Day 336: Happy Valentines Day!

I’m at home today and Sean is at the cottage with Emily. He sent me the most special surprise…

We had a lovely Valentine’s dinner on Thursday night and shared gifts then watched some Netflix. He got me a rose bush plant instead of flowers and as a plant mama, it was the perfect present!

I don’t share too much about Sean here but he is so wonderful! We first met over in 2009 and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. He makes me laugh every single day and supports me in everything I do. I’m so grateful for him in my life.

SEAN, ILYSM!

Day 333: Push Through It

Today I woke up determined to leave the cottage, take a package to the post office, and go to town. I hadn’t left the cottage in 5 days and tbh, I was starting to get cabin fever. It’s lovely being in the woods but there’s part of me that loves seeing people and doing things. Even something as simple as going to the grocery or Dollerama feels like an event these days.

After cleaning off the car for 20min in the freezing cold, I got in the truck to leave the driveway. It did not go as planned. I got stuck in the snow and was frustrated. I came back inside, threw off my coat and had a bit of a meltdown. I thought I left my phone in the car so had to go back outside. I took a few deep breaths and decided to give it another go with the truck. I took a good look at the snow, planned the route, and made it. I’m glad I pushed through it! I drove to town in the sun, singing along to the radio. It felt so good!

When I got back to the cottage I went for a walk with a neighbour on the road. It was our first time meeting and we had a nice distance walk through the woods. It was such a beautiful day and we turned to face the sun, feeling its warm embrace on our faces.

Lesson of the day, sometimes you just have to push through it to find the sun.

Day 332: Things do not change; we change.

I was thinking that something needed to change and hey, when in stressful times, why not change your hair?! ? Change is good my friends!

Added some pink to my hair with a temp colour from L’Oreal I got on Amazon. I tried this one once before but it was too pink so I decided to add some conditioner before applying and it turned out a nice, light, strawberry blonde.

I don’t remember ever having roots this long but adding a temp colour was always my go-to for between colourings. I like how this makes the roots less noticeable. I reckon it will rinse out in 2-3 washes but given the certain situation, it’s gonna be much longer before I get my hair done. Today’s Covid update is that the Greater Toronto Area will remain in lockdown until the 22nd of February.

I know I look tired, I am tired! I’ve been trying to get 8hrs sleep every night but it doesn’t matter how much I get, I can’t escape this tired feeling. I miss doing things and going places, seeing people, having plans. Things are getting better but it’s going to be weeks before we’re out of lockdown and months before things resemble the ‘normal’ we used to know.

Feeling a bit better today but could also have a breakdown at any minute.

In other news, only 38 days until the first day of spring.

Things do not change; we change.

Henry David Thoreau

Day 331: Melting Inside

Today was not a great day. There’s ice is melting outside our windows and I felt like I was melting inside. If you feel like you’re melting too, don’t worry, it’s normal to feel anxiety right now. Mum’s recommendation is always to have a little nap and there’s a good chance you’ll feel better when you wake up. It’s ok to feel this way, we’re living in a pandemic that’s been almost an entire year.

I wasn’t feeling great last night, I felt sad, empty, I cried. Woke up and didn’t want to get out of bed. The whole day I wasn’t on my game. I wanted to do things, create things, but I was paralyzed with anxiety and felt like I just couldn’t do anything. This lockdown is hard.

Almost a year ago when we had our first lockdown, there was a novelty of being up at the cottage, I was creative, I wasn’t working, and it seemed like it would be over soon. This round, we’re not sure when things will end and it’s so cold outside. I feel tired most days and don’t have the same energy I used to have. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Sending love from the woods.

Day 330: A Message For Monday

A short little message for Monday! Sending you good vibes for a great week. Hang in there, we’ll get through this!

Go for a walk.

Get some fresh air.

Feel the sun on your face.

The wind in your hair.

Day 329: Winter Wonderland of Snow

The air is so crisp! It’s about -10 today and the wind is fierce. After watching a few episodes of The Wilds on Prime, we ventured out on the lake. It’s 100% frozen thick with a few inches of snow. Quite the workout walking in such deep snow! There’s a couple of ice huts out for fishing and heaps of snowmobile tracks.

My hair is a total mess and I’m wearing the same clothes as yesterday but I feel good, rested. Thankfully my warm winter coat was here because it’s freezing! I booked off a couple of days this week to recharge my batteries and I hope to spend a few hours sewing. I love the cottage so much.

Sean and I managed to finish the entire first season of The Wilds in one day, what a commitment. Ha! I guess it was a good show…? I’d probably watch S2 if it was available. I find my standards of good tv have dropped during the pandemic, I’ll watch just about anything these days. Even better if there’s more than one season!

What will I watch next? I know, I know, life isn’t that exciting right now, ok! ?

Casie Stewart, signature, iPad Pro.

Day 328: Cozy Cottage

It was so nice to come back to Muskoka last night. We made a fire, watched Netflix and had a cozy cottage night.

Spent almost all of Saturday lazing around, eating snacks and watching shows. We all need to give ourselves a break, relax, and take time to recharge our batteries.

SO GRATEFUL FOR THE WEEKEND.

Day 327: The Sun is a Star

The weather this week has been so nice. I’ve gone on some great long walks. met up with Aisha on Wednesday to go for a distanced walk with her and Kermit, her cute pup.

We started out a warm drink and followed the sun walking around the Junction. I swear, every time I see a friend lately, I jump and scream, hugging myself to show how much I’d hug them if it wasn’t a pandemic.

The sun is a star and so are you, don’t forget it.

Each day we have more minutes of daylight, and in a few weeks, we’ll have another hour. Before we know it, daylight saving time will kick in on March 14th and spring will be here close.

Kermit is so cute, he’s 5 months old and has a lot of energy. The fluffy fur!

Day 326: Built My Own Little Fire

I was slow getting outside this morning, posted something on IG, listened to the radio, put on my running gear. I didn’t realize how windy it was and walked out the front door. It hurt my face. I turned around, then back around again & just went for it. My headphones weren’t connecting to music on my watch so I ran into the wind away, from the sun, in silence. Who needs an ice roller when you have -5 air with a windchill hitting your face? I nearly turned back a few times.

Heard a noise from my headphones and connected them to a playlist of happy tunes. I didn’t give up ran to the end of the path. On my way back the sun was on my face I felt my toes start to warm up. I even unzipped my leopard print jacket a little. ‘Stand by Me’ came on and it was like the cold wasn’t there anymore. I started to heat up, built my own little fire inside. I kept running to finish the 2k I set out to do. Got home just after 9 am, ready to start the day. I feel good. Energized.

Wearing a new sweater from Zara Kids that matches perfectly with one of the first scrunchies I made in the summer. Wearing jeans these days feels so fancy haha.

Next week I’m heading back to the cottage with Sean and took a few days off work to reflect & recenter myself. I can’t wait.

Day 325: Sleep Goal Achieved

Yesterday I was so exhausted. After watching Y&R (as usual) from 4:30-5:30, I put on my pajamas, washed my face, and got ready for bed. Had a couple of phone chats with friends and finished S2 of BONDiNG on Netflix. Good show, it’s about a Femme Domme, a comedian, and their relationships.

Got an advance copy of a new book on Kindle via NetGalley called ‘The Girls Are All So Nice Here‘. It’s a suspense thriller about two best friends and comes out on March 9th, 2021. This month I’m determined to read more books, I read heaps at the start of the Pani and fell off my reading game over the summer.

I did a Peloton sleep meditation before bed last night and woke up feeling refreshed. According to my watch, I slept 9 hours & 24 minutes and my average sleep per night has increased in the past 14 days. I’ve really been loving the Calm SleepStories but decided to switch it up, I know, WILD.

I used to stay up late but given the current circumstances, I figure I might as well get as many ZZZs as possible and make some new habits. I’ve been finding it harder to get up in the morning so I’m actively trying to fall asleep earlier. If I get a good 8 hours, as the days get longer, I’ll feel more like doing my morning workouts.

At least, I HOPE THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS.