~Regency Wednesday~ Random Cant Day (#5)

I haven't posted a Regency Wednesday in quite some time so here's a few random slang terms from my trusty 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Enjoy!! 

Bucket. To kick the bucket. To die.
Chuckle-headed. Stupid, thick-headed. 

Elbow Grease. Labour. Elbow grease will make an oak table shine. 

Facer. A bumper, a glass filled so full as to leave no room for the lip. Also a violent blow on the face. 

Half Seas over. Almost drunk. 

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. 

There's just no understanding...

The Muse Clio Writing History

...the muse. 

Mine started whispering in my ear while I was on vacation this past weekend. I was in the most romantic little motel (with my hubby) across from Lake Michigan and I had this sudden urge to write. Early morning, hubby still sleeping, I pulled out a notebook. The story I worked on was the sequel to my unpublished fantasy novel. Of all the things I'm writing, why in that moment did the muse demand the most unromantic one??

Like I said, there's no understanding the muse.  

Good Morning, Lake Michigan! 

Goodnight, Lake Michigan! 

The Babies Are Named!

Well, two weeks after their birth, we've finally named all six kittens. One name was selected from the entries in my baby naming contest, the rest just sort of happened. Foghorn, the lighter gray kitty, received a name change when my brother decided he's taking BOTH gray kitties. 

Here are (from the back) dark gray baby girl Ticky, feisty orange baby boy Big Red, and sweet yet loud baby boy Nermal. 

(Stupid blogger keeps flipping this picture for some reason.) Here are (from the top) stripey black sweetheart baby girl Sable, and fluffy sweet twin boys Buttercream & Butterscotch. 

The name we selected as the winning name was Big Red. Thank you so much for the suggestion, mrgrayson! (I don't have your email, so please contact me at jaimeygrant {at} yahoo {dot} com to find out how to redeem your prize.) 

The other five winners of an eBook copy of my Regency romance Honor are... 

• Heather Lyons for Princess Poppycock 
• Krisi Keley for Je reve du lait 
• Amanda Stephan for Inigo Montoya 
• Jenna (Novella Reviews) for Smidge 
• Anna L Walls for Cream Puff 

Honorable mention goes to Rachel Rossano for Lord Rupert the fifteenth Earl of Fish because it made me giggle. 

Thank you all so much for all the great suggestions. Those of you who provided your email should hear from me soon. Those of you who didn't provide your email, please contact me at jaimeygrant{at}yahoo{dot}com to find out how to redeem your prize. 

Until next time, happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

~Regency Wednesday~ Recipes: Jugged Hare

For today's Regency Wednesday post, here's a recipe for Jugged Hare from The Servant's Guide and Family Manual, 1831. (I would say ENJOY! but I can't even say that with a straight face.)

"Jugged Hare. 

Cut into pieces and wash the hare, and put it into a stewpan with a few sweet herbs, half a dozen cloves, allspice, and black peppercorns, two large onions, and a roll of lemon peel; cover it with water; when it boils, skim it, and let it simmer till tender. Strain off the gravy, thicken it with three ounces f butter and some flour, and boil it about ten minutes; then strain over the hare, and it is ready. Forcemeat balls are sometimes added.

   Many persons prefer boiling the hare in a stone jar in a saucepan of water; but the preceding is a quicker method, and equally good. Care should be taken not to boil made dishes too fast." 

Until next time, happy reading, writing, and blogging!! 

~Photo Friday~ What is it? (#10) REVEALED

Last week's mystery pic was a little tricky. I had to verify the correct answer with my mom, and she confirms is it indeed.... 

Lemon Balm. 

To all the ones who said mint, good guess. I would have said the same. It occurs to me that up close, it could also be dragon skin. :O) 

Thank you, as always, for playing. Stay tuned for a new mystery pic later today or maybe early tomorrow. Happy reading, writing, and blogging!! 

Baby Naming Contest!

YAY! My precious kitten had her babies very, very early this morning. The first was born just before midnight and the next five came into the world within 2-3 hours after that.

Here they are, numbered in the order they were born. Baby #1, a girl, has already been claimed and named Ticky (inside joke). Baby #6, a boy, was the loudest so I named him Foghorn, to be affectionately known as Foggy. 

The other four, however, remain nameless. That's where you come in. :O)

Comment here (on the blogspot end of this post, not the Goodreads or facebook feed of it) with the name you'd like to bestow upon one of these little darlings. Be creative! With names like Stinkerbell (the momma), Ticky, and Foghorn, the others will need something just as clever (weird?) to retain their dignity amongst their peers. 

If you have any questions about the contest (or the kittens), please ask. You may enter as many times as you want, each entry being a separate {unique} name. The most creative name will be selected and announced August 15 (the judges being my husband, my brother, my two children, and me) and that name will be given to one of the kittens. This contest is open to all! 

As a bonus, we'll select our six favorite names. The commenters who submitted those names will each receive a coupon to download my newest Regency romance (Honor) for free from Smashwords.com. (What? You didn't think I'd pass up an opportunity to pimp my new book, did you?) 

So, to sum up the rules: 

• Make sure you follow this blog, it's only fair. You have options: email list, Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, and/or "Subscribe to..." Just please make sure you're doing at least one of these things. 
• Comment here with a name, not on the Goodreads or facebook feed, but here on blogspot. 
• Include your email, so I can easily contact you if you win. 
• Multiple, unique entries are allowed. Please don't submit 20 names that only vary slightly from one another.
• Open to all, regardless of where you live. 
• Deadline: midnight (eastern time), August 14; winners announced August 15. 
• I reserve the right to ignore any entry that is inappropriate (no dirty words or swears), common (please no Fluffy's or Spot's), or redundant (make sure you're not using someone else's entry). Thank you!

I think that covers everything. Any questions? If not, let the baby naming begin!!

Edited at 11:38PM to add:

It was brought to my attention that I failed to mention the genders of the babies. The only females are babies #1 and #5. I hope that helps. (Thank you, Kandy, for asking!)

And here's a video I just recorded, about a half hour before editing this post (please be patient as it loads):

Thank you, Rachel, for the idea. :O)