Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week's episode, we: [caption id="attachment_635" align="alignright" width="169"] Notes from the past![/caption] Found a message from the past In a recipe we made in October we left notes for future us. Past Ruth and Chad were very wise. We're going to keep putting notes in to our recipe manager, Paprika. Remade an old Blue Apron recipe For dinner on Saturday, we decided to pull out an old Blue Apron recipe - Shiitake & Hoisin Beef Burgers. Went vintage shopping We hit up Tip Top Atomic Shop in Milwaukee to find some bowling shirts from Chad. Then we visited BC Modern Furnishings which was super cool. Ruth's been following the owner, Eric Lewis, on Instagram. He told us,"I started chasing my passion instead of chasing a paycheck" which totally inspired us. Made our own pizza for Wineza We made pizza (and Ruth made her first Instagram Story!) on Friday. We have a good pizza dough recipe, so got all the toppings and made pizza at home. But first, we stopped at the wine bar. [caption id="attachment_638" align="alignright" width="300"] Resolute Cabernet[/caption] Went out for burgers Once again we visited Vintage 38 with burgers from Ricardo's across the street and paired dinner with a  Cabernet Sauvignon by Resolute. Want to share your story about making pizza at home? Want to side with Chad and lobby for a kitchen studio…let us know!

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Today's episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery – a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. You can find SB Framing online at sbframinggallery.com.

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week's episode, we: [caption id="attachment_621" align="alignright" width="300"] Chad's Birthday[/caption] Celebrated Chad's birthdayChad's Dad called a day early to wish Chad a happy 50th! (Chad's 46...whoops!). We celebrated by going out for (wait for it) pizza! We had a lovely time at Pizza Man with cheese curds, pizza, tiramisu and a C5 Ranch Cabernet. Had rain in the house Sunday night water started dripping in the main room of our house. By Monday, there were at least six points where water was coming in - dripping on furniture, counters, and more. Turns out it was a "fluke" because the outdoor temperature fluctuated so much in such a short time humidity got caught in between the ceiling and the roof and had no where to go.  A number of homeowners had the same issue. [caption id="attachment_620" align="alignright" width="300"] Cheese Curds![/caption] Went out for dinner With all the rain in the house, we were scared to cook anything and create more humidity so we headed out for pizza on Monday and a new (to us) restaurant on Tuesday. We tried Stubby's Gastropub and Beer Bar and of course, we had to try the award-winning cheese curds. [caption id="attachment_618" align="alignright" width="300"] McNab Cab[/caption] Had a couple of do-overs We called a "do-over" on the evil that is puff pastry and created actual pigs in a blanket with Pillsbury crescent rolls. We also called a do-over on the specialty pizza - Taco Debacle - of Wineza last week and tried the BBQ Chicken Pizza. This was a huge improvement over the taco flatbread from the week prior. We also enjoyed a bottle of McNab Ridge Winery Cabernet. Happy birthday, Tater Tot! This would have been Tater's 13th birthday. His cancer diagnosis was really the impetus for the creation of this podcast. So thank you for the inspiration, Tater. Happy birthday, buddy. Want to share your story about homeownership or rain in your house? Have a recipe we need to try…let us know!

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867)
• Follow on social @savoringpodcast on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook.

Today's episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery – a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. You can find SB Framing online at sbframinggallery.com.

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week's episode, we: [caption id="attachment_599" align="alignright" width="300"] Taco Pizza[/caption] Tried a Taco Pizza We went out for Wineza and decided to try a specialty pizza - taco pizza, specifically. Unfortunately, it was more of a taco salad in pizza form. Declared a Word of The Week Chad singled out the word "pedantic" as his word of the week. Pedantic: "a person who is obsessively concerned with...displaying academic learning." Mostly because one of his former co-workers tends to be that way on Facebook. And suddenly, Chad realized he is now doing the same to a different friend. Whoops! [caption id="attachment_600" align="alignright" width="300"] Happiness Jar[/caption] Relived wonderful memories of 2017 Each year we fill a jar with index cards outlining the happy events of the year. On New Year's Eve, we open the jar and read through all the memories. This year's jar was filled with joy and tears. Declared a war on puff pastry We got ambitious on NYE with a recipe for Beef Wellington (and an amazing creamy garlic mashed potato recipe by Alton Brown). The puff pastry it gets wrapped in was incredibly difficult to deal with. So, we gave it another chance with some sausages later in the week. [caption id="attachment_601" align="alignright" width="300"] Swimming Dogs[/caption] Took the beagles to Canine IQ Camp We spent the entire day with the girls at Think Pawsitive Dog Training working on obedience, manners, and more. They got to try agility, rally, nose work, conditioning, and...swimming! They were not as excited about swimming as we'd hoped but both will be signing up for other classes in the future. Want to share your story about puff pastry? Have a recipe we need to try...let us know!

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867)
• Follow on social @savoringpodcast on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook.

Today's episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery - a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. You can find SB Framing online at sbframinggallery.com.

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week's episode, we: [caption id="attachment_587" align="alignright" width="225"] Doctor Who in a theater[/caption] Saw Doctor Who...in a theater Chad and Ruth are both Doctor Who fans and were thrilled to have the opportunity to see the 2017 Christmas special, "Twice Upon A Time," in a theater! Ruth completed a 365-day meditation challenge That's one year of meditating every day! Ruth learned some lessons and shares what she learned from it. Savored every sip On Friday, Chad noticed Ruth made an "aaaah" noise after she took a sip of coffee. She was thinking, "This sip is awesome," and was savoring every bit of the experience. [caption id="attachment_588" align="alignright" width="300"] Cheese Curds at West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe[/caption] Went out for lunch...a lot We visited El Beso for tacos and margaritas; Bier & Burger for burgers; and West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe for sammies. We tried the cheese curds at both Bier & Burger and West Allis Cheese. Explored the world of wine aerators Ruth wondered if wine aerators were effective, wouldn't sommeliers and other professionals use them at restaurants? We did some brief internet research but concluded we need to do some (somewhat) scientific studies and determine the effectiveness for ourselves because...science! Want to share your story about whether or not you use a wine aerator? Or if you want to tell us who your favorite Doctor or companion is...let us know!

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867)
• Follow on social @savoringpodcast on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook.

Today's episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery - a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. You can find SB Framing online at sbframinggallery.com.  

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week's episode, we: Killed a lasagna We attempted to make this Motherf$cking Lasagna by fitness blogger James Fell. The recipe actually includes a warning to get a deep enough pan and not let the lasagna boil over. We did not follow directions and everything started burning. So we pulled the rip cord and ordered pizza. [caption id="attachment_571" align="alignright" width="300"] The nephews at laser tag[/caption] Enjoyed Christmas fun with people Chad got together with his Little Brother to work on an electronics project. It inspired Chad that Elijah really took pride in his craftsmanship. And then we took our three nephews to play laser tag at Lasertag Adventure. The youngest had a lot of fun continually shooting Ruth. She's busy formulating a plan to retaliate for next year. [caption id="attachment_568" align="alignright" width="300"] Ice Cream Drinks[/caption] Indulged in ice cream drinks We visited Joey Gerard's Supper Club with Ruth's family. After dinner, we decided to indulge in ice cream drinks at the bar. The perfect ending to a really great day. In fact, Ruth said, "Today is the best day ever. And tomorrow will be, too," and it was super inspiring. Want to share your story about how you're savoring your life? Or if you want to share what your favorite lasagna recipe...let us know!

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867)
• Twitter or Instagram: @savoringpodcast

Today's episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery - a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. You can find SB Framing online at sbframinggallery.com.

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week's episode, we: Didn't track our food intake In the last episode we said we were going to track our food. That really didn't happen this week. Ruth thought about signing up for a program that game-ifies weight loss and overall health. Chad was all flavors of NO. [caption id="attachment_560" align="alignright" width="300"] Chad, Wine, and Gin Rummy[/caption] Played Gin Rummy We haven't played Gin Rummy in years because Chad was "cheating" at the game according to Ruth. He said she had tells. She got frustrated and didn't want to play with him anymore. We started playing again this week and Ruth won a lot. Really enjoyed Cheeseburger Pizza For #wineza this week, we got a Cheeseburger Pizza from Ricardo's. It was really decadent and contained ground beef, onions, dill pickle slices, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. [caption id="attachment_558" align="alignright" width="300"] Chocolate Chip Cookies[/caption] Were cooking in the kitchen Ruth baked chocolate chip cookies last week and had fun doing it. Then, last night we were making Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole and Chad burned his hand. Later that same night, Chad and Abby had a run-in. Because of the pain, Chad spent some time trying not to fall into a woe-is-me mentality. Want to share your story about how you're savoring your life? Or if you want to share what you're using to track your food or tips on cheating at Gin Rummy...let us know!

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867)
• Twitter or Instagram: @savoringpodcast

Today's episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery - a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. You can find SB Framing online at sbframinggallery.com.

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week's episode, we: [caption id="attachment_540" align="alignright" width="300"] Pulled Pork Totchos[/caption] Ate a lot of tater tots For date night, we visited 42 Ale House in St. Francis. They offer a lot of board games as well as food and beverages! In addition to ordering tots with each of our entrees, we had the pulled pork tot-chos. It was a LOT of tots! Went clothes shopping Ruth had to buy a new winter coat because the zipper on her coat broke. Then we headed to Torrid to find jeans. She had no idea they had real clothes that didn't feature Jack Skellington or Hello Kitty and was pleasantly surprised by the nice looking offerings. We took a break in between and stopped for some wine and apps at Pizza Man. The wine was a C5 Ranch Cabernet and the apps included sausage stuffed olives and mozzarella sticks. [caption id="attachment_545" align="alignright" width="300"] Abby in her e-collar[/caption] Visited the Emergency Vet Abby was running along the fence with the neighbor dog and ended up tearing a nail on her back foot. After mild sedation and pain relievers, the emergency vet "ripped" the nail out and bandaged her up. The nail will grow back and she'll be fine. In the meantime, she gets to wear the cone of shame. Started tracking our food again Chad is using the Day One Journal app and taking photos of his food. Ruth is using LoseIt. Any bets on how long we'll last? Chad celebrated Lady Ada Lovelace's birthday Lady Ada was the world's first programmer in the 1800s. Another woman who's online handle is Lady Ada created a website called AdaFruit.com which offers insight into technology. He recently ran across an article about Hollywood star Hedy Lamar and her engineering background. Want to share your story about how you're savoring your life? Or if you want to share where you shop for jeans or how you play with your food...let us know!

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867)
• Twitter or Instagram: @savoringpodcast

Today's episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery - a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. You can find SB Framing online at sbframinggallery.com.

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week's episode, we: Made a Movie War list We went through Netflix and watched trailers for old, bad movies. We now have a good list for Movie War and will offer some reviews in future episodes - because The Ice Pirates needs some internet love. [caption id="attachment_529" align="alignright" width="300"] Wine and Small Plates at La Merenda[/caption] Found an open restaurant on Monday Apparently restaurants being closed on Mondays is still a thing. We were going to head out and realized half our list of date night restaurants are closed on Mondays. But in good news, we found La Merenda was open and they were thrilled to see us! Chad was in Minneapolis And learned that one Mai Tai is plenty! [caption id="attachment_531" align="alignright" width="300"] Christmas in the Ward - photo by Cindy Lesky[/caption] Ruth had a work event It was the 29th Annual Christmas in the Ward on Friday, so wineza was a little late! Thought about keeping in touch Our friend Phil shared a graphic from Crustacean Singles about reaching out to others. Ruth admitted to still having a hard time reaching out while Chad is inspired. Want to share your story about how you're savoring your life? Or if you know a restaurant in the Milwaukee area that's open on Mondays or even how many Mai Tais you can have...let us know!

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867)
• Twitter or Instagram: @savoringpodcast

Today's episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery - a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. You can find SB Framing online at sbframinggallery.com.

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week's episode, we: Had Date Night  We went to Mr. B's Steakhouse for burgers. The menu changed from the specialty burgers what we had anticipated so we were kind of sad. [caption id="attachment_509" align="alignright" width="300"] Friendsgiving 2017[/caption] [caption id="attachment_510" align="alignright" width="300"] Pilgrim's Pie[/caption] Enjoyed Friendsgiving Our friends "The Sisters" get a group of people together a few times a year for all-you-can-eat sushi at Wasabi. This Thanksgiving eve was a fantastic group of people and amazing service. Made Food for Thanksgiving We got coffee and then made Rumchata French Toast for breakfast. For dinner we made "Taste Likes Thanksgiving Casserole" or what Chad calls "Pilgrim's Pie." Then, for dessert, we made Tiramisu. We had a Zinfandel from Federalist from the Dry Creek Valley. It was bold and delicious and we went back and bought more. Played Board Games Ruth pulled two board games up from the basement which neither of us had played with they other. We played Settlers of Catan and Sequence. [caption id="attachment_516" align="alignright" width="225"] Sequence[/caption] Supported Businesses for Small Business Saturday We went wreath shopping at Prospect Hill Garden Center; garland shopping at  Stein's Garden and Home; and relaxed with a glass of big red wine at Vintage 38. Four Things Tote Ruth ran across a site called theshopforward.com that personalizes tote bags with your favorite four things. Which four things would you choose for your tote? Want to share your story about how you're savoring your life? Or if you want to let us know what your favorite four things are or even what you had for Thanksgiving...let us know!

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867)
• Twitter or Instagram: @savoringpodcast

Today's episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery - a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. You can find SB Framing online at sbframinggallery.com. Stop by and tell Sarah what you think she should name her new kitten!

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week's episode, we: Had an unwanted guest Ruth realized a critter had gotten into the heating ducts. She's kinda worried it may be a demodog! We're hoping it was a mouse. Watched bad movies Chad wanted to introduce Ruth to "Phantom of the Paradise" starring Paul Williams. Ruth wanted Chad to re-watch "Three Amigos!" with Steve Martin. Neither of us liked the other's movie. So now, we're going to have a bad movie war. Dined Out A Lot [caption id="attachment_473" align="alignright" width="300"] We ordered two pizzas because we couldn't agree.[/caption] Wineza this week was at Pizza Man. We got a great wine recommendation from our server, Megan. And, instead of cheese curds we tried the sausage stuffed olives. They were delicious and not as filling as other appetizers. And then we opted for dessert - a yummy tiramisu. And we decided we're going to make tiramisu for Thanksgiving, too. We also ordered an entire pitcher of margaritas at our nearby Mexican restaurant. We realized the entire pitcher is just too much so we'll be pulling back to our usual half pitcher. [caption id="attachment_476" align="alignright" width="225"] Curds at the Crafty Cow[/caption] And Monday, instead of going to trivia, we tried a burger joint called Crafty Cow. They serve Juicy Lucy type burgers which were outstanding. And the cheese curds...phenomenal! Oh, and Saturday, we had brunch with friends at a place called Brunch. Our group had Eggs Benedict, Mimosas, bacon, Bloody Marys, and more. Talked about Living Deep while Saving Money We've lost several friends unexpectedly who would never be able to capitalize on the promise of living super prudently now so they can live better in the future. We are working to find a comfortable balance of being able to enjoy the now and still save for the future. Want to share your story about how you're savoring your life? Or if you want to let us know your litmus test for a restaurant or even a suggestion for the impending movie war...let us know!

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867)
• Twitter or Instagram: @savoringpodcast

Today's episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery - a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. You can find SB Framing online at sbframinggallery.com.