Orange Ribbons Everywhere

Last September our incredible friends in our neighborhood decided to surprise our family with orange ribbons on every tree in the neighborhood!  They were placed on each tree to honor my husband John during his fight with Leukemia.  We woke up to an orange ribbon decorated porch and at first didn't realize they were on every tree!  It was a wonderful surprise just to see what our friends had done for our own home.  They also put a beautiful poster on our door.

When we made it outside later to take the kids to school we were overwhelmed by a sea of orange!  Just to drive down the street made me tear up with the thought of our friends spending so much time planning, making, and then attaching all those ribbons.  Still today we have people ask if the ribbons are for us.  Yes, the ribbons are still on most of the trees!  It has been so many months and they are looking a little tired after all this time, but they still make me smile every time I walk or drive down our street.  It is an amazing reminder of the love and support we have here in First Light.  We truly have the BEST neighborhood.   Funny story...back in October last year someone commented on how much our neighborhood must love Halloween since we had "decorated" with all the orange ribbons!   Anyone that drives into our neighborhood is impacted by the sea of orange ribbons, especially when they find out it's been done to honor John and our family.

Thank you First Light friends so  much!  We are truly blessed.

Inspired by Cookbooks

There are always cookbooks and recipes waiting to be read or tried here at the Wright house. The picture below is a recent collection of cookbooks that Peyton and I picked up at the library.  Jamie Oliver is a fav of course, especially with his amazing work with the Food Revolution.  I can't wait to see the new season starting on April 12th on ABC.

Giada De Laurentiis and Ina Garten are two amazing ladies we love to watch on tv and get inspired by their many cookbooks too.  Martha Stewart's Cookies book is full of mouth watering photos.  All the kids have found recipes they want to bake.  We might  need to renew that one a few times just to have time to try them.   Next week in cooking class we'll be making Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins from a wonderful new cookbook called The Sono Baking Company Cookbook by John Barricelli.  I think I'll be adding this one to my kitchen wish list.  I had been searching for a recipe to prepare with my HSC kids for the spring semester to substitute for the Cranberry Apple Crisp we prepared in the fall.  The trickiest part to teaching cooking classes in about an hours time is it has to be prepped/prepared/cooked or baked all in that one hour!  So needless to say it can be a challenge.  But I have to say it is a very fun challenge.  I'll let you know how the Blueberry muffins turn out in class.

3rd installment of Disneyland pictures

Well I guess these are mostly California Adventure pictures.  Here's Minnie in her flight suit signing the kid's books and Brena's Wright Cause t-shirt.  JoJo is looking on since she got Minnie to sign her's already back at Minnie's house in Toon Town. 

JoJo wasn't going to sit out of a photo op though.  It was so fun to see all the kids get excited about pictures with the characters, especially the big kids.

Lightning McQueen and Mater were not into signing autograph books but they posed well for pictures. 

Delanie and Peyton loving the vintage Minnie Mouse.

The ferris wheel on Paradise Pier is HUGE!  All those compartments where you sit slide along towards the center and back as the wheel rotates.  I just said no to that ride.  But it sure looks cool from far away.

BFF's

Not sure where I was while these were being taken?  This is a great photo op location!  BFF's in a box!

Brother action figures take one...

Brothers in action take two!

Back at Disneyland, the whole gang of kids with Goofy. Q is playing the part of Goofy's understudy.

Madhatter was awesome!  He had so much personality and really interacted with the kids. They got into the crazy spirit too!

It really is all about the cupcakes these days.  Delanie and Peyton were loving all the candy shops and bakery's with cupcakes and super fun treats.