with both of these albums right now.
Listened to this album for the first time today... love her. love her voice. love this album. check it out if you haven't already.
Menswear-inspired, simple, classic pieces paired with unexpected or colorful accessories. This fall I've been gravitating towards vests, classic white shirts, skinny jeans, stripes, big watches, blazers, military jackets, oversized sweaters, chunky necklaces and cocktail rings, leather jackets, and bright scarves. I think Alexa Chung has perfected the look. Oh and I totally want her hair:)
These things are seriously SO good! Definitely my fave at Starbucks right now... they taste like the holidays!
I have definitely been enjoying my little two week break before school starts again and am actually feeling pretty refreshed and ready to go for fall semester on Monday. The boys have been in three tennis tournaments and have both played really well! It was so fun to go watch them and I am so proud of them for working so hard this summer. They have been taking lessons at the Sports Mall and every Friday they have a match play where they play matches with other kids from their class and can earn points. At the end of the summer they total up the points and the top 3 kids get prizes. Tyler came in first and Colton came in second! They each won a new tennis bag (we have about a million of these at our house!) and they were both so psyched!
this book. A love story that is a little bit dark and slow-moving at times, but I actually really liked it:) 
Also, I picked up this book while I was at Barnes and Noble yesterday with Ashley (possibly one of my very favorite places... I could spend hours in that place haha!) I've heard good things about it and am really excited to read it!
I also made these the other night. They were actually really fun to make. I got this recipe off of Martha's website too. I love dark chocolate and these did not disappoint! Really chocolatey, but a little bit bitter and not too sweet. I put them in the fridge to store them and they were even better cold! One of the best cookies I've had in a while! (and I'm not really a cookie person) I want to get some round cookie cutters with a scalloped edge and make them again! One note though: next time I'll either double the recipe for the cookies or else half the recipe for the filling, because I had about twice as much filling as I needed! I don't think anybody minded though;) Also, I think the main key to these is keeping the dough really cold. I had to stick mine back in the freezer a few times!
Dark-Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
FOR THE COOKIES
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
FOR THE FILLING
4 ounces dark chocolate (at least 70 percent cacao), finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Make the cookies: Whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, beating to combine. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
2. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using a 1 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. (Return dough to freezer if it softens.) Space rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Brush off excess flour.
3. Bake cookies, rotating sheets once, until edges are firm, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer cookies, on parchment, to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, make the filling: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar and salt dissolve. Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 10 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Let stand until firm enough to spread, about 15 minutes.
5. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons filling on half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies. (Assembled cookies can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
then you'll love this salad. I found it on Martha's website and thought it sounded light and refreshing but still substantial enough to have for dinner. The dressing is basically just lime and cilantro, so if that's not your thing then beware haha! Next time I might switch it up and instead of the cashews, add black beans and corn instead. We all loved it and I will definitely be making it again this summer!
Asian Rotisserie Chicken Salad (I thought it tasted more mexican than asian, but whatever!)
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves and soft stems
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 1/2 pounds), skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
1/4 medium red cabbage (8 ounces), cored and thinly sliced crosswise
1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup cashews
Directions:
1. Make dressing: In a blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cabbage, bell pepper, and scallions; season with salt and pepper. In another large bowl, toss lettuce with 1/2 cup dressing. Divide among four bowls, and top with chicken mixture. Drizzle all with remaining dressing, and sprinkle with cashews.
Ah if only I had a dollar for every time I have been asked this question. Yesterday Ashley and I were at Pottery Barn getting a wedding gift for a friend. While we were waiting for our gift to be wrapped, a couple waiting in line asked us this question. We said yes we were, and they then proceeded to tell us in detail about EVERY set of twins they knew. I always cringe after people ask us this question, because it is usually followed by a detailed account of all the twins they know or a series of "twin questions." This always surprises me because there are so many sets of twins out there. Sometimes it is really hard to be as excited as they are about the twins they know haha! Here are a few of my all-time favorite twin questions (yes, we really have been asked all of these):
- Can you read each other's minds?
- Do you say and/or think the same thing at the same time?
- Do you get sick at the same time?
- If one of you gets hurt does the other one feel it?
- Are you telepathic?
- How do you tell you guys apart? (I hate this one! I never know what to say!)
- Do you guys like all the same things?
- Do you do everything together?
- Do you play tricks and switch places on people and/or the guys you are dating? (we never have, just to clarify:)
And my very favorite:
- Do you ever forget which one you are? (Yes, this girl was dead serious)
I am not trying to complain, and most of these people are really nice, I just still find it very surprising sometimes:) and wanted to share!
I have been looking for new recipes to use my fresh herbs from my garden. My rosemary was getting a little big so I was happy when I came across this recipe for turkey burgers on one of my favorite recipe sites MyRecipes.com. They were seriously so good and so moist. I think it was the basting that made the difference. They were definitely a hit, even with the boys:) I altered the recipe a little, but you can find the original here.
Tasty Turkey Burgers
Prep: 15 min., Grill: 14 min.
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon minced dried onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons Fresh Herb Marinade
4 hamburger buns
Herb-Grilled Onion Rings (these I just sauteed in a pan with a little bit of the marinade instead of grilling them)
Toppings: spicy mustard, mayo, shaved Parmesan cheese, mixed greens
Preparation
1. Combine first 7 ingredients. Shape mixture into 4 equal-size patties.
2. Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in center, basting each side occasionally with Fresh Herb Marinade.
3. Grill buns, cut sides down, 2 minutes or until toasted. Serve burgers on buns with Herb-Grilled Onion Rings and desired toppings.
Fresh Herb Marinade
Yield: Makes about 1/3 cup
Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation
1. Stir together first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Season with pepper to taste.
Excellent book about behavioral economics(an emerging field in economics), which basically combines economics and psychology.(I swear it's way more interesting than it sounds;) It talks about how we think and make decisions and why we make the decisions we do, even when they are irrational ones. The irrational decisions aren't just random though, they are predictable and people continue to make them again and again as consumers, business people, and policy-makers. Then at the end of each chapter the author gives you ways to become more aware of the irrational choices you're making and ways to change them. Anyway... great book! If you're interested, check it out!
Yesterday was my dad's birthday! Sorry I'm a day late Dad:) Since his actual birthday was on Memorial Day this year (this has happened a few times...so unlucky!) we went to Cheesecake Factory on sunday to celebrate. Even though we ended up celebrating on Monday anyway! Grandma and Grandpa stopped by on monday and it was so good to see them! Always a good suprise! After they left we went to decorate my Grandma Payne's grave then came home to have a birthday party. I made Pad Thai for dinner and then bread pudding for dessert (I tried to recreate the bread pudding from Citris Grill, which is my dad's favorite) I thinked it turned out pretty well, I will just have to tweak one or two things for next time. I'll make it for you next time, Grandpa:) Happy Birthday Dad! Hope you had a great day! Love you!
This was the only picture I took:( I think Ashley has the rest of them. She has become the picture taker with her new camera!
I spent the day today helping my mom shop for and plant flowers for her new pots. We went up to the Smiths on 3300 S. (the BEST place to go around here. they seriously have TONS of flowers to choose from and they always hold up really well) While we were looking around I decided to pick up a few herbs (I got basil, oregano, Italian parsley, and rosemary) to start my herb garden I have been wanting to do forever. It is always so frustrating because when I cook I like to use fresh herbs but they are always so expensive to buy fresh from the grocery store and sometimes hard to find. I still want to go back and get some cilantro to put in the last pot and then also make some little labels for them. I'm excited but hopefully I can keep them alive long enough to actually use some of the herbs!
My mom's pots turned out SO pretty! She found the pots at Sam's Club and decided to plant Hydrangeas in them and put one each of the patios. She always does such a good job putting them together every year! 
Mat Kearney is one of my favorite artists. I started listening to him when his first album came out in 2006. It is one of those cds that you can listen to over and over, all the way through and never get sick of it. So, I was SO excited when I heard he had a new cd coming out. It came out today and it is SO good! Everybody check it out!
Last night was a pretty eventful night at the Payne house. Spencer had just left for prom and my parents had just left to go to a dinner at my grandpa Payne's house. I was sitting upstairs and all the sudden Colton (who was on the phone with my mom) came running in the room and said he went downstairs to look for Ashley and he saw water pouring into our room through the window! I jumped up and went running downstairs and sure enough there is water rushing into our room! Let me just say this is not the first time our bedroom has flooded. No, this is like the 4th or 5th time and the only room in our house that has ever flooded! So, Ashley opened the blinds to see where it was coming from and there was 6-8 inches of water in our window well! It looked like a fish tank. I told the boys to start grabbing anything they could and get it out of there! I got on the phone with my mom so she could tell my how to turn off the main water outside and told Colton to go get the neighbor. We got it shut off and then I ran inside and started just grabbing stuff and throughing it into the family room downstairs. Oh and of course I had clothes all over the floor because I was in the middle of organizing my closet and dresser, needless to say half of them are now covered in smelly, dirty water. My parents finally made it home and brought two of my uncles with them. They moved really fast and were able to get everything out and all of the furniture disassembled (including my new dresser:( We couldn't have done it all that quickly without their help! Apparently what had happened was a sprinkler pipe had broken that was right outside our window. So... Ashley and I have set up camp in the downstairs family room with all of our stuff EVERYWHERE! I have no idea where anything is...and school starts tomorrow. Oh and we know from past experience that no, the insurance does not cover flood damage when the water comes in from the outside. Great. This is what our room currently looks like: 
Not exactly the picture I thought I would be posting of our room!
During my break from school my mom and I decided to redocorate my room. I love changing up my room! I have been wanting to do something really simple and pretty. I decided on doing all white bedding with our dark wood furniture, shiny silver hardware, and just a touch of light pink. My mom and I decided to go get this dresser from IKEA and do a few other projects to get my room completely finished off. Sounded like a good idea at the time:) We brought it home and started unloading the boxes... about 300 little pieces, 42 steps, and 4 hours later my mom and I had built the dresser! It was totally worth it though! I was a little worried with it being IKEA that it wouldn't fit together perfectly or that it might look cheap but I must say I really like it. We also switched out the IKEA handles for some dressier ones which made a big difference. We got a mirror to go above it that we still need to hang and another one just like it that we turned the other way for a full length mirror. I also still need to find a vase for the pink peonies (if anyone finds a pretty one let me know;)I'll post more pictures of the whole room after everything is done!
I decided to reward myself after making it through finals and buy myself this book. I went to the bookstore in search of a new book and after deciding that my brain hurts too much right now to get an actual book that requires thinking, I settled on this one. This book came out a while ago and I was always curious if it was any good. It did not disappoint! It is full of gorgeous pictures (nothing like the creepy ones you usually see of MK and A) and some interesting interviews(the ones with DVF and the head designer for Calvin Klein are my favorite so far). Between this book, cleaning out and organizing my closet into my new IKEA dresser(I'll post more about this later:), and doing a little shopping and relaxing with my mom and Ashley, I think I'll be ready to head back to school in less than a week...k maybe not but at least I got a little break from the stress!
To celebrate my mom's birtday we went to dinner Sunday night at Citris Grill (big surprise I know!) One of my mom's favorite restaurants:) Then we came back to our house and opened presents and had cake! Hope you had a great birthday, Mom!
*Oh and my dad was there I promise! He was just taking the picture:)
