the best gingerbread muffins

Gingerbread! Gingerbread!

Winter is here, you guys, and I cannot think of a more comforting smell than the spicy warmth of gingerbread. And these muffins delivered just that and more. We made them for day-after-thanksgiving-brunch, and they were amazing fresh out of the oven, but I think they got better overnight. I am resisting going back for a second mid-afternoon snack as we speak....

I will be eating one of these a day (if I have that much self control) until they are gone.

I highly recommend you put this on your Sunday afternoon to-do list. Quick, easy, and you will reap the benefits of delicious muffins and a delicious smelling house. Double whammy. 

Healthy Gingerbread Muffins

• ½ cup coconut oil
• ⅓ cup molasses
• 1 egg
• ½ cup real maple syrup
• ½ cup light sour cream
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• turbinado sugar for topping

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Melt the coconut oil so it's in liquid form. In a small bowl, whisk the liquid coconut oil with the molasses.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, maple syrup, sour cream, milk, and ginger. Let the mixture come to room temperature so that you can easily add the the coconut oil (30-40 seconds in the microwave is fine if you're rushed). When it's at room temperature, add the coconut oil and molasses from step one. The coconut oil should stay liquified.
3. Add the flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir a few times until just combined. Scoop into a muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until the tops are puffy and firm to the touch. Cool for a few minutes before serving. Makes about 12-16 muffins. 

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Hope you all had warm and blessed Thanksgivings! 

snow sculptures + winter carnival

Well, we didn't make it out to the ice sculptures this year as usual, but I was able to make a last minute effort to see the snow sculptures out at the state fairgrounds as part of the St. Paul winter carnival! As the temps have remained bone-chillingly low { I do believe I heard that today is our 43rd day this season staying below zero(!!) yikes!}  it has been a bit of an effort to get outside, stay active, or even enjoy the winter, but we have been doing our best. I have been feeling like my body has been acclimating to the arctic temperatures, such that on a day we are only in the negative single digits, it feels quite bearable. Goodness knows what 32* will feel like!! 

I think the last time I saw the snow sculptures, I was quite young. They don't do them every year, like they do the ice sculptures, but turning a big hunk of snow into such detail is pretty amazing as well!! I always love finding things to do around our area. I don't have mountains to drive up to, or beaches to frequent, as much as I would LOVE either of those things around me... :) so it's always fun to visit these kind of exhibits when there is the chance! 

Jared is still quite busy on the weekends, with Saturday double header basketball games, or writing stories, or even just mountains of homework.... so I was kind of bummed that he wasn't able to tag along to see these, but I was thankful that Dave & Chris were in town, and wanted to go exploring, and my parents as well.  

We are looking quite forward to this fall when Jared graduates with his MBA - not only a huge accomplishment, but we are anticipating the hours that it will free up for him. Especially on the weekends. :) 

the tundra.

So, the sheer fact that you are reading this post means that we have survived the Minnesota deep freeze of 2014 with all ten fingers and enough heat in our house to type. :) Big sigh of relief. 

Some thoughts after being cooped up in the house for the last 4 days...

Observation 1. I have uttered the words, "it's only 9 below today!" As if that were something to be excited about.
Observation 2. I (somehow) have not convinced my husband that flannel sheets are a must.
Observation 3. I have been wearing my knit hats in the house.
Observation 4. I have not ever started coughing just by taking that first step outside. Until Monday. Hit you like a ton of bricks.
Observation 5. I have had warmer toes than Jared on  more than one occasion these past 72 hours. Which means.... it's. really. cold. 
Observation 6. I did take my first selfie in the car. Waiting for it to warm up. The cold must have gotten to me. I was weak. 
Observation 7. I have cozied myself up with re-watching Gilmore Girls, drinking dark hot cocoa, and playing Ticket to Ride on the iPad with Jared. 
Observation 8. We have survived actual temperatures of -25 with windchills into the -40s and -50s and lived to tell about it. And it was kind of exciting. ;)

It's been cold outside. But we're staying nice and warm inside. And are very grateful for that fact. Very very grateful. 

the snow post.

20 days have gone by in April, 20 of which I have been trying to find the motivation to get my daily stuff done - let alone keep up with all the extras. :) "so, hello, little blog." We have been suffering from excessive vitamin D deficiency here... today being the first day I can remember that the sun has come out and its above the 30*s. however.... 

you can't tell me that's not pretty.

so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. 

april 18 in minnesota, friends. welcome. 

I wasn't the *happiest* initially about yet another wave of bad roads, ice, winter coats, boots... {insert reminder about current lack of vitamin d, and add a naturally very emotional woman}... so I tried to stay off social media for the day as to not bust a cork over all the "woe is me it's blizzarding" posts I was seeing. didn't help anyone. so when I {finally} got home, I grabbed the camera. even in my cranky state, I had to admit it was breathtaking.

i love our birches.

so if any of you family or friends find some extra sunshine laying around your house, please send it our way. all of us deranged & deficient minnesotans would appreciate it. oh, and merry christmas.

today in our backyard.

today is beautiful. it's been snowing for 20 hours straight - hasn't stopped yet - i don't mind.

i ventured out into our {now}lush backyard around inch 4 - right when we got home from church - and i wish i had gotten a few more as the day went on. 8-10 inches later and it's even more beautiful!

so from our backyard to yours... happy december! it finally feels right now. we have been busting out everything christmasy today. egg nog. cards. music {vikes game} music. soft fuzzy white blankets. balsam candles. oh, and this....

pay no attention to the man without a hat........ HAPPY WINTER!

the pilot.

I was ready for this stuff! Honestly, I was. And on a Saturday... it was blissful.

Pair that with a sunny sunday, a husband who finally gets to be home with no work to do, and a dog who should have been a huskie...

Dad, Jared & I are finishing up a 7 day stretch with no mom around - she comes home tonight, so I thought a bath for the doodle dog might be in order. My last attempt at this was quite interesting if you remember. You can read about that time here. However, I wisely learned from those past mistakes, and there was much less fighting, much less water, and much less yelling this time. We had "a talk" as I dragged her (literally) into the bathroom. I must have said something right. She awaited her fate calmly - and played dead weight.

Aside from one shake I did not see coming, we survived. And I think she was so tired of being prodded and told what to do she just finally gave up.

So we'll welcome mom home tonight with a clean dog, and look forward to celebrating her (belated) birthday with her tomorrow! I'm looking forward to a batch of homemade chicken noodle soup (recipie from my wonderful friend Mindy)... I'll make sure to share, it sounds fabulously easy.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend, snow or no snow! With how crisp and sparkly it is outside, I can't help but think about Isaiah 1:18 whenever I'm outside. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...." Makes the winter weather that much more beautiful, in my opinion.

LAST weekend...

So this is what I get for putting off blog posts. The gorgeous weather I was so excited to share has turned right back into Minnesota winter. This morning Jared and I were up at 6am digging out so he could get to work. Sore everything and 2 hours later.... we were both exhausted and it was only 8am! I will never speak against snow plows (so thankful for them) but when it comes to the end of driveways... it's a different story. That was this morning. Now if only we could go back to our wonderful LAST weekend! It was a balmy 48* degrees outside and we were loving it! We're talking no coat, flats, and sunshine. Gorgeous. And so we spent a whole day this weekend enjoying it! We started out by meeting my parents, and my cousin and her family for a scrumptious lunch at a long-time favorite restaraunt, Qcumbers! Many fond memories of this place as a child (Squires!) and it didn't disappoint me as an adult! After we were (unfortunately) stuffed, we headed over to Centennial Lakes which is just a step away to ice skate! Moving was the last thing that sounded pleasant at the time, but it always does seem to help. :) For as beautiful as it was, it didn't surprise me at how busy the lake was, and the skating was sub-par as you'll see, but it was a blast. Sun just makes you happy like that.

Obvioulsy, no one was concerned about this sign.....

We just couldn't get enough of the sunshine! It really had been a long time since we'd seen it! (And seeing this picture just totally caught me off guard - Jared's long hair!!)

The cattail was enjoying it too. They just looked happy basking in the rays! (as did mom) :)

I'd be pretty bummed if I was this bubble... so close. So close.

And of course, with how wet and packy it was, some snowballs were inevitable...

Hope you enjoyed any nice weather (while it did or didn't last)... we sure did! And now we're bringing in the blustery stillness of snow. Again. No more excited families outside, no kites, no sunshine, just stillness. All in time, I guess, all in time. Greyish blue skies. Piles of snow too tall to see over, and fresh stuff already put a dusting over our immaculately shoveled driveway. I guess its a home day. But it's good. :) So good.

Stay cozy!!