CASIE STEWART
THIS IS MY LIFE • BLOG EST. 2005
2020

Day 55: Let It…Snow?

Day 55: Let It…Snow?

Would you believe it snowed if I didn’t have a photo to prove it!? Yes, May 9th, 2020, snow. Not just any snow, a full blanket of tiny snowballs coated everything around us. I had a small birthday party on Zoom last night and it was super fun! I’m quite proud of myself for not staying up too late or drinking too much. Woke up today feeling good but also like I needed rest. I did not run today. Decided to take a day to recharge my batteries. Having a birthday can take a lot out of you, add the anxiety of your birthday in a pandemic and it’s kinda overwhelming. I am truly blessed to have such a great group of friends. Lauren started a thing where each person took a minute to say what they liked most about me and it was so nice. I feel loved and appreciated! THANK YOU FRIENDS! Sean and I had a productive day of watching ENTIRE SEASONS of both Hollywood (miniseries) and Into the Night. Both shows were good. Very different vibes as Hollywood is sexy, fun, and dramatic while Into The Night is a doomsday thriller. Next up, I’m going to tackle S2 of Dead to Me which I think I can finish in a day. The way this is going we’re going to need summer or more shows! If you have any recos, please share!

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BOOKS

Day 39: Book Recommendations

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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LIFE

Day 25: New Ways

Day 25: New Ways

Wow, 25 days! If I didn’t have this diary, the days would have meshed together into weeks and I would have no clue what number it was. I didn’t make the brownies or go for a run yesterday as planned. I put my workout gear on first thing in the morning and never made it. Y’know how that happens? BUT TODAY, I did a Peleton workout, a bit of yoga, and joined Sean for 4.5km on his route and it was so nice. Not far from here are tennis and basketball courts I had no idea about. I’m not particularly good at either but maybe it’s time to practise? We went out to get supplies yesterday afternoon which took a couple of hours. It’s a 20-minute drive anywhere from the cottage and Walmart is about 45 minutes. The stores were civil and pretty well stocked. We wore masks and had hand sanitizer for our hands. We both changed our clothes as soon as we got home. Today I used leftovers to make fried rice for lunch and we all sat at the table. For dinner, we made a delicious roast chicken with vegetables and salad. I’ve been really loving the food processor Sean’s parents got last summer. It’s so useful! I tried out a brussels sprout caesar with spinach and it was SO GOOD. I tried one at a restaurant ages ago so I found one on Pinterest and gave it a try. I made a board of some things that are inspiring me right now with recipes, garden tips, and natural fabric dyes. This is such a new weird way of life!

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LIFE MUSKOKA

Day 3: #stayhomechallenge

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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LIFE Muskoka

Day 2: Isolation

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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LIFE ON THE ROAD

South Western Ontario Road Trip!

South Western Ontario Road Trip!

This week I’m making my way from Toronto to Cambridge, then to Leamington, Ontario visiting my family along the way. I’m really excited to visit my dad’s new house. He’s lived there for 2 years and I’ve never been! Leamington is the most southern point in Ontario, on the same latitude as Northern California, with a slightly warmer climate than Toronto. The last time I saw dad was in the summer when he came to the city in his hot rod. I’m looking forward to hanging out tomorrow and exploring the area. Ford Canada lent me a 2020 Ford Edge for the week. This vehicle is a great compact SUV, it’s good on gas, has a great system, and I’m in love with the heated steering wheel. I’ll share a more thorough review of the car after my trip this week. I drove around the city quite a bit this past weekend visiting my sister, hanging with friends, and helping a friend move some new furniture. Today I’m going to my hometown (Cambridge, ON) to spend some time with mum. I can’t wait to see the house renovations and spend the night in my childhood home. It’s always an adventure at home, especially going through my old stuff in the basement. It takes about 4 hours to get to dad’s from Toronto so I’ve downloaded Jessica Simpson’s ‘Open Book‘ on Audible and I can’t wait to listen. I’ll also catch up on The Papaya Podcast and listen to my favs on Spotify. I love road trips and being in the car by myself. The last time I took a long solo drive was in New Zealand two years ago. It’s a great way to clear your head and get some perspective. I’m hoping to come back with a few new…

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