life update. manly street. lola. more.

hello friends,

lots has been happening in our little family lately. here's a little update.

ryan finished residency in june and is a chief resident this year. that's a junior faculty position where he helps with scheduling and administrative stuff for the residency program when he's not on service, and is the attending when he is on service. it's been a great year for ryan. his co-chief is one of his best guy friends...definitely an additional perk to the job! (i.e.: they golf in the office and lead bus tours for applicants and other ridiculous things)

we rented our beloved little corona house for three and a half years, and during that time fell more and more in love with winston salem and our community here. we decided, with lots of peace, that we want to put down some deeper roots here in winston. we figured it would be a good idea to stop paying rent if we're staying a while. our friends julie and cooper let us know that the house across the street from them was going on the market soon. we weren't thinking we'd be that into it, but decided to go ahead and look. we both loved it right away. ryan likes cozy, tree-house feeling places. i like tons of natural light and outside hangout spots. it was the perfect combination of both. the house was tucked up on a corner lot, front porch, back patio, sunroom, lots of cozy nooks, skylights, great windows, tall ceilings, just perfect. we decided to put an offer on it, and that didn't go so well. so we waited. and waited. and figured it was a done deal and that a more perfect house would come along in due time. i ran over to the "dream house" about every day and would crouch down by the stone wall on the side of the house and pray. i remember one day praying, "lord, i really want this house, but i want you more, so please just help me be content with whatever it is you have for us." that was a freeing prayer to pray (mostly. a little scary too). we looked at other houses in the meantime, but always liked the "dream house" and our rental house about a thousand times more than anything else we saw.  about two and a half months went by. out of the blue ryan got an email from our realtor saying that the sellers of "dream house"countered our offer. we giddily went back and forth a few times. they accepted! and wanted to close in 2 weeks.

717 manly st. (before we painted. now the brown is a purplish-gray color)

we closed a couple days before going to the mountains for thanksgiving. we had the house painted, got new carpet upstairs, installed central air, and did a couple other little things. we moved in mid december. ryan's parents helped us clean...like reallllllyyyyy clean! and my mom came to help us get settled.

view from our new front porch the day we closed

on december 20th mom and i drove to florida to pick up our baby lola. yes, my mom does love me and tolerates my bad decisions like driving to florida and back in one day to buy a dog when lola just as well could have been flown to us. that's neither here nor there.

the ride home with lola girl

on december 23rd we flew to texas (with the puppy) to be with family for christmas.

january was a month of settling, waking up at night with lola, getting back into the swing of things with work, and getting used to a new home.

snowy kiss

the "dream house" is our house!! i still can't really get over that. it feels like home now, and is really such a gift.

work is going really well for both of us! i love reading instruction, working one on one with students, and getting to know so many wonderful families. ryan is in the process of figuring out the ins and outs of a job for next year. he's going to sign on with a group to do mostly outpatient pediatrics with a little bit of inpatient. he's also training for the boston marathon. and he turned 30 about a week ago.

happy birthday, ry 

thankful for this season of life, for friends, family, a home, a puppy, work, and so much more.

lots of love,
kate

happy birthday, David!

I absolutely love birthdays. I love to celebrate, whatever the occasion, but birthdays are my very very favorite. It’s one day a year to make a huge deal about someone, to shower a person with love, prayers, and gratitude for their awesomeness. It’s a perfect day for good food, best friends, great drinks…and cake. I haven’t wished one of my favorite people in the world “happy birthday” in 5 years and although this feels vulnerable, and maybe even a little silly, I decided that it’s time to start celebrating him again. Sixteen days before his 23^rd birthday we lost our David. Most people who read this blog probably know or know of David, but in case you don’t, David is my mom’s youngest sister’s son.  He is 9 months younger than me making him my “closest in age” cousin, and therefore a built-in best friend. When his parents died, my parents adopted him, so when I was 12 he became my brother.

Dave, you would be 28 today. If I could have it my way, you’d be coming over for dinner. I’d make you spaghetti and homemade meat balls, we’d have a craft beer, and I’d make you a salted chocolate caramel cake (that’s Ryan’s current favorite and you all are so similar it’s scary, so I’m gonna go ahead and assume you’d love it too), and of course you’d make me laugh until I cried. So much has happened since August 30, 2008…you’ve missed out on a ton. I married Ryan and we moved to North Carolina. I finally have a job I like. Carrie went to grad school in New York, bought a house, and is a dean and literacy specialist at a charter school in Houston…and a badass like usual. Layne is married to Mollie and moving to Dallas soon. Christian is about to finish college at A&M (you guys are also so similar!). I’m going to see Papa & Kitsie in a couple weeks. We put an offer on a house. Life is so full of joy. I wish you were a part of it all.

I miss you from my core and still feel disappointed that I don’t get to have it “my way”, but thankfully I can say with a ton of confidence and peace that God is good and that I know Him in a deeper way now than I did 5 years ago.  It comforts me to know that your body and mind are healthy and at peace now. My hope is that you’re celebrating your birthday in heaven today. Hopefully you have a guitar, mountain bike, and Lord of the Rings series up there…and maybe even some chocolate cake.

I love you! Happy 28^th Birthday, David!!!!

cinco de mayo

We had our 2nd annual Cinco de Mayo party this weekend. 

So fun!!! 

I had a great time preparing for it, planning the menu, decorating, plucking fiesta-ish flowers from neighbors gardens (with permission, don't worry..), but the best was time with friends, 

sharing our home, and hosting with my man...oh and of course, delicious margaritas.

I loved it :) 

I didn't get as many pictures as I'd hoped to (I'll be better about it next year), but here are a couple pics and a few snip-its about the menu: 

"fiesta" streamers made from dyed
coffee filters

food table (dark, not very pretty picture :/) 

menu: fajitas, grilled veggies,
mexican rice, black bean salad, quesadillas, chips,
salsa, and guacamole

food labels-limes and
bamboo skewers...and "mexican" sangria bar in background.

sangria has oranges, cloves, cinnamon, and other goodies.
next time I think i'll add some brandy.

living room with fiesta banner

peonies and cute margarita straws :) 

my cute host partner :)
...and desserts in the background on the buffet

dessert menu: mexican brownies (picture and recipe below),
no bake oatmeal chocolate PB cookies,
margarita cupcakes, and
"scotcharoos" (rice crispy, butterscotch, chocolate goodness)
and m&ms to go with the fiesta theme! 

mexican brownies 

My very favorite brownies are ghirardelli dark chocolate brownies 

with chocolate chips...from a box. Yep, I said it. They are dang good. 

Trick: cook them 7 minutes less than the minimum cooking time says on the box. 

I use a glass pan usually and the cook time says 

45-50...no sirree, 38 minutes and those babies are perfect! 

My ultimate treat is these dark chocolate brownies with a scoop of Bluebell homemade 

vanilla ice-cream. That was before I had "Mexican-ized" these. 

Mmmmmmm! 

Recipe: add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper to brownie mix. Follow all other instructions like normal. Try it, try it! So good and "fancy" in a split second.

Enjoy! 

 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

This is a Martha Stewart, not a Kate, creation. 

I made it 4 layers instead of 6. 

I made it for Ryan's birthday.

It was amazing.

I'm married to a carb-aholic. He also happens to be a runner, golfer, and incredible athlete. 

And he's in the medical profession and would not counsel his patients 

to have the same "favorites" as he does. 

But in all honesty if you ask Ryan what his favorite foods are he will 

say, "cake, bread, biscuits, crackers, brownies, pizza, and cheese." yes.

I tell you these things because he is PICKY about his cakes, etc....and 

this cake is his new favorite, hands-down.

(http://www.marthastewart.com/857647/salted-caramel-six-layer-chocolate-cake) from Martha:


Ingredients

• 
  

  For The Cake

  • Unsalted butter, room temperature, for pans
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 tablepoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Coarse salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons safflower oil
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• For The Caramel

  • 4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • Coarse salt
  • 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

• For The Frosting

  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
  • Coarse salt
  • 1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped, melted, and cooled
  • Garnish: flaked sea salt, such as Maldon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: Butter three 9-inch round cake pans, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Sift flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons course salt into the bowl of a mixer. Beat on low speed until just combined. Raise speed to medium, and add eggs, buttermilk, 1 1/2 cups warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Divide batter among pans. Bake until cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool in pans set on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks, and let cool completely.

Make the caramel: Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Cook, without stirring, until mixture is dark amber, about 14 minutes. Remove from heat, and carefully pour in cream (mixture will spatter); stir until smooth. Return to heat, and cook until a candy thermometer reaches 238 degrees, about 2 minutes. Pour caramel into a medium bowl, stir in 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and let cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: Whisk together cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water in a bowl until cocoa dissolves. Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and a generous pinch of coarse salt in a clean bowl with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in melted chocolate and then cocoa mixture until combined. Let stand for 30 minutes before using.

Trim tops of cakes using a serrated knife to create a level surface. Cut each in half horizontally to form 2 layers. Transfer 1 layer to a serving platter, and spread 3/4 cup caramel over top. Top with another cake layer, and repeat with remaining caramel and cake layers, leaving top uncovered. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

Frost top and sides of cake in a swirling motion. Sprinkle with sea salt.

some notes from me:

-yes, use a candy thermometer

-make cake and caramel ahead of time (a day before)

-use floss and toothpicks to easily cut your 2 cakes in half to create your 4 layers

 (imagine each round cake is a clock. if your cooled cake 

is on a piece of parchment paper on your counter 

place 2 toothpicks on the outside of "12 o'clock", "3 o'clock", "6 o'clock", and "9 o'clock". 

toothpicks should be centered in a way that when you slide the floss through, 

the cake is cut into 2 even layers.

 put a long piece of floss in between each set of toothpicks. pull floss through.

your cake is cut evenly and without a mess!)

Make for someone you love and share with friends! 

enjoy!

"Not-too-bad-for-you" Spinach Artichoke Dip

So I know I've been talking about light, summery things like watermelon and snow cones and salads. Spinach Artichoke Dip and watermelon? gross. don't do it. So this is probably not what you'll make all summer, but it is what you'd make if you were part of the "Winston Salem Contingent".  haha. My wonderful friend Laura's dad is an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins...who just happen to be playing in the Stanley Cup finals. :) So what have I been doing every other night for several weeks/months? Watching hockey with several other dedicated fans (and we now have a gang name..the WSC...winston salem contingent. we're pretty serious. and dorky. and half joking. anyways.) Spinach Artichoke dip goes well with hockey. not snow cones.

I looked for lots of different spinach artichoke dip recipes, all of which had mayonaise, sour cream, cream cheese, or a mixture of all of the above. I decided to make up my own recipe. It's much lighter, but still really flavorful. Totally delicious! Game 5 is tomorrow night, game 6 is Monday night, and if it goes to game 7, that'll be Wednesday night. Form a contingent. Make this dip.

Go Bruins!!!

What you'll need:
-a food processor (or a good chopping hand)
-about 4 cups spinach (frozen or fresh, well chopped if not going in a food processor)
-1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
-4 cloves garlic
-1 cup grated parmesan cheese
-juice of half a lemon
-sea salt
-pepper
-dash of red pepper flakes
-1 cup 0% fat greek yogurt (I used fage brand)

What you do:
Preheat oven to 400. Combine all ingredients in food proccessor and pulse until well blended. Spread into baking dish. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot. Get your game face on.

i can hardly take myself seriously right now... :) omg. but seriously...GO BRUINS!

daydreaming about summer

I have 13 days of work left until SUMMER.

Yesssssssssssssssssssss!!!

Excited is an under statement.

We have lots of visitors coming this summer. We're going to a couple weddings in Texas!

 I'm nannying for 3 kids this summer which I'm really excited about (4 days a week. no lesson plans. no observations. time at the pool. getting to know some sweet teenagers.... all sounds perfect!)

 And Ryan will keep on keeping on in his second (almost) year of residency.

I've been daydreaming a lot about Summer lately.

swimming.

bathing suit coverups.
bright nail polish.
being barefoot.

 weddings.

frozen yogurt.

(craving a snow cone so badly, but they don't exist here. if you're in houston, please enjoy one for me. white coconut, light on the syrup. mmmm) 

grilling.

cold drinks.

margaritas.

family. 

friends.

no more sunday blues.

eeeeeeeeeee i can't wait.

There are countless things that I love about summer!!

One thing I'm REALLY excited about is lightened-up, summery fresh food.

 salads. grilled veggies. watermelon as a meal (mixed with feta and basil and grape tomatoes of course!) lots of herbs. fruit. veggies, veggies, and fruit. and margaritas. and the pool. wait a second...

cooking light has some great summer meal/side ideas. can't wait to try a lot of them!

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/scb-sides-0040000002%208195/page33.html

convo with 3 of my 5th graders today:

student # 1: so Mrs. Aubuchon, what do you like to do? i mean like what's fun to you? what do you do besides teach?

me: well i like a lot of things... (then i was cut off by student #2)

student #2: she likes to read! right, mrs. aubuchon? you love reading?

me: yes i love reading and i like some other things

all the students: YOU DO? LIKE WHAT?

me (laughing): well like cooking and exercising and being outside and with friends and at the pool and travelling and lots of things :)

them (totally shocked at the idea that i'm a regular human not just a reading teacher): ohhhhhhhhhhh

:)

I'd love to hear about what you're looking forward to doing and/or cooking this summer!!

Happy almost Summer!

snowy birthday weekend

this past weekend i turned 26. ryan had the whole weekend off!! (he was incredibly thoughtful, as usual :) i seriously have the sweetest husband!), we went out to breakfast, saw a movie, did a little shopping for me,  had a little mini pizza and wine birthday party at the house...and it was gorgeous white outside. perfect birthday weekend!


our snowy bungalow!



my man on our porch



from our Christmas light-lit porch

our first (married) thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in North Carolina this year. Ryan had to work so we didn't go to Texas. Thankfully our friends Travis and Laura stayed in town too. So the four of us celebrated together at our house! We got married in March and the Lintners (travis and laura) got married in June...so all of us will always remember our first married thanksgiving together in winston salem :) We had a great time and enjoyed some good food!

On the menu:
-Holiday Brie
-A Smoked Greenberg Turkey (provided by my in-laws..woo hoo!) http://www.gobblegobble.com/
-Spinach Salad
-Stuffing made by Laura!
-Cranberry Sauce made by Laura!
-Smoked Gouda Sweet Potatoes
-Apple Cider Roasted Vegetables
-Pumpkin Bread Pudding and Caramel Yummy Bars

Table setting...simple, but still festive :)

Thanksgiving menu recipes coming soon...

assuming the best

I've been meaning to share this story, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. There's a man named Clarence (I hope he doesn't mind that I share his name) that lives in our neighborhood who comes to our house pretty often to see if he can trim bushes, mow, rake, etc. A couple weeks ago when Jay was visiting Clarence came by and mowed and weed eated. He charges $25. He came back about 15 minutes after leaving. He was holding the 5 dollar bill and told us that he'd dropped the 20 on his way to put up his lawn mower at a friend's house. Ryan, Jay, and I didn't have any more cash and were totally skeptical and assuming the worst. What an easy way to earn $45 insted of $25, right? I hear Clarence say, "I owe a friend $20 and told him I'd pay him today, could I borrow the money and pay you back tomorrow?" Instead Ryan and Jay said that they'd retrace his footsteps with him in hopes of finding the  money. The three of them walked back the way Clarence had come and had no luck finding the money. Clarence thanked Ryan and Jay for trying to help him and said that he had to go get his mower so he could try to mow another yard before it got dark so he could pay his friend back. They said bye and Jay and Ryan headed back to the house. They were kinda frustrated and felt like maybe Clarence wasn't being honest about the whole thing. They were confessing to each other that it's so much easier to distrust than trust when you don't really know someone. Some leaves blew and there was the $20. They grabbed it, ran to find Clarence, and couldn't find him. They saw some people out in their front yard and asked, "Have you seen an older guy..maybe with a lawnmower..?" "Oh yeah, Clarence? He's over there." They pointed Jay and Ryan towards Clarence...they found him and were able to give him his $20 back. I'm thankful for humbling moments like that that help me remember the importance of assuming the best in people.

"h" for hazelnut

This morning Sarah and I went to a new store called Vintage Jane on Main St. in Kernersville. We both loved it! I went looking for Christmas presents and left with 3 magnets, a frame, and a vintage-ish cork board/frame/dry erase thing to hang somewhere for fun little notes or "to do" lists (all for me..oops). I'll try again soon and have better self-control next time.
Before we headed to Vintage Jane I stopped at Cafe Roche to get some coffee. I ordered a decaf mocha for Sarah and a skim latte with almond for me (and I was very excited about it!) I saw the barista pour the milk into one and real nicely I asked, "oh, was that skim milk in mine?" He smiled and said, "I know I don't really know you yet, but what's your profession?"  "oh, I'm a teacher" I said.  "Oh" he replied "well I won't tell you how to teach and you don't need to tell me how to make your coffee." Well, ok then. :) I think I pretty flawlessly rolled with his joke and proceded to keep my mouth shut and let the man do his job. He set down the coffee in front of me while I paid. Then he took a sharpie and wrote an "H" on my cup and circled it. I took a look at it and said, "H for...?" "Hazelnut!" he said "Uh you mean almond?" "Damn it! you did say almond didn't you?" "Haha, hazelnut's my second favorite..don't worry about it.. "  :) I guess we're even.

hiking in NC

This past weekend, our friend Jay (one of Ryan's roommates during all 4 years of med school) came to visit! Ryan had the whole weekend off. The weather was perfect. Time with Jay was great. It was a much-needed relaxing and fun weekend. Jay asked us, "What's your favorite thing about living out here?" Coming from flat, mountain-less Texas, that was a pretty easy question to answer...

gorgeous Fall trees on our way to hike in Boone

 

Hiking Boone Fork Trail



JD, my man, and me :)

what's all the fuss about

a lot of people I know LOVE fall. people rave about it!

 i enjoy a good piece of pumpkin bread or a pumpkin latte once in a while. 

but i guess if i'm honest, i've never really considered myself a LOVER OF FALL. now living in north carolina, i am starting to see what all the fuss is about.

the leaves are changing. it's cooling off (scarves, boots, jackets!).

 pumpkin cake has never tasted better. it's absolutely gorgeous here! 

to some of you, that is nothing new and may not seem noteworthy. 

being a houstonian all my life, having 4 seasons is a new and exciting thing for me. i am becoming a true and genuine lover of fall :)  roasted pumpkin seeds. 

lots of hot chocolate on the porch. pumpkins in the house. pumpkin on the porch. fall flowers. fall cookies. my favorite fall thing of all, though, are the leaves....

beautiful, huh??

what do you love about fall?

:)

what's going on

Ryan and I got married in March and moved to NC in June. He started pediatric residency in July and I started teaching in Kernersville (fondly known around here as "K-Vegas") in August. I am called a PRT, a Primary Reading Teacher. This is my dream job that I never knew existed. I've been wandering a little bit (we'll call it "exploring my options"...since May, 2007 I think I've had 9 jobs... so call it what you want) for the last few years. I worked for an inner city ministry, the insurance industry, substitute taught, helped with some non-profit development projects for a few weeks, did some temp work, assisted a lawyer, worked at a women's shelter, was an assistant 2nd grade teacher, contemplated going to grad school about a 100 times, and now I'm a PRT in Kernersville, NC of all things and I LOVE it! I teach reading to small groups (4-6 students) of 2nd & 5th graders. I work with 2nd grade for a little over an hour and then am with 5th grade the rest of the day. Oh, did I mention that I work part-time? That may factor into the "dream job I never knew existed" thing. My hours are 7:45-12:45. I'm much more productive in the mornings...this job really is custom made for me! I don't know why I ever doubt God's faithfulness, but I still find myself surprised sometimes by it. Ryan and I have been so aware of God's faithfulness and love for us lately. His provision is incredible--our church, small group, some great friends in a new town, my job, our house, Wakeforest residency program, the list goes on and on. HE IS GOOD!
                      
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."   Psalm 107:1