Fall fun

Well, I'm struggling getting these pictures in order, so you'll just have to start from the bottom.

Last weekend, Noel and I were able to get away for some r and r in Temecula. I've been wanting to make caramel apples for a couple of weeks, but haven't been able to find a spare moment! So, I brought all the supplies to Temecula and had a "kitchen craft time" with Marcia on Sunday. It was tons of fun and they tasted great! I ordered 15 lbs of organic apples from our CSA and wanted to try making many different apple dishes. So far, I've made apple/pear crisp, caramel apples, baked apples, and have eaten lots plain and on salad. I'm thinking about applesauce, apple dumplings, or maybe more caramel apples. They were so fun to give to friends!

The finished product. I might completely cover them in chocolate next time, but swirling it was fun! We dipped them in caramel, crushed peanuts, and then swirled dark chocolate over them. Yum!!!!!

Dipping them in caramel.

Getting everything ready! Thanks for the help, Marcia! Also, thanks for a wonderfully relaxing weekend! It was just what we needed.

Housing Article

Check out this cool article that was in the Pasadena Star News yesterday! It's all about the bungalows we're moving into!

Let's hope they're right when they say we'll be moved in in 2 months! We're anxious to make the transition, but we're still waiting on paperwork from a couple of different departments.

Oakland Avenue Red in Tooth and Claw!

So there I was, walking home from campus, minding my own business, when a big hawk flew right in front of me with a squirrel in its claw! It landed in a nearby tree about ten feet off the ground. As I cautiously approached to try and get a better look, the squirrel and hawk both fell/flew out at me. The hawk landed on a nearby minivan, then relocated to a higher branch to keep watch on the injured (but surprisingly not dead) squirrel. Thus began a half hour of Nature Channel on my block, which was especially unexpected since we live in the city. (There's a 12-lane highway at the end of our block.)

Several people from the nearby coffee shop came and got a better view of the action. We watched the bird watching the squirrel. We recreated the scene: "It had it in its claw!" We hoped the bird would not attack us. Some people felt bad for the squirrel, which was bleeding from the eye and not walking very well. I thought, "Well, that's what it means to be a carnivore," and wondered where they thought their own meat came from.

Then I ran home and grabbed the camera and snapped the above picture. But that's not all! I also grabbed my National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 4th edition, which Heidi just bought me for my birthday. I am not a birdwatcher; I just wanted to know more about birds. As best I could tell, it was some sort of red-tailed hawk (p. 116). But I'm not sure. Does anyone know anything about birds who could confirm or correct that ID?

Anyhow, that sure was a hoot. Actually, more of a "harsh, descending keeeeeer" (p. 116). I assume the hawk eventually got its dinner, but I didn't stay to see for sure. Thank God, I've got better things than squirrel to eat for dinner tonight. Mac 'n' cheese. Yum.

Happy Halloween!

Our brother-in-law, Brian, is truly and amazing artist. He carved his wife, Heidi's, face into a pumpkin this year. I don't think I've ever seen such a great carving!

Click here to see this amazingness! Then click play on the time-lapse video.

Hope you all had a great Halloween and got more treats than tricks!

Housing Update

Well, we wish we had more to share for an update on our housing situation, but we are still waiting for documents from the Department of Real Estate as well as from the City of Pasadena.

Since some of you may not know the story of the house, here's a summary:
Noel was reading a flier put out by the City of Pasadena last July. In it, there was a very small paragraph about a company called Heritage Housing Partners (HHP). They are a company that makes housing available to low and moderate income people in Pasadena by utilizing different governmental programs. We decided to apply right before we left for Hawaii (the end of July). The day we returned, we received a phone call saying that we were finalists in the process and we needed to come in for an interview. A few weeks later, we interviewed (late August). A couple of days after the interview, we learned that we were selected and offered the house! Everything happened so quickly and we were quite overwhelmed, but excited by the news! Since then, we have been waiting for a final version of the purchasing contract to be ready for signing. This was supposed to be ready mid-September, but there have been many hold-ups from the different agencies involved. When we were offered the house, HHP said they hope everyone will close by November 30. We are still aiming for that date, but we're starting to think it may not happen.

The house is a very small 2 bedroom bungalow in a fantastic neighborhood. We are still hoping that everything works out in terms of the final cost and that we are able to close in time for the tax rebate offered this year.

We'll let you know once things become more final!

(If you click on the HHP link, we are part of the "Haskett Court Project". It's a community of 6 historic bungalows that are being restored.)

A great birthday

I had a great birthday this past weekend! Noel and I enjoyed a nice dinner at a new restaurant, I ate at 21 Choices twice, and we were able to celebrate with friends, which was the best part of all.

We ate a delicious cake when we were in Hawaii that I really wanted to have for my birthday cake. It's called Chantilly Cake and is similar to a German Chocolate cake, but the frosting doesn't have coconut and it's a little less sweet. It turned out quite well, but didn't compare to the one we had in Hawaii. Oh well. We'll try again some other time.
Oops! The delay of the camera missed the blowing out of the candles!
The cake: 4 layers of a light chocolate flavor with a thin cream/custard layer between each cake layer. Then the chantilly frosting.
I haven't celebrated my birthday with a group of friends in many, many years, so it was really fun to have people over. I felt celebrated, special, and loved and am so appreciative to Noel for inviting everyone! Thanks for a great birthday, friends!

On not fitting in...

I've been back in school for a little over a month now completing some prereqs for a Master's in Nutrition program that I'd like to start next summer. When I decided to take my prereqs at Pasadena City College, I knew that I wouldn't blend in as the "typical" student. However, I only thought I wouldn't fit in since I'm "old" and married. Little did I know that every student in my chemistry class would have black hair except for me. Now I really stand out! I've never really been the minority and it's been a very interesting experience for me on learning to stay true to myself.
Before my first lab, the professor told us that we'd need to have safety goggles to do our lab. I thought, "Great! Noel and I just purchased some for when we refinished our tub! I won't have to buy any!". So, I showed up to the first lab wearing my home improvement safety glasses. I was also not expecting to not fit in this way, but I was the only one who had wrap around glasses. Everyone else had purchased cool goggles from the lab store. This became one area where I decided it might be better to just try and fit in.