Blog Soup
New Orleans Style

Over time I eventually want to introduce you to my sidebar. I like to think of it as blog soup. Remember that show that was hosted by Greg Kinnear called Talk Soup where he would give you the highlights of different shows. Well, I will try to give you a little snipit of some of my sidebar over time.
But today being Mardi Gras I thought I would introduce you to my New Orleans friends.
We lived in New Orleans for 4 years while Jeff was in school and it is amazing how many friends I made from all over the country there and luckily have been able to keep in touch with them.

So here you go.
Tasha is from Nevada, expecting her second girl this summer and currently lives miles away from the Hershey Chocolate Factory. They will only get a few more months of fresh chocolate as she gets ready to move back west this summer. She quilts, embroiders and has a little cottage business of her own making cool, not cheesy, fabric covered binders.
Amy W. is from Missouri, has real blonde hair, incredible taste, throws great parties and her and I lived in the dorms together but didn't know each other. (which means she lived in the dorms with Jill, Michelle and Stacy and Jen too) One day in New Orleans she woke up decided to paint and had painted the cutest prints ever for her daughter. One of my best garage sale days was with her in Old Metairie. She lives in CA and seriously has the cutest kids! Oh ya, and I love watching her fingers move when she talks.

Lara, is from Utah and I always think of her when I walk into any Banana Republic store. She currently lives in Texas and does not know I think this but wins one of the best baby announcements I have ever received!
Jenny is from Arizona but now lives in Texas. She is totally organized and can out clean me any day. She is very resourceful and worked really hard to put her husband through school. I remember she had a job typing in the wee hours of the night and delivering phone books door to door.
Mindy is from Utah but now lives in Idaho. She is very brave, has a big smile and in all of our minds is the queen of quilting. She taught all of us how to quilt in New Orleans. She dug a twin mattress out of someones trash for me, waited 8 hours in the hall for Annie Kate to be born and makes great homemade pizza.

Liz, I think is from Florida, but i am not quite sure if I remember. She LOVES her kids and is great at making handmade cards. She has a great voice. She lives in Connecticut and has great websites on her blog. I always love it when she does surprise good mail sendings where she shows the good mail she is sending but you don't know who is going to get it.Chanel is from Hollywood.. seriously she is. She grew up knowing one of my sister-in-laws. She is one of those people you follow around in a store and whatever she buys, you buy because if it is not already cool, it will be! Whenever I get a Sundance catalog I think of her. She is a wonderful director of fabric and sent me one of the best emails ever after I had Sally Jane. She loves porta potties so if you see any cool ones email her... hee hee!

Rebecca is the first person I ever met with a cable modem. She was so ahead of her time. She has her own pottery kiln. She is a wizard with her camera. She gave her daughter the best Christmas present ever this year. Have you read about the bunnies? She now lives in Oregon, I want to say she is from Montana, but now I am second guessing myself and wanting to say Utah...

Allison is from Utah but is truly the New Orleans girl because she is actually there. Her husband and her just recently moved back after evacuating from Katrina. One of the first things that I remember about her is that she loved children books and had a great list of them that she shared with me when we met at the Children's museum. I don't know how she does it but her hair ALWAYS looks great, rain or shine. She has the best sugar cookie recipe and it tastes just like those big pink cookies they sell at the gas stations in Utah.

Shawna and Jordan moved to New Orleans after I moved but also have great blogs that you might want to check out.