy, rainy, couch day. Put the LayBag in the water and it is so awesome. I purchased it after seeing ads on FB and I’m super glad I did. It’s a bit harder to fill up than it looks in the commercial but I’ve almost got it down. This summer Sean and I have had heaps of time up at the cottage and it’s really helped me chill out. Ever since my digital detox in April I’ve really tried to take some relax time on the weekends. This weekend I’m going away with Ford Canada on a mystery getaway. If you check the #EscapeandDiscover hashtag on Twitter a bunch of us bloggers have been anxiously trying to try and figure out what we’re doing. Blog friends, #EscapeAndDiscover? — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) May 30, 2016 Oh Internet ILU.

A couple of weeks ago I sent a jokey tweet to Endy (a Canadian mattress company) asking them to be my friendy, cute right? I was hoping it would be the start of a beautiful friendship where we got a new mattress and then had better sleeps forever. The end. Well, that’s exactly what happened! Sean and I have been looking through the best mattresses 2020 and contemplating whether or not we should get a new mattress. If you are in a similar position, The Dozy Owl has more info on buying a mattress for those interested. The process of finding the perfect mattress can be quite difficult if you don’t have time to head to the store to test them for yourself. Sites like Mattress Battle can remove some of the stress by supplying you with comparisons and reviews of the best mattresses so that you can make an informed decision. After checking out Endy, Sean said ‘why don’t you tweet them’ and that’s how it all started. A couple of days later I received an email from them and worked out a dealio. Working with brands via social can be really fun. When I’m looking to get the attention of someone, I often reach out via tweet or slide into their DMs. Building relationships with brands or influencers is a lot easier if you keep an eye on what they’re up so, and start out with a compliment or nice message instead of asking for something right away. Endy is manufactured in Toronto, compressed and rolled into an easy to move box, then delivered to your door (by bike if you’re downtown!). @EndySleep hi Endy, be my friendy? ???? #LoveSleep — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) March 22, 2016

This weekend was relaxing and cleansing.  Yesterday Sean helped me deal with my room sized closet of disaster hoarding (let’s get real here!) and it was therapeutic. I can’t believe how much crap I was holding onto. Including clothes, we removed about 15 garbage bags from the house. I feel so much lighter.  I’d left a ton of things undone and unpacked, they started piling up. I didn’t foresee everything going as calmly as it did but it was truly wonderful to have someone you love say ‘we need to do this’ and help. I’m still fighting a cold but overall my head feels more clear than it has for a while. A messy room makes for a messy head, being clutter free opens the mind. On Saturday I took Em to The Artist project. Art is her best subject and a fav of mine, so we set off an an artventure exploring. Lots of neat stuff to see. I was there on Thursday night for the opening party and we picked up a few pieces for the house. Next we went to the Winter Stations in the Beaches and hung out with my sister. It was really nice to be outside, in the sun getting fresh air. The stations are around till March so there’s plenty of time to visit. Was really quite hoping the warmer temperatures would stick around a bit longer but it looks like we’re getting a cold spell this week. Thursday night is the ‘Muskoka Bound’ cottage life theme dinner at Lisa Marie with U-Feast. I can’t wait, been thinking about those ribs since I had them a week ago. There’s only a few tickets left, get one here. Here’s hoping your Monday is off to a great start. I’m heading to an important meeting with myself, a much…

Well, well, well, hello February. Feeling good about this month. I feel like I did enough work and travel in January to fill two months. ???? I stayed in a treehouse, went to Detroit w/ Ford, spent a week in Cabo, did a workshop at The Gladstone, partied w/ VICE at a hologram party, and had a cameo in a music video.

Well ladies & gents, 2016 is here and I am so glad.  16 is a favourite number of mine and to be honest 2015 was a hard year. Felt I was getting off track a bit and my health wasn’t 100%, so,  I’m facing 2016 with a clear head and excitement. The tattoo I have on my left arm is 16 dots, evenly spaced, in two shades of green like a beaded bracelet. It’s a perfect square, and 16 2x 8, my fav number of them all.  This is the sweet sixteen!  [symple_divider style=”solid” margin_top=”5″ margin_bottom=”5″] Today was a good day, went out for a drive around 9:30am, the streets were bare and the air was calm. After, I made a nice breakfast and spent some time cleaning up the house. I had this plan where I wanted to go out and take a great photo with my GoPro and a confetti cannon. After driving around with BF and child, we wound up getting lunch and coming home. I went out to an alley near our place by myself, set up my camera, and popped the cannon. Much to my disappointment, it wasn’t recording video and the confetti made a beautiful display, then flew away in the wind. That moment will forever be in my memory and NOT on Instagram. Whoops! It’s ok, everything doesn’t always go as planned! I took a deep breath, laughed it off to myself and went back home where it was warm. This is my first selfie of 2016. I mean it’s my ACTUAL first selfie in the 20 I took to get a nice one (which we all know is what happens). I added some lighting to brighten it up a bit, but the first one is always the best. I continuously take a pile to get the perfect one and then, voila, the first one…

As winter starts to creep up on us I find myself looking back through old blog posts of my travels. I’m keen to book a trip for Sean and I for a little R&R under the sun early 2016. I’m thinking Dominican Republic, Cuba, or Costa Rica. I’m dying to feel sand on my skin and salt water in my hair! ?? Over the last few years I’ve been to Thailand, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and LA during the winter. I absolutely LOVE to travel but preparation is key if you want to have a good time for example, a travel shoe bag is a must for me and I don’t travel without them. Also, if you don’t manage your money right, it can be expensive. Up until a few years ago I didn’t even have a credit card because I was still paying off my student debt from school. This doesn’t mean to say that just because you’re at university, you can’t have a credit card; those studying away from their home country can still get a credit card for International Students. Having a card with travel rewards was really important to me now. I want to get something back from all the purchases I make on my trips. I’m also really interested in qantas credit cards which are another travel-based provider, as they offer rewards for frequent flyers which is certainly what I am! I would rather take a great trip in the winter to boost my inspiration and pay it off my credit card, than not go at all and let the winter blues get me down. You never know what’s going to happen, YOLO! I’ve partnered with a Capital One Canada one to tell you about their new and improved line of Capital One Aspire Travel MasterCards.…