What's in a Name?

On Monday, Living’s as Easy as 312 will become Paytington & Co.- a Luxuriously, Ordinary Lifestyle Blog! It’s been 9 months since I started blogging and after discovering how much I loved this creative outlet, I knew I wanted to refine my site and make it an all-encompassing lifestyle resource.

So where did the new name come from? As some of my avid readers know, I have a miniature dachshund named Payton and a boyfriend with a knack for irritating me, out of love (most of the time). To further my irritation, Dan gives Payton a new nickname every afternoon; while some are endearing, others are just plain stupid. A few months ago, one of those nicknames was Paytington, because she was being too much of a princess to go by Payton that day; according to Dan, she needed something a bit more regal. From there, Paytington has been embraced by my family as her pet name, for when she is being especially sweet, and it’s stuck around here as one of our rotating favorites.

To me, Paytington and Company is truly fitting; I am living life surrounded by those I love, including little Paytington, and of course all attention is always awarded to our regal dog, as it should be. In the weeks to come, I will be introducing several new series posts and striving to produce quality, daily content to better the lives of my readers. Look for a brand new layout, updated pages and exciting new content starting Monday! 

Modern Carrie Bradshaw

Modern Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie's Look: Shirt, Skirt, Shoes, Bag, Earrings, Necklace

I got a bit carried away yesterday afternoon; it started with me putting together one outfit and it ended 45 minutes later with a total of 10 outfits and about a hundred items on my summer wish-list. I also saw a startling statistic scroll across my TV this past weekend; the last episode of Sex and the City aired ten years ago! With Paris: Part Deux in mind, I created a Carrie Bradshaw-inspired look that I would love to own; the gorgeous skirt I found makes me want to look like Carrie every day and after I was so successful with my Carrie look, I decided to make outfits for the other SATC girls. If I were to go to a happy hour, or on a vacation, with Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha, what would they wear? Better yet, what would they wear that I would wear, too? Here is what I came up with. Which girl’s look would you be most likely to wear? 

Modern Charlotte
Charlotte's Look: Blazer, Dress, Shoes, Clutch, Earrings, Necklace 

Modern Miranda
Miranda's Look: Top, Jeans, Shoes, Tote, Earrings

Modern Samantha
Samantha's Look: Swim Suit, Hat, Sunglasses, Shoes

Finally

I think I speak for everyone in the Midwest when I say, “YAYYYYY it was FINALLY above freezing this week!” Wednesday brought about temps in the mid-forties and I truly thought it was summertime. This weekend I will be working hard on finalizing several portions of the NEW site, Paytington & Co., and hopefully squeezing in a trip to Bistrot Zinc for my favorite sandwich. Have a great weekend! 

Taco Joint

Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of attending the Windy City Blogger Collective’s shopping event with Langford Market, but before I got there, I made a much needed stop at Taco Joint’s flagship location. Without knowing my cab would lead me astray by 2.0 miles, I planned on grabbing a drink and a snack once I got to the event, however, once I realized my cabbie had no hope of driving me to my desired location, I got out of the cab and immediately spotted Taco Joint. Praise heaven…seriously, I needed a taco.

Dan and I discovered Taco Joint about two years ago; it was right when we were beginning our search for the perfect apartment. I was still in college and whenever I made a trip home, we would make a pilgrimage to Lincoln Park to continue looking at all the of the homes only 40-year olds could obtain (sorry, but not really). After spending three hours both in the car and on foot I started to get hangry (hungry + angry = hangry). Furiously looking through yelp, we found a Mexican restaurant with outstanding ratings and decided to pull over so I’d stop screaming at random cars and pedestrians. At first, we thought we had the wrong address because the entrance to Taco Joint two years ago was not quite as nice and hospitable as it is now. Upon entering, I fell in love with the décor, the ambiance and the food; to this day, I don’t think I’ve found a better taco in Chicago.

So, without saying too much more about my long and happy love affair with Taco Joint, I was SO happy to see it after my cab ride from hell; luckily, I arrived at 5 p.m. on a Wednesday and had no problem taking a seat at the bar. Without hesitation I ordered a Zocalo Margarita, an Al Pastor taco and an Estilo Baja taco (all pictured). As per usual, everything from the bar and the kitchen was impeccable; I’ve never had anything but fabulous experiences at Taco Joint. Every time I go, I vow I will try something new, but I end up getting the same thing--though slightly larger portions as I typically don’t go to professional functions afterwards. After a wonderful conversation with the general manager, I am determined to host a function at either beloved Taco Joint location—possibly for my re-launch party? Yesssss.

Thank you for the fabulous fare and I can’t wait to come enjoy your food again; honestly, I could come every day and never get sick of the Al Pastor taco. To both visitors and natives, Taco Joint is a must visit in my book.

{The Zocalo Margarita: El Jimador Tequila Blanco, triple sec, lime salt rim}

{Al Pastor Taco: Grilled chicken breast, pineapple pico, tangy tomatillo salsa}

{Estilo Baja Taco: Beer battered tilapia, creamy-arbol cabbage slaw}