It’s almost time for the ghouls and goblins (princesses, too!) to make their way to our doors and treat themselves to some candy. It’s an exciting time of year for kids and we want to ensure that everyone is kept safe. This is a traditional holiday that no one wants turned to tragedy.

It’s a great idea to take some precautionary measures to keep our trick-or-treaters safe this Halloween. Here are a few tips to do just that. 

When planning your child’s costume, be sure it fits properly, is bright or reflective and opt for flame-resistant, if possible. There are costumes that have capes or tails, which can easily catch fire if there are any open flames nearby.

Masks may not fit properly and can obstruct your child’s view of the street when he or she are walking to the next house. If that worries you, try to use face paint instead so that nothing is blocking their vision.

Be sure that any costume extras, like swords, are made of soft, flexible material. Kids like to play pretend and we don’t want them to hurt each other by mistake.

While preparing the safety of your child’s costume, you should also think about other ways to keep them away from harm:

Go trick-or-treating before it gets dark out so that it is easier for motorists to see them, especially if they’re crossing the streets.

Visit familiar homes and friendly neighborhoods. Well-lit homes are most likely welcoming trick-or-treaters and some neighbors might already be outside waiting to hand out some treats.

As soon as your child comes home with their treats, be sure to inspect them before they eat them. Unfortunately, there have been instances where treats have been tampered with and we want to make sure our kids don’t get hurt or sick.

Halloween isn’t just for the kids. If you want to join in on the fun, plan a family costume. Go out as a superhero team or characters from your child’s favorite TV show and enjoy the night out as a family and have some fun. Your children might even share their treats with you!

Did you know that Mai Tai actually translates to “good”? Well, we think this recipe is VERY good. Pam Keagan and Patti White take their turn at Norcom Cooks with this refreshing and exotic drink.

Pam Keagan’s Mai Tai!

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 ½ oz light rum

1 ½ oz fresh lime juice

1 ½ oz pineapple juice

splash of orgeat syrup

splash of grenadine

splash of orange curacao

simple syrup

dark rum

Pineapple wedge, cocktail umbrella and orchid, for garnish

Instructions

In your tiki glass (any other glass will work as well) add a cup of ice cubes. Stir in the light rum, lime juice, pineapple juice, orgeat syrup, grenadine and simple syrup. Float a splash of dark rum on top. Garnish with a pineapple wedge, cocktail umbrella, and an orchid. Enjoy!!

Today, Monday, August 21, 2017, is the day many of us will get to experience a total solar eclipse. Even if you’re not in the path of totality, this experience is still incredible. The moon covering the sun isn’t something we see every day, and many have wondered, what happens to the solar power if the sunlight is missing during that time?

Well, after some research, here are some answers.

In California, the eclipse is expected to wipe out six gigawatts of solar electricity, which is enough to power several million homes. If you’re on the path of totality like California, Utah, and North Carolina, there will be some issues with solar energy that is provided by solar panels and they will have to use a combination of other energy sources to make up for the loss. 

Our home office in Avon, Connecticut, has had solar panels installed back in May of 2015. We have 572 panels and five inverters on the roof which helps reduce cost and also allows us to derive clean and pure energy from the sun, reducing our carbon footprint. It’s simple, we care about our planet and try to save as much energy as possible. Going green is a great way to go. 

What does this mean for our office during the solar eclipse? Well since Connecticut is not in the full path of totality, we probably won't see much change to our solar energy but there is also a chance that since the sun is missing for the most part, so will solar energy, but only for a short time. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in a few hours.

Since it took over 35 years for this solar eclipse to arrive, we highly recommend checking it out. However, as all the warnings have stated, please don’t look directly at the sun. You can cause severe damage to your eyes and may not even realize it until days later.

Be safe and happy viewing!

Eli Pascon’s Hummus!

On our first episode of Norcom Cooks, ValueQuest’s, Eli Pascon, shares his recipe for his famous hummus. It’s a simple and healthy, yet delicious, recipe that is sure to be a hit at any get together! Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas

¼ cup tahini paste (or sesame paste) *

1 clove peeled garlic

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Drain some of the water from the can of chickpeas into a glass. You can use the water to change the consistency while making the hummus.

Put the chickpeas, tahini paste, garlic, and lime juice in a food processor, blend until you produce a smooth puree. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Drizzle some olive oil on top and serve with pita chips or Naan bread.

* Can be found in the international isle at your local grocery store.

Spring is near and with the weather we’ve had, you would think it was already here. However, the spring housing market is just beginning and before anyone goes out looking for a home, consider getting pre-approved first. You might be wondering why getting pre-approved is so important. It’s actually surprising to know how many people searching for a home don’t bother getting pre-approved. They end up wasting their time which makes them put house hunting to the side because they realized what they thought they can afford, isn’t going to work. This is a type of issue where getting pre-approved can help you avoid altogether.

Getting pre-approved allows you to shop for a home with confidence. You will already know how much you can afford and your time won’t be wasted looking at houses that are way out of your budget. Norcom’s pre-approval program allows you to tackle the loan process before you even begin your hunt for a new home. This will give you complete confidence to shop in your price range and even allows the seller to feel confident knowing your offer won’t fall through when it comes time for closing.

When you have an idea of how much you can afford before buying a home, the search for a new place becomes a lot more exciting. You’ll know that every house you visit can potentially be yours. Your realtor will help you find the perfect house in your price range, which will end up saving you a lot of time and frustration that those buyers who don’t get pre-approved go through.

Online calculators can be deceiving. You might be able to get a rough estimate of what you can afford but it won’t be as accurate as getting an official pre-approval from your lender. Getting pre-approved gives you the confidence in knowing that your offer will be accepted on a house you dream of owning.

A pre-approval will verify not only your credit, but bank statements and tax returns as well. This is a crucial step when it comes to getting pre-approved because you and your realtor will know that the amount you get pre-approved for, is completely accurate. Knowing that your key information has been reviewed by an underwriter ahead of time will give you, and the seller, confidence that you’re offer won’t fall through.

The Norcom JumpStart pre-approval program allows you to tackle the loan process before you even start house hunting, so you can shop with total Norconfidence. Every JumpStart pre-approval is reviewed by an underwriter to prepare you for success and get you closer to finding the right home for you and your family.

Visit our website, https://norcommortgage.com/pages/jumpstart-pre-approval, to learn more about our program or you can call us today to get started!