Born outside of New Orleans during Mardi Gras (hence the name), Mardi Sifuentes is as full of energy as her namesake celebration. She’s constantly on the go, whether it’s being a literal “soccer mom,” a city council member of one of the fastest-growing cities in the country or as the artisan baker of her own growing bakery, Vineyard Bakery. She’s fab for how she finds a chance to improve people’s lives, and she jumps in with her whole heart.
Fully Booked Juggling life as a mother, baker and city council member is pretty non-stop, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. A regular day in my life usually includes city meetings, reading long agendas and contracts, running my boys to soccer practices and games, supporting them in school projects, prepping and baking bread, helping to run a small family-owned construction company, catching up on Marco Polo messages from my closest friends, cooking, cleaning, and all while listening to a book in my ear any chance I get. To sum up, I love to work hard and I hate to sit still — so much so that even when I’m sitting, you’ll likely find some cross stitching supplies in my hands. That’s right. I said what I said. I crochet, boondoggle and puzzle, too.
Plot Twist Motherhood. I continually surprise myself — and others — at how well I can rock it or how terribly I can screw it up on any given day.
Hero’s Journey Just recently I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which seems to be God’s way of telling me it’s okay to sit sometimes. He and I still disagree on that one, so I guess you could say I haven’t fully learned it yet.
New Chapter After my husband lost his job during Covid, there were many unknowns. I had to take action. One of my favorite hobbies was baking artisan sourdough bread and sharing it with neighbors. So, I decided to start selling it. I was shocked at how much my community supported me. My business has just continued to grow ever since.
Storybook World I hate to be cliche, but this girl would head straight to Hogwarts. Sign me up to learn some magic, fight Voldemort and hang out with Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Vital Title I love the “The Lady Janies” series by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows. The mix of fantasy, history and comedic humor just hits all the marks for my great escape into the book world.