My Creatively Random Life

This is Lady Matilda Darcy's first Christmas since the fire—her first Christmas without her parents, the Marquis and Marchioness of Darcy. She only has her little brother Clarence and her dour Aunt Alda, who thinks that Christmas decorations are a useless frivolity unless the decoration is for a Regency Romance Ball. Aunt Alda says, “No one will see the Christmas decorations if there is no ball, and she is not having a Christmas Ball at her home.” Matilde wheedles her way into hanging a single Christmas ornament:a Christmas mistletoe, but what is the use? No one will kiss her under it. Matilda desperately wants to feel loved, and just one Christmas Kiss would make a Merry Christmas for Matilda. I found a real love for regency romance last year when I was doing a lot of reviews.  This is just a tiny one but it is sweet and there is nothing quite like a Christmas romance.

J is a great letter and my J book was a really fun read.  Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen. Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she'd imagined. To start, I really love the name Ariella, it's just fantastic.  As is the cover art, I would definitely pick this book up in a store.  The story was an easy read, lots of action, not too much violence and not too many slow spots.

Finding words that began with J was a little harder than I thought it would be. Jejune Definition:  lacking interest or significance or impact. Sentence:  The works called good are dry and jejune, soon consummated, often of questionable value, and leaving behind them when finished a sense of vacuity.              — Richard Jefferies Jingoist Definition:  an extreme bellicose nationalist. Sentence:  And, hell, I'm no jingoist, but surely we can do better in this country than importing our drugs from Mexico, right?               — Salon (May 25, 2010) Juggernaut Definition:  a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way. Sentence:  Welch transformed GE into a sleek juggernaut that dominated market segments from jet engines and locomotives to finance.            — Washington Post (Aug 1, 2010) Junta Definition:  ...

Jesters were entertainers in medieval times who were employed to entertain nobility or entertain commoners at fairs and markets.  They employed a wide variety of skills including music, storytelling, acrobatics, juggling and song usually in a comic style.  Many jesters made jokes about people or events known to their audience.                1) Use of the word "jester" in the modern sense did not begin until the mid-16th century.                2) Jesters served both to amuse and criticize their master/mistress and their guests.                3) They enjoyed a privileged status in a noble household.                4) Jesters could give bad news that no one else dare deliver.

Jewelry is one of the more recent crafts I have dipped a toe into.  I used to be very intimidated by it but last year I bought these gorgeous handmade beaded anklets at a street festival and I got very inspired to give it a try.  So far I have only made a few pieces because well, I do like a million things but I love how they have turned out. These are pictures of a set of earrings and a ring that I made for my best friend that somehow never managed to make it up on to my blog in all my bragging about neat stuff I make.  (it happens, I craft more than I blog sometimes)