Kindred Spirits- the journey begins here
Get ready for a fabulous blogging journey! Grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy the ride. Follow the link at the end of each entry to continue the journey.
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"My name is Joanna and I live in Louisiana. I'm married to a wonderful man and we have a son and a daughter. Life has changed so much for us since August of 2005 when we had to completely rebuild our lives after the hurricane Katrina! But things are much better now.
My daughter is a typical senior, involved in sports, drama and already preparing for college next fall. My son is a freshman and plays high school football.
I was sure that when my kids hit high school, I would sell the mini-van and get myself a little red sports car but it seems like I need that van more than ever for driving kids to football, soccer, play practice and everywhere in between.
I run around all day between taking the kids places and getting my elderly Mom to her doctor's appointments. (Sometimes I wish I had super powers like the Incredibles, you know what I mean?)
For Mother's Day this year, my family promised to take me to this fun little restaurant in New Orleans where they play jazz all day and they have the best Jambalaya around! I make it at home a lot but it's so good to have someone else do the cooking for you! Especially the cleaning up part."
Here is Joanna's recipe for Jambalaya
- 2 lbs Italian/green onion sausage (crumbled)--
Saute in large pan.
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3 packs frozen chopped seasoning (bell pepper, onion, celery)--
Brown the above together and skim off any excess grease. -
Season to taste with garlic powder, or other full-bodied seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce.
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Add 1-2 cans Ro-Tel Tomatoes.
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Add chicken broth or stock to cover (about 3" above seasoning/meat mixture).
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Cover and simmer a few minutes.
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Add 1-3 cups of any meat or shell fish as desired....shrimp, crawfish, turkey, chicken, etc.
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Cover and simmer some more!
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Add 2-4 cups of rice (Uncle Ben's works great!), depending on how large your pot is.
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Cover and cook on "hi" for 15 minutes or so; then turn down and cool, stirring occasionally until tender.
Kindred Spirits
Kindred Spirits are you and me. They are inspired by real women that I have met along the way. These women have real lives, kids, good times and bad. They struggle with issues like those last 10 pounds, worrying too much and being spread too thin. But they are happy with themselves, proud of where they came from and have hope for the future.
Their names have been changed to Biblical names to represent the part of us that is all the same- our spirit.
Today you will meet many of our Kindred Spirits. You will hear about their heritage, find similarities in their lives and yours, and maybe pick up a great recipe or two from many different parts of the world.
Conception
Kindred Spirits is a stamp line that was conceived out of love. I've had many discussions with customers who I care about deeply. They wanted a line of stamps that represented them. They wanted stamps that looked a little more like they do. They wanted stamps that they could relate to.
These Kindred Moms are just the beginning. Coming soon are the Kindred Dads, kids and more.
You can find these stamps in our store at www.ginakdesigns.com, tomorrow, at 12:01 AM on April 10th.
We are different, yet the same.
We are proud of who we are and we respect one another.
We find hope in each other's children.
We see the love in their eyes.
We've been through tough times, and we've come out stronger.
We can't get rid of those last ten pounds!
We need a 26 hour day.
We laugh at the same jokes.
We don't take ourselves too seriously.
We wear our smile lines, proudly. It means we smile.
We are friends.
We are connected.
We are kindred spirits.
TO CONTINUE THE JOURNEY- CLICK HERE
GINA, this is such a BEAUTIFUL concept. You're AMAZING. Just amazing.
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OMG Gina I LOVE IT!!!!! I cant wait to get my hands on this set!!!
~Monica~
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Gina!!!!!!!!!! INCREDIBLE!!!! I just KNEW they'd be people-oriented!!!! But they're more amazing than I could have guessed!!! LOVE THEM!!!! Wowwww!!!!!
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Love it!!
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Gina ... this is such a heartfelt and deeply-considered idea! Best of success to you with this!
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oh going to love this. very awesome
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AWESOME card and I am just thrilled and amazed with this concept--love love love it!
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This was such a fun ride. Not only reading all the amazing stories of everyday women, but seeing the fun images to go with them AND get some great recipes too. I loved the journey from blog to blog. Super dooper creative!
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Oh Gina! What a fantastic journey to all of these blogs. This is too cool! Thanks to everyone for sharing a bit about yourselves and your recipes!
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This was such a fun ride. Not only reading all the amazing stories of everyday women, but seeing the fun images to go with them AND get some great recipes too. I loved the journey from blog to blog. Super dooper creative!
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This is so cool Gina!! I've been loving each of the stories and all! What a great concept!!
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What an incredible journey! Certainly shows a labor of love! And the card designs from the team are wonderful! Can't wait 'til these are available! Would you consider developing a Kindred Spirits Cookbook (possible proceeds going to a charity)! Thanks for making my evening!
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cool idea!
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I thought of a cookbook immediately. In fact I've gathered all the recipes and will be working on my version soon. Now we need cookbook stamps....
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What a great line of stamps. I can't wait until they are available. Loved the journey through the various blogs.
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I love SuperWoman! I feel like that sometimes (not that I am, but that I should be!!LOL!)
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This is AWESOME Gina!!!! I absolutely love this idea!
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wonderful idea and wonderful card - is her cape SPARKLY?!?!
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WONDERFUL! I'm so excited! Can't wait to hop to the next blog in the journey... going now!
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Great idea and love the card. I live in Louisiana too, an hour north of New Orleans, love Jambalaya myself. My Mom lives in Marrero so I'm constantly traveling "across the lake" to see her.
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FANTASTIC! WooHooooo! A wonderful, meaningful journey. Thank you SO MUCH for the adventure. What a concept!!
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Thank you. I just love all that you do.
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Wow, you've given me chills. I can't wait to learn more about this great new concept Gina. Leave it to you to come up with something so cool!
Hugs,
Amy
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This is so very sweet! I love this! I can't wait to see more! Thanks for this, Gina!
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Gina, you've outdone yourself on this one! Love the concept, love the fantastic way you've revealed them!
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Gina: I'm gonna be late for work!!! Here I am on the journey rather than getting ready! ha ha!! What a fabulous idea...and the stamps seem so RELEVANT! I can't wait to see them all! Congratulations on a great idea....and a great set of women to introduce them!
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I love the line but would love to see one that is a military wife who is there for her kids while her husband isn't home....
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Aimee,
Any one of these women could be a military wife who's doing it all. Their stories are just stories to introduce them, but I could certainly see some of these Kindred Spirits raising their children solo while waiting in anticpation for their husband's return.
I can't imagine how hard that must be. If you are in that position, my respect and prayers go out to you and your family for strength while your husband is serving and a speedy and safe return.
Hugs,
Gina K.
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i love this concept, thank you gina
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I can't wait to see the new stamps!
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I love the idea of these stamps! I want to get my hands on some of them. Thank you for making stamps that show women like me. Love the way your revealing them too. Such a cool idea!
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How absolutely wonderful! the idea, the concept, the image, the card (oh and I love that basic grey paper!!). Near speechless, this is super!
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Hi Gina! I just wanted to say this line is very cool & I just loved how you could blog hop reading each story - how fun is that?
Great job to each & every designer, they did a great job with their projects.
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I don't know that I've ever been so moved by a stamp line. Kudos, Gina. I love the real women depicted in these images and think you have truly outdone yourself!
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I'm completely in awe of what you and your team have put together. Absolutely beautiful!
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Love this stamp and wonderful DP - great colors - what a terrific concept with these stamps - I've enjoyed traveling through all the blogs reading the stories and seeing the recipes - what fun!
www.createwithjulia.blogspot.com
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Love them!!!!! What a great blog tour to feature the new stamps!
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Oh my gosh this is so wonderful and so affirming of women as they really are. I cannot fully express the emotions I felt as I read the wonderful stories of the women you highlighted. As a woman well beyond the children at home stage I wonder if you are planning any images (not comical) of women in later years of life...maybe a super woman with gray hair and a few wrinkles.
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Gina, I had goosebumps reading your post! This is AWESOME!
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Gina, this is such an excellent idea! I love it!
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That was a fun journey through lots of beautiful blogs and what a fun set to Celebrate Moms.
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This was a great journey! Touching stories and nice recipes!
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I am completely in love with these stamps and the premise behind them. You've outdone yourself on this one, Gina!
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I hope you have a lot of these stamp sets ready to go! I have been looking for something just like this line of stamps. Thanks for creating them. I loved the stories also.
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What a wonderful journey I've had this morning! I love all the wonderful new stamps and the I enjoyed getting to know a whole lot of new people! Thanks Gina! What a wonderful adventure!!!!
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Gina,
God Bless You! This is such an amazing tribute to the women of the world. The impact this will have will be phenomenal and I cannot wait to hear more about these incredible women! Thank you...and I agree with the cookbook idea, it would be awesome! Hugs, Barb
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Gina, these look incredible. I want all of them! And I LOVE the way we're going blog hopping to see them all.
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What a wonderful, special and anointed idea, Gina! The 'journey' and all of the recipes are AWESOME! It was fun! I love all the 'regular women' (aka 'us')the stamps represent and I hope you are ready for all the orders!! I think you will be a very busy women this week!! A super hero even!! God has inspired a wonderful thing! Can't wait to see it all!
Kim Marie
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Gina, you are one of the most special people I have come to know through blogging and this is one wonderful idea - you rock!!!! It's fun to blog hop as well to get to see them - will definitely be adding some of thes to my stamp collection!! *STAMPIN HUGS* Alex
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Gina,
This stamp set means more than I can say... it is definitely my favorite for so many reasons, and I _can't wait_ to see the sentiments. I have had a very emotional 6 years, since I set out on the road of motherhood, and I live in a rural area where I sometimes feel very isolated. The concept for these stamps -- and the stories -- WOW. I can't wait to introduce them to my MOPs group (Mothers of Preschoolers) -- I make birthday cards for this group, and these will be welcome additions to the cards I make. THANK YOU so much!
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such a great idea!! looking forward to seeing the journey unfold
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Hi Gina: Can't wait to see this line of stamps...you are always coming up with something that really hits close to home!
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what a fun journey...you never cease to amaze! so creative...loved the addition with the recipes! lisa k
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Gina...I like that this set of stamps look like a healthy person rather than someone anorexic or evil looking...it will be my pleasure to have The Kub use these stamps to make me some everyday cards! Will have to try at least one of these recipes...what a clever idea.
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Gina,
Wow, what a unique set of stamps. So meaningful, yet fun to stamp and color and of course make some great cards for all those mothers out there.
Also, loved the journey. It was fun!
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What a unique journey through blogland!Very ingenious! Also the stamps are a great idea!
Diane
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Gina,
How FUN. I just loved it. I'm so proud to be a mom, wife, friend. It's so true we are all "kindred spirits".
Great big hugs to you
~~Diane~~
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OK, Gina, that was so cool! I love travelling through the web, reading the stories, and recipes! Very innovative! Oh, and the stamps are cool, too!
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Gina,
this line is awesome...and so are you. The concept and creativity in the presentation is amazing. All the designers did a fabulous job and the blog hopping was so much fun...more fun than paying my bills which is what I got on the computer to do!!! Good luck with this rel.ease
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Gina, I have had the pleasure getting to know you through your stamps a few months ago. You are a very creative, talented woman. These stamps are by far the most creative and fun that I have seen in a long time. I was a little down today and the blog journey just made my day and lifted my spirits! God Bless You Today!!!
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This had to be the coolest journey I have been on!! What an awesome idea, so creative and so are the stamps. Can't wait until one minute after midnight! You have out done yourself!!! I nominate you for the best creative design idea of the year!
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I went through this wonderful journey you created with all the wonderful ladies and their amazing blogs yesterday and needed to take a day to take it all in. I'm starting it again right now, but wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you for the amazing new stamps, this wonderful concept and for just being you! You're such a blessing to all of us!
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What a great concept Gina! I love the stamps and had a great time blog hopping and reading all the stories and recipes.
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I live in Canada and have not come across your stamps. You have a very interesting line of stamps. I hope that you will branching out to more stores in Canada, especially BC.
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