Book Club Update: The MIP April 2015 Book Club Selection is up. Go here for all the details.

Compassion Update: Today is the quarterly meeting for the Compassion Board. As of this writing, we have completed 65 hours of counseling with 20 hours already scheduled for this coming week. We have counseled 35 people to date. We have 6 people signed up for the premarital counseling group beginning in mid-April. Two other groups may start in the next few months as well. The average cost per counseling session is $ 13.83. 🙂 Thank you for your prayers and contributions to Compassion, a nonprofit counseling center!

Good morning, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW was nonage. Merriam-Webster Online defines nonage as minority or a period of youth or a lack of maturity. Nonage pretty much describes me every day. Maturity is optional, right?

Today’s WOW is chatoyant. Here are my definition guesses for chatoyant:

chatoyant (shə-ˈtȯi-ənt) 1. a person who chats about toys 2. a person obsessed with cat toys 3. a person who can see chateaus before they’re built

What’s your guess for chatoyant? Go here to submit a guess.

Wednesday’s Post: Your guess is as good as mine!

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: nonage; Word of the Week: chinoiserie; Word of the Week: plastron; and Word of the Week: mimesis

Book Club News: Do you have your copy of Twirl? No? Well, what are you waiting for? Go here to get your copy of MIP‘s November 2014 Book Club Selection!

Fast 5 Posts: For 5 Wednesdays (with the exclusion of holiday Wednesdays!) I’m going to give my insights on 5 Books of the Bible. If you can’t read each of these books in one sitting, we need to have you evaluated for ADHD. So grab your Bibles (or beg, borrow or buy one, if need be) and find Obadiah and see what it says about Biblical times. I will do the same and let you know on Wednesday what I’m learning about this under-appreciated part of our Bibles.

My Favorite Things Update: This coming Friday is not only Halloween, but also another installment of My Favorite Things, so as you put out the bowl of candy (that your family will hopefully NOT consume right before that “witching hour” approaches), grab your laptop, phone or tablet and read the blog and wait for those cute trick-or-treaters.

Book Club: I’m reading all about the new Baylor University football stadium. Have you started reading Beating Goliath? If not, go here.

Howdy, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was truckle. Merriam-Webster defines truckle as: to act in a subservient manner or to submit. If so, then I’m truckling tonight as I start on a brand new venture. Yes, you’ll probably hear about it here sometime.

Today’s WOW is inkhorn. Why do I have a feeling that some of you know this one???

inkhorn: (ˈiŋk-ˌhȯrn) 1. writing with a cow horn 2. when a unicorn is drawn in a children’s book 3. when a publisher is called on the telephone

Are you one of the people that knows inkhorn? If so, send me the definition (or a guess) here.

Wednesday’s Post: Lessons Learned from the Dallas 2014 Women of Faith Conference

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: truckle; Word of the Week: fissiparous; Word of the Week: cock-a-hoop; Word of the Week: recondite; and Word of the Week: collimate

Book Club Lovers: Have you started The ONE Thing by Gary Keller? No? Get started! It will probably change the way you approach your daily life!

Top Mommy Blog Update: MIP is now # 136! Thanks for clicking on that button to the right of this post to help MIP’s rank improve and for allowing it to be discovered by others! You can click on that button each time you visit here to hopefully help it make it to the top 100!

Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was toxophilite. Merriam-Webster defines toxophilite as a person fond of or expert at archery. I think we can say that Katniss Everdeen is a toxophilite. 

Today’s WOW is diktat. I can’t wait to find out the real definition for this one–it’s just too much fun to say! But until we learn the actual definition next week, here are my guesses for diktat:

diktat: (dik-ˈtät) 1. a toddler’s way of saying “Tic Tac” 2. Richard’s tattoo 3. the Turkish word for dictation

What’s your guess for diktat? Submit it here!

Wednesday’s Post: What You Can Tell about MaryAnn from Looking in Her Purse…

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: toxophilite; Word of the Week: bricolage; Word of the Week: spume; Word of the Week: kickshaw; and Word of the Week: preterit

MIP Book Club Lovers: The August MIP Book Club Selection might just change your life…Do you have your copy? If not, go here for details.

Top Mommy Blog Update: Thanks to YOU, MIP is # 193 of the Top Mom Blogs world-wide! And it’s # 9 in the Everything Else sub-category. Click on the “button” to the right of this post to further bring MIP to new people and new audiences. Thanks so much for helping me with this!

Good morning, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was bricolage. Merriam-Webster Online says that bricolage means:  construction achieved by using whatever comes to hand. Does this mean that MacGyver did a lot of bricolage? 

Today’s WOW is toxophilite. My definition guesses are:

toxophilite (täk-ˈsä-fə-ˌlīt) 1. having a toxic reaction to the music of the Chi Lites (Half of you just googled Chi Lites, right?) 2. the toxicity that results when Phil lights a cigarette 3. a current resident of Philadelphia (who is actually a native of France) who believes that taxes are too high (Okay…so that one was really reaching…do you have better suggestions?)

What’s your definition guess for toxophilite? Send me an email here.

Wednesday’s Post: Lessons Learned from Buying 3 Homes…

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: bricolage; Word of the Week: spume; Word of the Week: kickshaw; Word of the Week: preterit; and Word of the Week: offal

Book Club Readers: The review will be out for Songs in the Key of Solomon this Friday, along with the August MIP Book Selection (and this one is a must-read, folks!)

Attention Chronic MIP Readers: If you like this blog, would you be so kind as to click on the “top mommy blog” button on the right side of the screen? That allows more readers to find this blog. Thanks so much for reading and for helping this blog find more people!

Good morning, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was spume. Merriam-Webster Online says that spume is frothy matter on liquids, as in ocean foam. Living in central Texas we don’t see a whole lot of ocean spume.

Today’s WOW is bricolage. Here are my guesses for bricolage:

bricolage (brē-kō-ˈläzh) 1. a brick’s worth of logs 2. a log’s worth of bricks. 3. what happens when a Parisian breaks a leg

What’s your guess for bricolage? Submit it here.

Wednesday’s Post: It won’t be about my Colorado vacation (And the crowd says, “Yesssssss!”)

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: spume; Word of the Week: kickshaw; Word of the Week: preterit; Word of the Week: offal; and Word of the Week: shinplaster

This week the WOW (Word of the Week) comes to you mid-air as I jet to a family reunion vacation with my hubby’s family. More about that later on in the week!

Last week’s WOW was preterit. Just as a side note: I pick my WOWs from the Merriam-Webster “Word of the Day” feature. And while I adore Merriam-Webster Online most days, there are occasions where I’m a little perturbed with it. That would be today’s sentiment, because the m-w.com definition of preterit is bygone or former and that’s the archaic definition. Are there any modern definitions? Nope. So, why is Merriam-Webster Online making it a Word of the Day? Please. Someone tell me! Grr.

This week’s WOW is kickshaw. Let’s hope there’s a modern definition for this one!  Here are my definition guesses for it:

kickshaw (ˈkik-ˌshȯ)   1. what happens to Mr. Shaw when he’s mean to a Texas woman 2. how a stutterer says rickshaw (I just irritated my daughter, the SLPA, with that one.) 3. an Asian disco dance What’s your guess for kickshaw?  Either submit your guess below in the Comment section or send me an email here.

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: preterit; Word of the Week: offal; Word of the Week: shinplaster; Word of the Week: perdure; and Word of the Week: eidetic

WOW Fans: Today I begin a new, fun “perk” of this feature. Those who submit a guess for the Word of the Week (WOW) will be entered into a little (emphasis on the word “little”) ongoing contest to see who gets closest to the real, online Merriam-Webster guess of the word. NO FAIR looking the word up in any sort of dictionary or thesaurus! The person getting closest to the actual definition will receive 5 MIP Points. The person with the most creative definition will receive 3 MIP Points. The person getting the next closest to the correct definition will get 1 MIP Point. (This could happen a lot since many words have 2 or more meanings!)

I thought about having you submit a comment for the guess, but others may copy or put in a similar definition based on previous guesses and “copying” is just not fair. Thus, you must send me an email via the Contact Me page here at MIP to be eligible. The person with the most points by 12-31-14 will receive an MIP t-shirt….even if I have to make the T-shirt myself. When I’m rich and famous, the winner will be able to say they had the very first WOW t-shirt. By 2114 it might be worth enough for the winner to cash it in for a Starbucks latte (which will probably cost $ 500 by then). I would love to give you the Taj Mahal, but it was hard to fit a large Indian castle into my MIP budget this year. Have YOU ever tried to squeeze a building onto a spreadsheet with only 3 columns???

Ready to play? Good! Then, let’s get down to business and explore the true meaning of the last WOW from way back in January. It was orotund which Merriam-Webster defines as: marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound. It can also mean pompous or bombastic. (Some of you just looked up one of those last words, didn’t you! Caught ya!) So, a professional opera singer could be orotund two ways–have a great voice and know it a little too well!

Today’s word is hoise. Here are my pathetic excuses for definition attempts of hoise:

hoise: (ˈhȯiz) 1. A resident of New Jersey’s way of saying hose 2. a hefty amount of poise 3. a noise emanating from a horse

What’s your guess? Submit a guess by clicking here.

Wednesday’s Post: By popular demand…my brother’s eulogy…

You might also like: Word of the Week: orotund; Word of the Week: stichomythia; Word of the Week: styptic; and Word of the Week: pinchbeck

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Tomorrow: The MIP Book Club officially starts! Do you have your copy of Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer? Click here for the MIP reading plan for it and links on how to order the book, if you don’t have it already.

Last week’s Word of the Week (WOW) was tourbillion. One of the MIP readers knows this word…for sure, thanks to a hubby who has a particular hobby. And if you think this hobby is knowing a lot of math terms, you would be wrong! Tourbillion, according to Merriam-Webster Online, refers to a whirlwind or the vortex of a whirlwind  or whirlpool. My guesses were way off. How about yours???

This week’s WOW is: depone. Here are my guesses for it:

depone: (di-ˈpōn) 1. one depot. 2. when Al Capone is dethroned. 3. to refrain from eating corn pone as in “The Help”

What’s your guess? Submit a comment below and let’s see who’s closest!

Wednesday’s Post: All the special ladies…

You might also like: Word of the Week: tourbillion; Word of the Week: orgulous; Word of the Week: boffin; and Word of the Week: tchotchke

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Last week’s Word of the Week (WOW) was aegis. There are 3 definitions for it at Merriam-Webster Online and I have a sneaky suspicion that the first one is largely archaic, but thanks to a resurgent interest in mythology cinematically, maybe it’s getting a little more usage these days. Here’s what m-w.com had to say on the subject: 1) a shield or breastplate emblematic of majesty that was associated with Zeus and Athena 2) protection or controlling or conditioning influence and 3) auspices, control or guidance especially by an individual, group, or system. When I think about those last 2 definitions, I do believe I have heard this word in actual usage, but if it means auspices, why not just use the much more popular auspices???

Way too serious for a Monday? Okay…On to the WOW for this week, which is roseate. Here are my definition guesses for roseate:

roseate: (ˈrō-zē-ət) 1. when the dog eats your roses (a very real possibility at my house…sigh) 2. Ross’ seat in  le France 3. the lunch Rosie the Riveter had while working at the factory in WWII. You’re welcome for the bonus history lesson today.

So, what are your guesses for roseate??? Leave a comment below regarding your guess (or just the fact that my guesses are under the aegis of insanity)

Tomorrow’s Post: What act of kindness did you do for a selfless teacher?

You might also like: Word of the Week: aegis; Word of the Week: meretricious; Word of the Week: sangfroid; Word of the Week: eurytopic; Word of the Week: balneology