I Love Interlibrary Loans!

I've been doing a lot of reading this year (I'm trying to read ALL the books). So far I've read twenty-one books in 2014, five of which were read in July alone (I'm almost done a sixth one, too). I'm able to read so much because of the amazing Public Library system. New books, old books, hidden gems, all are available for free. Libraries are the best!

One of my favourite features of our library system is the Interlibrary Loan. If my library doesn't have the book/dvd I'm looking for, they can request it from other libraries to try and get it for me. I was speaking to one of the librarians recently about how amazing the service is, and she let me know a little about how it works. A library puts out a request through the interlibrary loan system (which I believe is province wide) and other libraries can choose to fulfill the request if (a) they have the book and (b) there is low demand for the book with their patrons. Many different libraries see the request so chances are it will be fulfilled (I've used the service ten or more times and have always received the book). Books are then sent through an internal library courier that takes between 1-4 weeks for delivery.

It amazes me so much that (1) this is even possible and (2) it is a free service with my library card. It also gives me a feeling of great pride that everybody can have access to all the books, no matter how big or small their local library is. I absolutely love this service!

I also get a kick out of knowing where the books come from. My pick up location is in Elmvale, Ontario, and over the years I have received items from the following Ontario libraries: Niagara Falls, Keswick, Markham, Ajax, Orillia, and most recently Guelph. A number of those locations are two hours from my local library. How cool is that?

On Repeat: "Wake Up and Live" by Bob Marley

I have been lifting some light weights recently, trying to add some strength to my arms and shoulders. It is going to be a long but worthwhile process, as I currently have close to zero upper body strength. I'm starting really slow (3 lbs weights), but the plan is to keep at it until I have enough strength to do a push up. I'm not entirely convinced I'll be able to do that, but John is encouraging me so I'm going to show up and see what happens.

I start my arm workout with a five minute warm up to loosen up.
I wanted a song to go with the warm up, so I searched through my playlist for songs that were around the five minute mark. The one that jumped out at me was Bob Marley's "Wake Up and Live." It's a pretty motivating song and perfect for getting me moving in the morning. Plus after this song plays, iTunes shuffles through my Bob Marley playlist, which provides a great vibe for my workout.

What songs help you get motivated or moving? I would love to know your favourites.

Zebra/Leopard/Marble Cake

I can't remember where I first saw zebra cake posted, but I do remember how fun and easy it looked to make. It had the zebra name because it was chocolate and vanilla cake baked together to look like the stripes of a zebra. I made one for fun a few months ago and I'm a sucker for any sort of surprise-inside cake, so I liked it. This time around I wanted to add some colour to it (pink!), which ended up looking like leopard print to me. I'm sure this cake could also be called marble too. Whatever you want to call it, it is a fun and tasty cake to bake.

Ingredients:
1 box white or yellow cake mix, prepared as per package directions.
            (sidenote: I always prepare cake mix with unsweetened applesauce instead of oil. It makes
             for a flavourful cake that has way less fat).
2 tbs cocoa powder
Food colour of choice (if desired)

Method:
1. Prepare cake batter and separate into two bowls. A box of cake mix will make roughly 5 cups, so I very roughly measured out 2.5 cups into a new bowl.

2. Add 2 tbs of cocoa powder to one bowl and stir to combine. Add food colouring to other bowl and stir to combine (or leave white if you want the zebra look).

3. Using a 1/4 cup measure, alternate batter into the center of greased cake pans. Just keep adding the batter to the center and gravity and the baking process will spread it all out for you. Check out this brief kitchen video I made that shows me alternating the colours:

4. Bake cake in 350°F oven. I used 8 inch round cake pans and the box suggested 26-31 minutes, but it actually took a little longer (about 38 min). I just kept checking every 3-5 minutes to see if a toothpick would come out clean. It finally did.

5. Frost and decorate to taste. I used a white frosting so that the inside would seem more surprising when cut open. The frosting I used was marshmallow buttercream (my favourite).

Once the cake was iced white I noticed I still had some buttercream leftover, so I added 1 tsp of cocoa powder to it and piped some designs along the top and bottom. Fancy eh?

Yoga with Friends

Inspired by Plowing Through Life's post about Cats Stealing Dog Beds, I thought I would post this video compilation of pets interrupting yoga. As someone who has done yoga with a cat on her mat (see: cat yoga), I can totally relate to this video.

Here is my version of this. Cats like yoga too!

Happy Monday!!

Newfie Fries From Perky's Fish and Fries #FoodPicFriday

My sister-in-law is from Newfoundland and was the first one to let me know about Newfie Fries: french fries topped with stuffing and gravy. The stuffing is made with a type of savoury that is specific to Newfoundland. I made a home made version of the fries last year, but didn't go for the authentic stuffing, so they had the right idea but they weren't quite Newfie Fries.

We have a fish and chip wagon near us called Perky's Fish and Fries and a second location recently opened in Elmvale. On a recent drive through Elmvale there were signs leading up to Perky's that said: "Newfie Fries Ahead". Amazing advertising, because it definitely got my attention! So I checked our location and they have them there too. So it was only a matter of time before I tried them. I discussed the Newfie fries with my Newfie sister-in-law, and she has not only tried them, but tells me that the stuffing is made with the Newfoundland savoury so it's the real deal. Awesome.

So for $6.50 we got 1.5 lbs of fries, stuffing, and gravy (I weighed it). John and I split it and ate it with homemade turkey burgers. It was filling and I almost needed a nap after, but it was really good. I totally get the authentic savoury stuffing - it had a really lovely flavour.