another weekend - by: jonah

Hey Everybody!


Mom says you guys love it when I take over her blog, so here I am. Aren't you so happy? That picture up there is from Friday night. Mommy, Daddy, Kathryn, and I went to Ham's to celebrate Kathryn's birthday. It was this past Thursday. Mommy says to tell you I was a complete nightmare. But I'm not going to tell you that. Let's just say there's a reason I don't have a picture of me and Kathryn to show you. It could be because I cried my eyes out the whole time we were there and nothing Mommy did could make me happy. I couldn't rightly say.

Then, on Saturday, Mommy left me with Daddy for four whole hours. Can you believe she would do something like that? Who does she think she is? Her own person or something?

But anyway, she got to go out to lunch with a friend and then she went to a radio station and got to do a radio show. I'm pretty sure she talked about me the whole time, so I guess I'll forgive her for leaving me.



Here she is with the two ladies who hosted the show.



Boo Mama joined them on the phone, as well as a lady named Renee who has a blog called budgetsavingmom.com. Mommy says she has a blog about saving lots of money and coupon and rebate tips. I said, "What's a rebate?" She said, "Nevermind."



Mommy felt like it went really well, but she was nervous at first. She said she got really nervous when Ms. Luann said, "Hurry! Put on your headphones! We're in the Cone of Silence." Mommy said, "What the heck is a Cone of Silence?" I told her it's not nice to say heck.

And this is me at the Chicken Stew.



I know. I know. I'm adorable. Mommy loves her little Russian Baby.

You guys don't know what a Chicken Stew is??? Don't feel bad. Saturday was my first one. Well, Mommy says I went last year when I was in her tummy (and she was mentally unstable), but I don't remember that.

Anyway, allow me to educate you.

From Wikipedia:

Southern chicken stew is a traditional dish from North Carolina. It is a type of stew consisting of parboiled whole chicken in a cream or milk based broth, butter and seasoned with salt, pepper and other ingredients. Traditionally, the stew is served in the late fall and winter months. Often the term "chicken stew" refers to an event or gathering where the dish is served.

Recipes for southern chicken stew vary slightly from person to person, but it is usually made by first cooking a whole chicken by boiling or parboiling, allowing a rich broth to form. The chicken is then removed from the pot and the meat is pulled from the bones or cut off with a knife. The skin, bones and fat are removed as well. Sometimes boneless, skinless chicken breasts are used instead of a whole chicken. A thickening of flour and milk or cream is made and added to the broth. The chicken is then added back into the liquid along with salt, pepper and butter or margarine. Various other ingredients may be added to the stew according to local tradition; a more common addition is varying amounts of Texas Pete hot sauce.[1]

The stew varies in color from white to pale yellow, depending on the amount of butter or margarine used. It can vary in thickness from very thin and soup-like to thick and creamy. Saltine crackers are commonly served with chicken stew, either on the side or crumbled into the bowl.

Because of its low cost of preparation and reputation as a local comfort food, chicken stew is often served at large social gatherings such as church fellowships, family reunions and community fundraisers. It is a tradition at these gatherings to prepare the stew in a large cast iron or stainless steel pot, often outdoors over an open fire. Bowls of stew are sometimes complimented with coleslaw, rice or grilled cheese sandwiches. In North Carolina, "chicken stews" are usually held during the colder seasons, with most events occurring September through December.

So now you know. Mom said she had NO IDEA it was mostly a North Carolina thing. She says she sure is glad she lives here. She disagrees with the above statement that it can be thin like soup. That is totally wrong, she says. She thinks it should always be really milky and creamy. Mom also says that Chicken Stew is more than just a food. It's so good, it's the name of the event too. You don't say, "I'm going to a Taco" or "Tomorrow night we're going to a Pizza." BUT you DO say, "This Saturday we're going to our annual Chicken Stew." It's the dish itself, bonfires, cold weather, hanging out with friends outdoors, and making Smores (PLEASE tell me you have experienced Smores!). It's a Fall Tradition.

Here are my best bud, Jude, and me.


We are adorable. Jude is the coolest. Mom is so happy she finally got Jude to laugh at her. She has been trying for his entire 11 month existence to get him to think she's hilarious. Before Saturday she liked to refer to him as Jude the Unimpressed. But now, he thinks she's pretty funny too. I had to have a little talk with him. It worked. I think he was intimidated by the hat. You just can't argue with the ears.

These are my friends, Mason and Maddie.


They are both wonderful. Mason is especially in love with me, and he always comes up to me and says, "Hey Baby Jonah." He prays for me every day. I can't wait til I'm old enough to play over at his house.

Here are me and Ms. Gina.

Did you know that Ms. Gina called into the radio show and made Mommy cry on the air? She is so sweet. She loves me a lot too.

And finally, here is my mom and me. This is after she switched to my other hat because the blue one wasn't staying on well. This one is a really cute one that Cousin Todd and Cousin Keila gave me over the summer. Mom thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Well, I better go now. It's waaaay past my bedtime. Mom says she'll have to teach you guys the right way to make sweet tea in another post. She says I can't talk about that because I'm not allowed to use the stove yet... or drink tea, for that matter.

But she says to tell you to seek out a North Carolinian and have yourself a good ol' Chicken Stew before Spring. You might just decide you want to move here. You'll be putting your house on the market by April. Consider this fair warning.

Oh yeah, we made it to church this morning. HOORAY! I made it through all the beginning songs AND about ten minutes of the sermon before I got tired and Mom had to take me out in the lobby. And it went really well, overall, until I had a big ol' gusher all over myself, the chair in the lobby, and Mommy's dress pants. Luckily we were going straight home afterwards, so it didn't really matter. Mom says it was TOTALLY worth it... just what the doctor Jesus ordered. :)