#Takeoutday: My First Writeup on Muskoka411!

#TakeOutDay is a nationwide effort to help our favourite local restaurants by ordering takeout. The national campaign was started by Canada Takeout in an effort to help Canada’s hard-hit food industry and is now being co-signed by celebrities, chefs, and notable Canadians nationwide. I chatted with a few notable Canadians to find out their fav spots to eat in the Muskoka region. See tweet below or read it here. Last week we ordered takeout from Muskoka Beer Spa, they’re offering pizza from pie Muskoka, beer & food from Clear Lake Brewing, and several other local items. We even got meat pies! ? For more information on how you can help, visit CanadaTakeout.com.

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Day 39: Book Recommendations

Last night I finished the first book I’d read a while and then we watched 1917. I’m not usually into period pieces or wartime moves but it kept me in suspense the whole time. I started another book in bed before falling asleep. I think an escape from reality was just what I needed yesterday. A couple of months ago I was wandering aimlessly at Chapters (remember doing that?) and surprised myself at how many books I’d actually read. I took photos of all the covers to make a blog post with recommendations. I guess I didn’t really find the time until waking up at 5:30 this morning saying, today’s the day! You’ll notice a theme, lots of thriller/suspense, almost no self-help. Reading for me is a distraction from the outside world and I love a good story involving some type of crime or murder. Idk why, I just do. This post isn’t sponsored, I bought my own Kindle and most of these books. A few in the list below were advance reader copies from the publisher via PR or Netgalley. All books are linked on Amazon and can be found in my reading list here. I love reading on the Kindle. Until I got an e-reader, it had been ages since I’d read a whole book. I love traditional books but with Kindle, you have almost any book at your fingertips, you can read in the sun, in the dark, in water, or highlight things to look back on later. I also quite enjoy Audible, especially when the book is read by the author. A great feature of both Audible and Kindle is you can preview the book before you buy it, this has really come in handy with recommendations and the discovery process of finding your next read.…

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Day 34: Use What You Got – Tie Dye DIY

My tie-dye yesterday turned out really good. I decided to crop this top and make a couple of matching scrunchies. I used old promo shirts I found in a drawer and made them into new clothes. ? How to Tie Die with Bleach The process was pretty easy and not too messy. It took about an hour from start to finish, including a short cycle in the wash. You Will Need: Clothes  Gloves  Bleach (you will be mixing 50/50 w/ water) Water Squeeze bottle (I used one of these) A Plate – to rest your things on Garbage bag – to set up your area Rubber Bands Paper Towel A well-ventilated space Before You Get Started It’s a good idea to make sure your fabric has been washed at least once. Decide on a style you want to create, I watched a couple of tutorials with different tie-dye techniques and went to town. It’s hard to mess this up so don’t worry. This video on Pinterest has a lot of methods in 5 min (spiral, shibori). The video below is short & sweet with 3 different ways to tie-dye. Open a window, let some fresh air in, you want to have good ventilation since you’re working with bleach. Get your gloves and workspace ready, tape the garbage bag to your space do you don’t stain ruin your kitchen table/counter/floor. ? 1: Rubber bands Wrap your garment in rubber bands in the desired design. The item on the left is has been bunched up to make a wild style, the right is a spiral. Place each item on a plate. 2: Bleach Mix 50/50 bleach water in your squeeze bottle. I like to use the lid of a storage bin and cover with a garbage bag to avoid making a mess.…

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Day 8: Alone Together

Hi from the woods! ☀️??❄️Went for a nice walk this morning. It’s very cold but refreshing. Saw one neighbour out for a run and shared a smile & wave with the 2 cars that passed us. There is true beauty in the way we are all connecting right now through technology. ? How are you doing? I did yoga this morning w/ Misfits Studio and watched Snoop Dogg on IG Live. I think today I will try some new recipes and see what other workouts I can join in on IG Live. At noon I did a bit of the Fit Factory and some Barry’s for about 15 each. I didn’t feel like doing the whole class but something each day is better than nothing. Sean packed a couple of film cameras and has been shooting film. Yesterday he cleaned the whole fireplace. He hasn’t seen it that clean since he was a kid. He put a GoPro on the remote control truck. It’s pretty rad! Yesterday was so cold & gloomy I didn’t feel like doing anything. I basically lazed around all day eating snacks. The sunshine today makes me feel alive again. I have a feeling tonight’s internet part will be LIT, lol. If the internet was ever going to crap out, tonight’s the night! Everyone will be online. I wonder who will be going live? I might hang out with my BFFs on FaceTime and put IG Live on the iPad. Tonight is going to be the biggest internet party in history. — CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) March 21, 2020 Sending you love & sunshine!

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Day 7: Give Yourself a Break

It’s raining and I woke up feeling tired. It could be the weighted anxiety blanket we’ve all been carrying or it’s the beers. Today, I’m giving myself a break from the routine, schedule, and everything to be in my feelings. Yes, there is a BBQ behind me in these photos. The other night I watched two movies and sat by myself at the kitchen table cutting out words from magazines. I use to love cut & paste to make art so I figured why not give it a go. It’s still kinda fun and I picked so many good words in great fonts, not sure the next steps at this point. ? The green/white thing is a digital thermometer I was sent a couple of years ago. I’ve been checking our temperatures each day. I checked Amazon for a link to it and the price is over $685 right now for a product that’s about $120. Whoa. How do I feel? Uncertain. Unsure. Idk how to feel about all this, it’s hard to process. Today I realized there might not be anymore Young & The Restless for the first time in 40 years. I know this is a bit silly when you think about the real issue but it was like a wake-up call. I’ve been watching this show my whole life. Looking back to the things I was thinking about this time last week, the world has drastically changed. Last Friday was my last time at the gym, I had a lunch meeting at Drake Commissary, and walked freely around in my neighborhood. I probably should have stayed home now that I think about it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Craft Boner (@craftboner) on Mar 17, 2020 at 2:56pm PDT Today I’m giving myself permission…

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Day 4: Connecting

Today was a-ok. Aside from the almost constant anxiety rolling through my veins, some good things happened. I worked out when I woke up. I decided a workout by the fire was kinda romantic and sweet but it got hot realllllllly fast. Might skip the fire tomorrow morning! ? I had a client call in the AM and did some work for another client project in the afternoon. At lunch, Sean and I did the Fit Factory TO Live workout on IG. It was hard to finish and I really got my sweat on. I’ve managed to eat pretty healthy and feel good overall about my food choices. I was concerned I would eat all the snacks out of stress but the habits I started months ago are paying off. I had a FaceTime with Brigitte and we laughed so much! It was amazing to hang out. FaceTime is really coming in handy for this isolation time. I’m loving how so many people are using Instagram Live to share music, workouts, meditation, cooking, their life at home. It’s bringing us all together in an amazing way. I found a way to remove my shellac at home which is going to be necessary soon. Luckily, my IG friend Katie responded and introduced me to Ka Yee who made a story highlight on how to do it. Find it here if you’re in the same boat as me! The sunset was really nice on the lake tonight. Despite its beauty, I’m feeling stressed and the news gives me heightened anxiety. I know it’s going to be ok and it will be over eventually but it doesn’t take away the feelings we get while going through it. Here’s some enjoyable things that might help you and your family while we’re all at home…

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Day 3: #stayhomechallenge

We had fun yesterday. I mean, it seems hard to have fun in this situation but, if you think about it. You can still have fun if you want to. Sean and I had a good time driving to the cottage, listening to oldies on 104.1 The Dock. We had fun driving over the mini snowbank driveway at the cottage right when Black Betty came on, I cranked it and we plowed through the driveway in the snow. As much as unpacking the car is work, it was still kinda fun. Navigating the snow, carrying bags & boxes, trying to balance, while inside started to warm up. We worked from about 4:30pm to 8pm getting the cottage ready. I remembered Alex was going Live on IG at 8pm, so I joined. We talked about life in isolation and doing a fireworks show on Friday night. It was really fun! We haven’t hung out IRL in ages but it was just as good. I chatted for about 15min and jumped out before she ended the chat at 8:30pm. I left to help Sean get wood and get batteries. At 9:30 I called my friend who recently came back from two months in Asia and traveled through China to get home. She’s been in quarantine for two weeks already. We chatted about everything from COVID-19 to workouts and she helped me with some ideas of what I can do up here. I want to share positivity. I want to be your sunshine at this hard time. I don’t know what else to do. I’m not sure exactly how and what I’m going to do but each day, I’ll try to share some good. If nothing else, I’ll share how I’m feeling. Maybe a smile or a beautiful sunset. I’m happy to be…

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Day 2: Isolation

We made the decision to come up to the cottage and make it our work from home space. We have a stocked fridge and fireworks. The fire is heating the cottage and we’ve got the water turned on. This morning in the city I went for a run outside (no gym!) and it gave me so much joy that almost every person I passed gave a little wave and a smile. We’re all in this together. The cottage isn’t fully winterized so each time we come up for a stretch of time in the winter we have to clean everything, put the water in, turn the fridge back on, and remove the shutters from the window, among other things. It takes about an hour to get the place liveable and then about two more hours to get fully set up. Sean’s workspace is in the living room while I work in the kitchen. It’s nice to have our own spaces to focus on the work we need to get done. We spend almost 2 weeks up here each summer and a week at Christmas so we know how to make it work. We’re not sure how long we’ll be at the cottage with everything going on. Emily is at her mum’s this week and we might have her up here with us next week. I packed all my old drives to sort through, my favourite books, a stockpile of beauty products, and my most cozy outfits. Being here makes it a bit easier to socially distance myself from the news. At home, I had CP24 on non-stop, or the radio, and was constantly scrolling. At the cottage, I find it easier to put my phone down and focus on work, being creative, or making things in the kitchen. I was…

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Did You Lose Yourself?

I think I found her. I had to go on a journey but the fire is starting to burn again and it’s lighting up the sky.

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56% Of Canadians Don’t have a Will, Don’t Be One of Them!

I’m in a Facebook group for my neighborhood, someone asked about wills this week and it was CRAZY to see how many people don’t have one. This is a short post with a code for you to go to willful.co and get yourself a will. You can create a legal will in minutes for $99-$150. USE CODE CASIE15 FOR 15% OFF AT WILLFUL WILLS I created a will when the company launched and had Sean create one before he went to Israel this past summer. I can’t imagine life without him but since we aren’t married, what would happen to the house and my whole life if he died? It’s never fun to think about life without someone you love or the world without you in it, but the fact is, we all die. If you have pets, kids, assets, what will happen to all that stuff? Take a few minutes to create an online will and save your kids, spouse, or family having to deal with legal fees and drama once you’re gone. LOVE YOU. PLEASE DON’T DIE.

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Stop Bullying Yourself!

We’ve been watching S3 of Queer Eye the last few days and I feel like this season is really personal. It’s the first time they’ve done makeovers on women, sisters, a wedding. It gave me all the feels, it’s hard not to cry. Since watching, I’ve found myself internalizing a lot of what they were saying. Themes that really stuck out to me were about celebrating yourself believing in yourself, not talking negatively about yourself, to yourself. We all do it and I’ve been pretty hard on myself lately. We all have things to be grateful for. We should be celebrating each day we wake up, our challenges as opportunities. Celebrating the bodies that carry us, the brain that all allows us to do things, the smile that greets strangers. We’re capable of so many things, so why do we stand in our own way? In one episode a father mentions he wants to cook better food for his kids and that one of them is a little rounder. Right away, Antoni said, “who’s feeding her?” RIGHT? Like hello, an eye-opener. So simple but this stuck with me. Do I want to lose weight and be more fit? Yes. I am in charge of feeding myself and doing exercise? Yes. Ok well, do it then!! The other day I called up a friend and we shared all the good things that happened to us lately. Who don’t we do this more? You should surround yourself with people who want to hear that stuff, who will embrace and encourage you. If you can’t share with the people around you, you’re around the wrong people. This week I started work on a film with 1188 and have been asked to give the Alumni Address at Conestoga College School of Business Convocation in…

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Face The Sun Like a Flower, Shine Girl!

Oh hello there! Woke up early and did some work, cleaning, went for a walk. It is finally a *tiny* bit warmer and it makes such a difference! I’m not even mad about how cold winter was, it made it easier to stay home, organize, tidy the house. Thankful to myself right now for all the Kon Mari, We have less clutter around the house and it makes me feel more relaxed, happy, and we’re enjoying the space. Next on my to-do list is the patio. Had a very chill weekend at home. Saturday I took Em out around the west end to a gallery for a music video launch. Yesterday I went to check for plant sales and came home with a bunch of beauties for the house. Today I opened the windows and my GOD does it ever make a difference. It’s insane how the few degrees and some sunshine makes everything seem better. We’re not at bare ankles and trench coat just yet but I’ll take it! Opened the windows. #dlws — CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) March 11, 2019 Feeling pumped for this week. Have 2 shoots and a speaking gig plus a dinner I’m really looking to on Wednesday with Tokyo Smoke. This weekend we might open the cottage. Sending sunshine your way. Put a smile on your face and flash it around!

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Sometimes I Don’t Feel Like It #17

Next month my blog is 14 years old, can you believe that? I’ve been building my little piece of the internet and sharing stories longer than the time I’ve had this blog. Before WordPress, there was Blogger, MySpace, and MSN Spaces. I love sharing and being an ‘internet person’ but it can take a toll on you. I love it most the time, but sometimes, I don‘t feel like it. It’s Not Easy Being On The Internet It’s crazy the things people say on the internet when they’ve got a screen barrier to give them extra confidence. Often forgetting there’s a human on the other side, manning the comments. Like, a real human being with feelings. One little comment can stay in your head all day or a tweet can jump right through the screen and punch you in the heart. The other day I tweeted how ‘Having a sister is legit the best.” and a friend replied, “Yes it was”. I had to fight back tears. I know he lost his sister and maybe was having a hard day, I was too. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I called my sister crying. This comment made me think how ‘influencer culture’ has kinda made the internet worse. This was in response to a post I shared about #PinkShirtDay with Telus. I didn’t have to post about it, I wanted to. Telus has a great program and is invested in making a difference in communities across Canada. I love this about them. It seems like everything is sponsored these days. Is it bad? I don’t know! To each their own! We all have the ability to curate our feeds and if you think someone has too many sponsored posts, mute or unfollow them. Your feed, your life. I started…

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5 Great Views in San Francisco

I originally wrote this post for Canadian Geographic after my press trip to SF last spring. Some good stuff in here and places I had no idea about until I went on a great afternoon tiki tour with a local friend. Scroll down for some fun SF moments and check out this post on Canadian Geographic with 5 great things to do in San Francisco. I love San Francisco. The city is bright with lots of neighbourhoods to explore, each with a distinct look and history. There’s plenty of great spots to take in the city including the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Pier 39, or the Coit Tower. SF is known for frequent fog so all views come with a recommendation for a clear sunny day. ☀️ Here’s a few great views that weren’t in my first SF travel post! Twin Peaks  Here you’ll find a great 180 view of San Francisco from the centre of the city at an elevation of 922 ft. The hike takes about 45 minutes but the drive is only 10 min. I love the way the road and city and look from the top of the hill. You’ll notice the Sutro Tower in the middle of the hill (not pictured). I learned that it’s become ironically iconic and was once seen an eyesore but is now kind of, cool? Ha! There’s shirts, souvenirs, and a selection of sellers on Etsy with Sutro Tower merch. It reminds me of something from Aliens or War of the Worlds. Museum of Ice Cream  If you can get a ticket, the views here are like something you’d find in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Museum of Ice Cream is located near Union Square inside a former bank. Aside from learning worldly facts about the famous food, you’ll find incredibly cute backdrops for photos.…

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