Jessica Azar's Blog, page 7
January 25, 2016
Monmouth Historic Inn: A Sweet Southern Getaway
Tweet If you’re looking for a romantic way to spend Valentine’s Day, or a location for an Anniversary trip, I’ve found a destination that you’ll adore! Monmouth Historic Inn, located in fabulously Nachez, Mississippi, meets the needs of those escaping the demands of everyday living with beautiful surroundings, fascinating history, and luxury beyond compare for its guests. Weary from our six-hour drive from Montgomery, arriving at Monmouth was like reaching an oasis for sleep. Signs directed me to the clearly-marked check-in station, situated in a building next to the main house (I later learned it was originally the kitchen building when Monmouth was a plantation). A sweet and personable staff member welcomed me to the Monmouth Historic Inn and quickly acquainted me with the lay out of the estate and also filled me in on the included breakfast arrangements for the next morning, all while handling my check in proceedings. She handed me my key and told me how to reach her if I needed her, then we drove to our assigned suite at the Carriage House. My reservations were for a fantastic Queen Suite in the Carriage House. I climbed a few steps to the front porch of the…
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January 21, 2016
“Hobby” Project 52 Week 3
Tweet Wow! I’m kind of proud of myself for keeping the ball rolling with this weekly photography gig… we are already on Project 52 Week 3! I owe it all to the which taught me how to create and utilize (finally!) a working content/editorial calendar for Herd Management! Life changing, I tell you. Anyways, “Hobby” is the theme of Project 52 Week 3. I have many hobbies that I dabble in, which means that I love trying new things and even when I LOVE them I don’t always have the time I’d like to invest in them. Knitting is one of my longest-running hobbies, so I’ve chosen to feature it here for Photography Project 52 Week 3. This is a scarf I have been knitting for myself since last September. It’s my first cable-knit pattern, and I have to say that I’ve really enjoyed it and that I like how it’s looking. Maybe one day I will actually finish it… hopefully before Fall of 2016. As I sit here typing I’m really cold and it would be awesome to have that scarf ready to wear. Be sure to subscribe (up in the upper right hand corner) to follow Herd Management!…
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January 19, 2016
What Does Y’all Mean? Talk Southern to Me Episode 2
Tweet Welcome back for your second lesson on understanding Southern figures of speech, terms, and more! Did you use “Buggy” in a sentence this week? If so, I hope that went well for you, and if not get to it! This time we’ll be looking at the ever popular Southernism, “Y’all”. What does y’all mean? Now you might not have needed me to tell you what it MEANS, but I’m thinking you could probably use a pointer or two on the correct USAGE of y’all. It’s my self-appointed duty as a Southern woman and aficionado of words to foster your competence in using the words I highlight, and context is key. Think of me as your Southern adviser or coach. Y’all does NOT refer to just ONE person, despite what you might hear in movies or the like. You might hear a Southerner say “How have y’all been?” to a lone individual, but it’s understood among other Southerners that the person asking is referring to the individual and his family, or other people he/she is associated with in the context of the relationship between the two people in the conversation. It’s just like saying “How’re your mama an’nem (and them)…
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January 18, 2016
Sock Sorting Solutions
Tweet If your house is anything like mine you probably have a bajillion mismatched socks, widowed socks, and socks that never get worn but somehow keep ending right back in the dirty clothes hamper. If you’re not one of those people, I mean US, you probably don’t have any socks in your house, are lying, or have devoted large amounts of your time to sock management activities. I do NOT have time for sock management activities, and I looked everywhere for sock sorting solutions that would meet our needs. There are six people living in my household (and a dog, but she doesn’t wear socks, she just hides them), which means there are 12 feet that need socks on a daily basis, and 84 sock-wearing opportunities during the week, give or take. For a long time I embraced The Surrender, threw all socks in one big bucket and creatively called it “The Sock Bucket”, which looked like a big sock mosh pit and almost always ensured that people needing socks would wind up with mismatched and wrong-sized socks. Looking for socks was like mining for gems, or looking for a husband in a bar…Nearly impossibly. It’s not as big of…
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January 15, 2016
On Country Living: Money Problems and Marriage
Tweet It’s awesome when the harder times in our lives can become some of the biggest blessings we ever receive! Everything I wrote in this article for Country Living has strengthened our marriage and yielded a family life that, while not perfect by any means, is one that we love and wouldn’t trade for all of the tea in China, and that’s a lot of tea. Go check it out and tell me what you think! Are you able to find the positives in your stressful situations in life? Try it… it’s helped my perspective tremendously. Money Problems Made our Marriage Stronger by Jessica Azar Tweet
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Happiness Is… Project 52 Week 2
Tweet This week’s installment of Project 52 is entitled “Happiness Is…”, and it’s been a hard decision on what I want to photograph because I equate so many things with being happy. It finally dawned on me that I would be better off choosing a subject that embodies happiness rather than simply taking a shot of something that makes ME happy, like Scotch or a sunset. Not only does this picture of my dog, Reata, make me happy, she simply radiates happiness! Look at that little face… she loves her self-declared job of protecting the car (or our house… don’t ever just walk up on our property) from any bad guys that might try to break in while I’m away, and is extremely protective of me. Seeing her waiting in the car for me,on patrol from the passenger’s seat, after I’m done walking the kids into school each day makes my heart happy. It also reminds me that when you love what you do that happiness will grow inside of you and warm the hearts of those around you. Her company is always appreciated; she’s a loving, silent companion that loyally sits by my feet without complaint as I write…
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January 12, 2016
On RedBook : My Struggle With Orthorexia
Tweet I’m really excited that redbook (yes, THE REDBOOK MAGAZINE) has published one of my articles! This is a new location on the Internet for me, so I would love it if you go give it a read. Not many people (if any, really) know that I dealt with an eating disorder known as Orthorexia as a young college student. Orthorexia is not as widely-discussed as Anorexia or Bulimia, and it can remain hidden more easily, masquerading as a dedication to physical perfection through fitness. Just like anything else, a positive thing like physical exercise and healthy eating can become warped until it’s no longer recognizable as a virtue. Been there, done that, and thankfully I met my husband and he reintroduced me to the amazing world of doughnuts and ice cream and enjoying life. Healthy Eating Became an Unhealthy Obsession by Jessica Azar In writing this I hope that it will help other young women realize that they don’t have to go overboard with crash diets and punishing, relentless exercise to be happy and feel good about the way they look. I’m in the same dress size I wore in high school and do exercise classes I LOVE (Yoga…
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What Does Buggy Mean? Talk Southern to Me Episode 1
Tweet Starting today, each Tuesday I will be posting a “Southernism”, Southern phrase, or a word we use in the South that isn’t used elsewhere (that I know of) in the United States. Some of them are funny, and even if you’re not from here or have never heard of these phrases, feel free to start interjecting them into your daily conversations. You just might start a trend! Today we will be discussing the word “Buggy”. Now when a Southerner says “go get me a buggy” what does Buggy mean in this phrase? Many will think of a stroller for babies, a carriage that is pulled behind horses, or an adjective meaning crazy. That’s not what I or most of the people around here mean when they use this word. A Buggy is another word for a shopping cart! It does KIND of look like a carriage, but I guess that would make me the horse? Or I could see where as grocery cart could kind of look like a baby stroller/pram, but then that would mean the food is my baby? Be sure to subscribe to Herd Management’s Updates so that you don’t miss any lessons in Speaking Southern!…
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January 11, 2016
How to Cook Greens, Southern Style: Bearded Farmer Recipe
Tweet Once again we are blessed here on Herd Management to have Chef Eric Bern, more popularly known as The Bearded Farmer, giving us one of his recipes for cooking up a Southern favorite. Let’s learn how to cook Greens! Whether they be Collard, Turnip, or Mustard, they’re a Southern cooking staple and even if you’re not from Here it’s a fantastic thing to be able to prepare. They’re readily available this time of year due to being planted in early Fall as a cold weather crop. For starters, greens are cheap! You can get them for low prices, especially if you’re willing to stop at a roadside produce stand and support a local farmer. You want good nutrition? Check out these impressive nutritional stats: One cup of boiled turnip greens contain 29 calories, 2 grams of protein, 0 gram of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrate, 5 grams of fiber and 1 gram of sugar, 660% of your daily needs for vitamin K, 220% of vitamin A, 66% of vitamin C, 42% of folate, 20% of calcium needs, 14% of vitamin E and 6% of iron. All of that Vitamin C factors in having the healthy skin and nails we…
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January 7, 2016
The Secret Life of Moms: When Winter Break Ends
Tweet When Winter Break ends, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Does the thought of your kids going back to school after the Winter Break have you dancing as you step over the stuff they’ve left in your den? I can hear Aretha Franklin in my head singing “Freedom…Freedom.. FREEDOM!” like she does here in “Think”, but only if I’m wearing earmuffs, because it has been SO LOUD IN THIS HOUSE! One kid is loud, four kids together can be deafening, and my dog’s nervous shaking proves it. I was more than ready for them to be back on their schedules and for me to be able to work in the peace and quiet for a few hours each day. Apparently I’m not the only one who needed a break from the holiday hoopla and startling noises that happen all day long, and a bunch of awesome moms that I know agreed to be a part of this photo montage! They’ll show you exactly what they’re doing after they drop the kids off at school this coming week, and I’m betting you can relate! Their reactions are hilarious. First up is Kristen of Mommy In Sports. She’s…
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