CASIE STEWART
THIS IS MY LIFE • BLOG EST. 2005
Travel PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY

5 Things To Do In Prince Edward County

5 Things To Do In Prince Edward County

Last week my sister and I went on an adventure to Prince Edward County. PEC is southern Ontario with a coastline on Lake Ontario’s northeastern shore. It’s been about 20 years since either of us were in The County. I have fond memories of Jenie and I camping at Sandbanks Park with our parents, playing on massive sand hills, making things with clay. Our trip was courtesy of The Drake Hotel and their PEC property, The Drake Devonshire. We were there to experience Countylicious, similar to Winterlicious/Summerlicious where restaurants feature 3-course prix fixe menus for $40/pp (+ tax & tip). In 24 hours we did so much more than just eat great food.  The County has so much to offer so here are a few thing I recommend for your PEC road trip. 5 Things to Do in Prince Edward County Visit Wineries There’s 40+ wineries in PEC and a whole bunch of breweries. If you love great wine, you deff want to visit the princeedwardcountywine.ca and make a plan of places to visit. On our tour we stopped into Wapoos Winery, the very first one in the region. It’s absolutely beautiful and right on the water. Check out the Wapoos menu for Countylicious here. If you happen to drive a Tesla, they have a charging station. Eat Great Food There is no shortage of great places to eat in Prince Edward County. Starting today, Countylicious kicks off with a celebration of fine dining featuring prix fixe menus from local restaurants. Chefs have created unique, County-inspired menus with an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. I highly recommend checking out The Drake Devonshire, Courage Bar, and The Public House at Jackson Falls. Visit a Farm Have you ever smelled fresh carrots from a farm? Had arugula straight from the earth? I can tell you that the produce from Blue Wheelbarrow…

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Tech Prodigy Game

Casie & Emily’s Review of Prodigy Game on iPad

Casie & Emily’s Review of Prodigy Game on iPad

On a rainy day last week I was almost late to pick Embot up from daycare so we decided to go for burgers and test out Prodigy Game. Em spent hours playing over the next few days. In that time she created an avatar for herself, explored Prodigy Game’s world, enhanced her math skills and even described it as ‘really fun.’ Prodigy is a free math game with over 20 million students, teachers, and parents using it worldwide.  It combines gaming and education for students in grades 1-8, alleviates math anxiety and teaches valuable math skills aligned with the student’s curriculum at school. Prodigy Game was also recently named by Canadian Business as one of the top 10 fastest-growing start-ups in Canada. Companies like this are educating our young people and also providing cool jobs for our tech sector! I wasn’t very good at math in high school and did summer school or night school every year until I graduated. Safe to say I’ve always been on the highly creative side. It’s important to work on these skills as a kid so you’re equipped with the tools you need to excel in the future. Last year, our provincial government implemented a $60-million math strategy, but math scores in Ontario are still low with half of Grade 6 students not meeting the provincial standard. Prodigy Game addresses that major issue in our education system and helps students tackle – and beat – their math anxieties. Emily doesn’t mind math but she reallllllly loves her iPad. Legit this kid could watch videos all day of people making slime or doing funny challenges on YouTube. I was so glad to see her using it to play an educational game, by choice. Parenting WIN. Em was on Level 3 when 2 kids about her age passed by and saw her playing. The younger one said…

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LIFE Morningside Park

Helping Communities Grow w/ the TD Common Ground Project

Helping Communities Grow w/ the TD Common Ground Project

This post is sponsored by TD and the TD Common Ground Project On a sunny Sunday afternoon, I took a drive to Morningside Park in Scarborough. This year as part of Canada 150, TD is revitalizing over 150  community green spaces across Canada. It’s so nice to adventure and stroll through a new park discovering things along the way. I took some time to sit in the sun, watch the water, and admire the light shining through the trees in the middle of the forest. ???? When I was a kid in Cambridge, Ontario  I spent heaps of time at Riverside Park near our house. Playing there as a kid, volunteering for summer camp in high school, riding bikes, and watching friends play baseball when I was a bit older. To this day I always take a drive through the park when I go home to see how it changes and go for a walk if I have some. Sometimes I just sit in the car and listen to music with a friend like the good old days. So many memories.  A park is such a big part of a neighbourhood and city. TD’s Common Ground project encourages Canadians to come together in green spaces across the country. The scale of projects varies and there are 7 flagship projects, the outdoor gathering space at Morningside Park is one of them.  There are 82 projects in Ontario, with 7 in Toronto, find them all here. Next time I’m in KW I’ll be checking out Waterloo Park to see the new bridge connecting the two universities, provided through the TD Common Ground Project. Step Into the Forest – 360 Photo of Morningside Park, Scarborough I hope you’ll look up your local TD Common Ground revitalization project (here) and see what spaces are changing near you. For more information about the project find my…

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LIFE

No Dress Rehearsal, This Is Our Life

No Dress Rehearsal, This Is Our Life

I’m at the Drake Commissary to do some writing on a new project, biked here in the sunshine, feeling it warm on my face. As I was walking to the door I checked my phone and saw that Gord Downie has passed away. Sad, I was hoping a miracle would keep him alive,but we all knew it was coming. Listening to Tragically Hip over the summer has been a tradition as long as I can remember, driving up to Grand Bend or Wasaga Beach in the 90’s, summers in college, missing home while at Uni in Australia, and all the time at the cottage. Thank you Gord Downie and the Hip for so many memories and being the most Canadian, Canada loving band of all time. You will be missed. ?❤️ Years ago The Hip played Bridle Bash at my friend Lorne’s house for a few hundred people in the backyard. We were so close to the stage and everyone sang along and danced into the wee hours of the night. Another summer a bunch of us went to see The Hip for Canada Day at Burls Creek. We had a whole gang at the cottage and it was so much fun. I remember dancing around in the field with Carly and everyone singing at the top of our lungs. Sean has no beard here. Two summer’s ago Mark & Sean set up a huge screen on the dock and we watched the last Hip Concert on CBC from the lake. So many great memories over the years. I’ll think of the great times and celebrate his life whenever I listen to the Hip. Sending sunshine in your general direction,  

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LIFE ROMWE FASHION

Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come

Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come

I wore tights today for the first time this year. And a hat. I’m glad that berets are back in style because I have a few and love wearing them. It must be that French feeling you get when you wear one. Fall fashion is my favourite in that you can wear something cute with a light jacket and never be too cold. I don’t even mind the winter, light layers are the key. ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing’ – source is unclear on this one Over the past couple months I’ve been beefing up my wardrobe with essentials for fall and a few arrived today! In exchange for sharing my favs, Romwe and I have a deal where they send me clothes. Honestly, what a dream! My three latest picks arrived today and I’m wearing the pink rose jacket in these photos. I picked this wild all-over print shirt because it will look great over a bathing suit in summer and under a sweater in the winter. The olive green sweater was on my wishlist and it matches my eyes so, it’s perfect. The cropped rose jacket is light enough to wear under a warmer jacket in winter. Other items on my winter Romwe wishlist are this yellow mustard jacket and all the stuff below. The prices are good and there’s no extra shipping costs. I’m kinda of obsessed with embroidered things, light pink, and dark green right now. Wishlist JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.  

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Tech HOT TECH TIPS FOR YOU

Best Buy Life and Tech Show 2017

Best Buy Life and Tech Show 2017

Earlier this month I attended the Best Buy #LifeandTech event at YD Square. This is my second year attending and honestly, it feels like Christmas for tech lovers! I got to test out and bring home some of the coolest tech around. You can find everything mentioned in this post at BestBuy.ca. I’ve been working with Best Buy Canada for the last couple years and it makes ME SO HAPPY. I love being invited to test out the latest wearable tech, smart home gadgets, and overall life-enhancing products. Here’s a few of my favourite things from the Best Buy Life and Tech show! SMART HOME SECURITY: One of my ultimate favs is this Ring Wi-Fi Video Doorbell Pro. I haven’t set it up yet but I can’t wait to creep anyone who comes to my door or walks past. Since moving into a house with a front door (from a high-rise condo) I get so freaked out when I’m home alone and someone knocks on the door. Who does that! Unexpected! Gah! I get all packages delivered to the office so it’s extra weird if someone sends something to the house. I feel that this new burglar alarm will give me peace of mind and make me feel much safer. I like that I can see everything in real-time too, so if there was a burglar, I would be able to have an instant description of them! With the new Ring, you are able to monitor hour home with audio and video from anywhere. The rep I chatted with was from Minnesota and he showed me his backyard while we were chatting in YD Square. He’s able to record video, sound an alarm, or say something to an intruder if he see’s someone suspicious around. So cool! Imagine yelling ‘HEY…

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Travel TWO ISLANDS WEEKEND

CAMP WAS SO MUCH FUN! TWO ISLANDS WEEKEND 2017!

CAMP WAS SO MUCH FUN! TWO ISLANDS WEEKEND 2017!

At the start of September, Lauren O’Nizzle (my bff) and I packed the car with all our gear and hit the road to Camp Timberlane in Haliburton for Two Islands Weekend.  Imagine, 250 campers, mostly 30-40, sleeping in cabins, eating in a mess hall, doing group activities, and an open bar for the entire weekend. It was so much fun! The organisers invited me early in the summer to come to camp as a guest and my email reply was something like ‘OMG YES I WANT TO COME OMG‘. I went to camp as a kid but this place sounded legit amazing. There were heaps of activities like Beyonce Dance Class, archery tag, dance party, karaoke, talent show, jazzercize, movies, camp sing-a-long, and heaps more. We were a bit of a situation when we arrived. Both of us were super excited after the 3hr drive, parked the car, and walked down the big hill past everyone, wearing huge sunglasses, city clothes, and more luggage than two people need for a weekend. We were so extra, haha!  For our first event, Welcome Drinks, we wore matching INTERNET sweaters by Shelfies from a shoot with Becca Lemire a few years back. Everyone stared at us like we were weird but we didn’t care. We ARE weird! And matching outfits were part of our weekend plan! Also duh, internet is our jam! I don’t know what I was expecting but it was totally a real camp! There were about 8 girls in our cabin and we slept in stacked bunks. We made heaps of new friends and had so many laughs the whole weekend. The organizers did an amazing job of wrangling everyone to and from activities and meals. Thank you! On the last night, there was a talent show followed by a dance party. I…

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BOOKS AUDIBLE TRAIN TO MONTREAL

Audible.ca launches w/ Margaret Atwood + Elisabeth Moss Reading Handmaid’s Tale

Audible.ca launches w/ Margaret Atwood + Elisabeth Moss Reading Handmaid’s Tale

Last week was full of adventure! On Wednesday morning I was at Union Station for the launch announcement of audible.ca where Margaret Atwood spoke and Elisabeth Moss read from Handmaid’s Tale. My fav moment was when Atwood was talking about Handmaid’s Tale and said ‘there’ll be no makeup in the dystopian future, WORST!‘. I didn’t expect that from her, she’s the best! I showed up just before it started and jumped into one of the last media seats. I love the opportunity to do this stuff! I took the UP Train from Bloor (near my house) and was there in about 10min. Audible is an Amazon company (love Amazon!) and their Canadian programming includes 100 new titles from Canadian authors in (Eng & Fr), original programs, lectures, and comedy. There’s a whole bunch of books on Audible read by celebrities including Samuel L. Jackson reading Adam Mansbach’s “Go the F— to Sleep”, Anne Hathaway reading L. Frank Baum’s ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, Naomi Watts  reading ‘Summer‘ by Edith Wharton, Kim Basinger reading ‘The Awakening’ by Kate Chopin, and Dustin Hoffman reading ‘Being There‘ by Jerzy Kosinski. I love that you can listen to familiar voices. Don Katz, CEO of Audible, said they hope to be the largest employer of actors in Hollywood.  That’s a lofty goal but possible I reckon. Maybe I’ll read one someday! Later in the day a bunch of media peeps boarded a branded Audible train to Montreal. They hooked us up with Audible swag and iPod Touches charged, and loaded with books. After about an hour on the train, I went into the last car, behind us to find a full-on charcuterie spread w/ full bar, candy, popcorn, coffee, shrimp, and more. It was fantastic! The fanciest train ride of my life! I grabbed my computer and sat back there for…

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LIFE FOXY LAXY

It’s In The Cards

It’s In The Cards

Today was so much fun. I’m feeling really excited and inspired this week. It’s one of the busiest few days I’ve had in a long time with a different job each day and 3 different cities but I wouldn’t have it any other way! I met up with a blog OG friend Danielle Meder, who recently started Drawing Tarot where she combines ‘a thoughtful Tarot reading with a live watercolour portrait session‘. Mine portrait is above and I framed it when I got home. The reading was just what I needed today, this week. I’d like to go back again in a month or so. You can book an appointment to see her at the Darling Mansion or her studio near the Junction Triangle here. Tonight I bailed on going to anything TIFF so I could stay home and put in a few hours on a presentation and get a good sleep. I have no FOMO only JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) because I know that self-care is important and if I don’t take care of my priorities, I’ll lose my mind. This week is a crazy one, especially after my very relaxing summer. Monday was filled with TIFF stuff and celebrities (Justin Trudeau, Angelina Jolie!). Today I was the #LifeandTech event with Best Buy Canada. Wednesday morning I’m at a top secret event then head to Montreal on the train for the night. I fly back to Toronto early Thursday morning then to New Orleans, Louisiana in the afternoon. On Friday morning  I’m speaking at a conference and fly back to Toronto in the evening. On Saturday I’m in front of the camera for a commercial and Sunday I am doing N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Popped into Studio Fitzroy today, my favourite dress boutique to rent a dress for my talk on Friday. Took my sister…

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LIFE TRINITY BELLWOODS

Panago Pizza Picnic Party in the Park 

Panago Pizza Picnic Party in the Park 

Summer isn’t over! Ok, I know you can feel the change in the air but we’re still got a few weeks of sunshine left before we all hibernate for the winter. Last week to kick off Labour Day long weekend, some of my BFFs and I ordered Panago Pizza to the park (yes you can do that). I ordered a bunch of decorations on Amazon Prime two days before and we got everything set up in the park before Harmony arrived. We were actually all there on time (for once) when the birthday girl arrived! It was perfect! You might recognize these pizza boxes from earlier this summer when I posted about them here. To celebrate Canada’s 150th this year, Panago partnered with Toronto-bred, Vancouver-based illustrator Chairman Ting . The boxes have heaps of Canadiana on them from Mounties to mountains, beautiful forests, lakes, trees, a moose, the CN Tower, and heaps more. I coloured one and posted it on Instagram here. If YOU colour YOUR pizza box and tag it #ShareMoreCanada, Panago’s social team will be keeping an eye on the hashtag and giving out #RandomActsofPizza. We saw this cool guy carring a huge beautiful painting. Great way to meet girls in a park I tell ya! You can only get the Chaiman Ting X Panago pizza boxes till the end of summer. So, celebrate the last few wonderful weeks of great weather and order your friends/yourself a pizza! PIZZA FOREVER! Artist Designed Pizza Boxes + Pizza from Panago! ?? #ShareMoreCanada

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