427: Sun’s Out!

Had a nice run this morning, I love running in the woods! I am obsessed with my Apple Watch and love the notifications and positives vibes from Nike Run Club. Sun’s out! Spent some time reading in the sun and working on my tan. It’s amazing how this weather can make your mood. Sean, Em and I worked artound the cottage getting it ready for summer. At night we had a nice fire, listened to music, and roasted marshmallows as the sun went down. I am living for this weather!

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Day 422: Ray of Sunshine

Had a nice dip in the lake this morning. Things are in bloom; trees are growing leaves, flowers blooming, birds singing. ? This is my absolute favorite mug, Sasha got it for me ages ago in LA. The compliment I love most is being called a Ray of Sunshine or in this case Ray of F**king Sunshine. ? We’re still at the cottage and gonna stay a few more days. Sean got a new wireless router that will make it easier for us both to work from the cottage. Hoping we can spend a lot of time up here this summer. ☀️ Hope your week is off to a great start!

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Day 421: That Magic Hour

We went to a garden center today and got some things to grow herbs. We have a tradition of going to one every Mother’s Day weekend to get a nice big plant for Sean’s Mum. We were only out in the world for about an hour but were both so tired when we got home. Why is everything exhausting these days? Sean had a nap and I went for a walk then watched my show. Listened to one of the Peloton walking workouts and took a bag with me to pick up some trash. Our area is pretty clean but after winter, there’s always a few bits on the road. I’m working with Telus again this month for their May ‘Friendly Futures‘ contest where they’re giving away $100K in charitable donations. For my contribution, I made a donation to Tree Canada and committed to doing a community cleanup. This is some friends and I and in Vancouver (2018) with some of the Telus team for their Telus Days of Giving when we made care packs for local schools. Read more about Telus Friendly Future days here. In other news, I looked outside as the sun was setting and couldn’t believe it was 8pm! Love it. Morning is my fav time to get things done but right before sundown is so beautiful, that magic hour. The sun goes down across the lake, shining her colourful light, nice and bright, right into the cottage. Hope you had a nice weekend. ?

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Day 417: Taurus Twins

Saw Michelle for the first time in ages today. We’re born one day apart and usually spend our birthdays together, Taurus Twins. It was nice to sit outside, dance in the sun, and laugh together. Our last hang was back in March 2021 when some patios were open for about five minutes. It’s crazy to think how social life was before the Panini, I was a few events each week, it was normal to see hundreds of people, sometimes thousands. I feel like it will be ages before that happens again and just thinking about it gives me anxiety. It makes me feel nervous/excited about all the people/seeing everyone again. Most people have only seen me though a screen for 400+ days, a lot of people I haven’t seen at all. Feeling grateful for warmer temps and longer days. This week at work has been pretty good but I’m looking forward to the weekend. Sean and I are going up North for my birthday and I can’t wait to get back to the woods.

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Day 416: Toronto Lockdown, Locktown

Feeling much better overall today after a good 8hr sleep and a run this morning. This lockdown is really weighing on everyone. Even the most positive people I have been feeling down lately. It’s great to see more and more people being vaccinated but everything is still closed and cases are high. Today I heard that two people I know have Covid and two others are recovering. It’s all around us and doesn’t discriminate. Life before covid seems so long ago. I’ve love to hug my parents or laugh with friends but it doesn’t look like that’s anywhere in the near future. I keep seeing photos of people in other cities and countries out living their best lives while Toronto lockdown lingers on. This weekend is my 2nd covid birthday and hopefully the last. Today I went to the dentist for the first time in ages! I’ve had a sore tooth that hurts every now & then for about four years. Now that I’m a full-time employee, I have benefits! Feels so luxurious to go to the dentist and finally have my tooth fixed. I’M A NEW WOMAN. Ok, same woman, new-ish tooth. Getting my tooth fixed today, finally. — CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) May 4, 2021 Sean and I ordered sushi for dinner and started watching Them on Amazon Prime. Good show so far but scary! It’s a horror-themed series about a black family that moves from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood in 1953. I hope I don’t have nightmares. In other news, this week my blog was awarded Best Website by The Good Estate. ? Toronto Lockdown, Locktown

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Day 414: Sunday Kinda Love

Had a nice Sunday at home. Sean and I went to another garden center today before coming home to work on the patio. I shot some content for my friend Tahnee’s brand, Pretty Denim. Excited to share it later this week! Sending you some smiley faces and good vibes for a great week! Sunday kinda love!

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Day 411: The Low Down

Today we have good news about vaccinations, finally! Looks like next month anyone over 18 in Ontario will be able to book a vaccine appointment. This is a relief! Sean got his last week and since we’re don’t live in a Hot Spot area, I’m not eligible for mine yet (still under 40 ?). This is the first step to this whole thing being over-ish and finally getting back to some kind of normal. Who knows what post-pandemic life will be like, but I am dying to get back to doing things and going places. I miss my friends, family, especially mum and dad. I also miss influencer events, random friends, acquaintances, and loud, packed spaces. Can’t wait to go to concerts, fashion shows, and media launches again. In other news, I ordered myself a birthday present, Apple AirPods! I’ve wanted a pair for ages and finally pulled the plug. I had them engraved with ‘CASIE IS THE BEST’, a reminder, and self-care, lol. I felt like getting my initials was too common so I went for something a little more personal. My Zoom meetings and workouts are about to level up. My over-the-ear headphones have been great the last two years but they’ve been taped up with duck tape for a few months and I was due for an upgrade. Please send me good vibes that I don’t lose one or both.

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409: Like Plants, We All Grow

This week has been hard, I feel so drained and tired. Maybe it’s the rain, or the lockdown, I’m not even sure anymore. Work is good and I look forward to laughs with colleagues. I’ve been going to bed early but skipping my morning run to catch a bit more sleep. I’ll get back to it next week. A new month always feels like a new start and May is my fav month. My birthday is May 8th and I think Sean and I will be sending the weekend up north. In other news, my plants are FLOURISHING. I love tending to them and watching them grow. I’ve got a bunch of cuttings growing in water. Like plants, we all grow and I’ve changed heaps over the last year too. I trimmed my Monstera about a month ago and the new roots are about 2″ long already. Hang in there, we’ll get through this NEVER ENDING LOCKDOWN.

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Day 406: She’s Only Happy In The Sun

Had a quiet Friday night after a long week. Sean got his vaccine yesterday and we spent the night watching The Serpent on Netflix. Idk why but just love a serial killer story, thought the show was really well done. This morning we cleaned up the roof patio, tossed a few old things, and packed some in the truck for the cottage. I biked over to meet April at Dundas & Ossington in the afternoon. we walked to Kensington picked up ome groceries and got coffee. It was so nice and sunny out. Felt great to be outside the house and in a different part of downtown. I biked back home and spent some time reading on the roof. I am loving these warmer days. I was planning to do some work on the garden but I sliced my hand pretty bad with a bred knife making breakfast so I’ll have to save that for another time. No plans tonight, I’m sure we’ll find something to watch. Title is a song from Ben Harper that always makes me think of my sister. ?

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Day 394: She’s Ready For A Nap

Today was a busy day and by the time I finished my last meeting, I was almost ready for a nap. Here’s today’s smoothie bowl, I’m still obsessed. Tonight’s activities include watching Wheel & Jeopardy then getting ready for bed. Ya girl is tired, not sure if it’s the weather or general anxiety about the state of the world. We had out contractor Lindsay over to do some work on the bathroom reno and it’s slowly but surely coming along. We still have a sink & some fixtures in the living room from American Standard ready to be installed. Covid has really put a damper on this whole thing! In other news, a few packages arrived today including two new bathing suits, new boots from L’Intervalle (yes, again!), and this cute sweater from Made For The Lake Co. in Muskoka. On the back it says ‘Smore’s Club’ and it’s from their kid’s section. Will be perfect for summer nights at the cottage. ? Sean is up north this week with Emily for April Break. Today the government announced kids will be doing virtual classes indefinitely until the panini calms down. Ontario is reporting some of the highest numbers since this whole thing started and the different Covid variants are affecting younger people more and more. Watching the news is pretty depressing and there is really no end in sight. I’m trying to stay positive and focus on things that bring me joy but it’s hard sometimes. I really miss seeing my parents and I haven’t seen my sister in weeks. Hang in there my friends, we will get through this. Stay home, wear a mask when you’re out, and make sure to check in on loved ones. ? Sending you sunshine through the internet,

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Day 392: She’s Like Sunshine

Today was another super sunny day! I went to the Canadian Tire garden center to pick up some new plants in the morning before Sean and Em went up north. Last night I decided to put on a bunch of fake tattoos because why not? It’s not like I’m going anywhere where I need to be ‘professional’ and tbh, I don’t think anyone would really mind. I originally had a tiny moon tattoo on my face but I took it off before heading out into the world. Neck tattoos were ok but it felt too out of character to have one on the face. I’m not that badass! Went for a nice bike ride in the afternoon near Trinity Bellwoods. The park was so busy I decided I didn’t want to hang out there. One day last year, I was in the park when it was busy and it was all over the news about people breaking the rules. I was there alone and not in a crowd but I still felt bad just being near the scene. I learned my lesson that day and if I go somewhere with too many people, I won’t stick around. I do NOT want to get covid or god forbid, get caught anywhere with too many people. As I was biking my friend yelled ‘she’s like sunshine’, I carried that thought with me all day. Found so many bright & fun summer clothes when I switched over my closet. Felt great to try everything on again! She’s like sunshine!

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Day 387: An Epic Sandwich for Monday

Woke up feeling fresh from a nice relaxing long weekend. I love Monday and not knowing exactly what the day will bring. Every Monday, I have two different morning meetings to set the tone for the week. In each one, I laugh a little and leave feeling actually excited to do the work. Went for a nice run at 8 am, the temperature is perfect right now. Can’t wait to run in shorts, soon! Doing a workout and getting outside each morning keeps me on track for the whole day and I find it gives me energy. I’m still on my smoothie bowl kick and in awe of their beauty. Sean cooked a whole chicken in the afternoon and I made an epic sandwich with chicken, spinach, pineapple, roasted peppers, sweet potato, honey mustard, mayo, pepper, it was amazing. Had a nice walk after work and I love seeing flowers in bloom. Can’t wait for warmer temps, bring on spring!

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382: The Sun Made the Drive

This week I had a genius moment. I took my seamless background stand for photoshoots and set it up using only half the width. It’s perfect for video calls, IG Stories backgrounds, or Reels. I have heaps of really nice wrapping paper I can pop to use as backgrounds. Sean and I drove up to the cottage after work and the sun made the drive so beautiful. We’re spending the weekend up north, just the two of us. Looking forward to a nice lazy weekend, running in the woods, and watching the ice melt on the lake.

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Day 376: You Make Me Happy

This week has been good. I’m getting into a workflow and figuring it out as I go. Most days I get up at 7-7:30, go for a run at 8 am, do a short Peloton workout, then get ready to start work at 9:30. If I’m at my desk or working inside the whole day, I like to put on something I’ve not worn in ages and go for a walk. Sometimes it’s just around the neighbourhood, other days it’s a nice long walk with a friend. YOU MAKE ME HAPPY The title of this post ‘you make me happy‘ is also a song also used in my latest video here. When I put on this jacket, it instantly made me smile. Made me think about how my clothes make me happy. So many of them have fond memories of a time or feeling. After spending 90% of 2020 at the cottage, one of the things I was really looking forward to was being home with my stuff. I love playing dress-up or sorting through things I haven’t worn in a while. While the world around us is so different, I find great comfort in the familiar things. Might be my Taurus nature to love home so much. I don’t have many family heirlooms but some of my most treasured things are clothes worn by my parents or anything from nana. Remember the other day when I mentioned Transitional Coat Season? Well, here we are again with another coat! I ordered this one 5+ years ago from one of my fav artists, Valfre in Mexico. It didn’t fit for years but I couldn’t bear to part with it, no matter how many times Sean said “you have too many coats“. Glad to report she fits great now and Valfre is…

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