Book Club: I’m starting the Early to Rise Experience, aka MaryAnn’s worst nightmare. Want to find out why she’s squirming? Go here.

Howdy, Word Nerds! Last week’s WOW was mimesis. Merriam-Webster Online says that mimesis means imitation or mimicry. That makes sense since the word mime is a part of the word!

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

plastron (ˈplas-trən) 1. a superhero made of plastic (Can he be in the next Fantastic Four movie? Maybe the Fantastic Five? 2. a plasma electron 3. a protoplasm computer game

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

Wednesday’s Post: Double Nickels…

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: mimesis; Word of the Week: abecedarian; Word of the Week: zeitgeber; and Word of the Week: solatium

Book Club: The March 2015 MIP Book Club Selection must mean I’m a masochist. See why.

Good morning, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW was abecedarian. Merriam-Webster Online says that it means: one learning the rudiments of something (as the alphabet). I am probably an abecedarian about more things than I care to admit. Exhibit A: I’m typing this while on a plane, which means I have to learn the rudiments of gogoinflight. Let’s just say I’ll probably be an abecedarian about that for more than one flight.

This week’s WOW is memesis. This sounds very sciencey to me. What? You don’t think sciencey is a word? I’m using it anyway. Since science wasn’t exactly my strong suit in school, this should be entertaining for Readerland. Here are my very unscientific guesses for mimesis:

mimesis (\mə-ˈmē-səs, mī-)  1. the biological process which occurs when I sing a do-re-mi scale too early in the morning. 2. what happens to MaryAnn when she drinks a mimosa without a straw. 3. when I become my own nemesis

What are your guesses for mimesis? Go here to tell me how wrong I am.

Wednesday’s Post: Word of the Day

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: abecedarian; Word of the Week: zeitgeber; Word of the Week: solatium; and Word of the Week: crepitate

Good morning, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW was zeitgeber. This word intrigued a bunch of you! Unfortunately, no one successfully guessed the definition. Merriam-Webster says that zeitgeber is: an environmental agent or event (as the occurrence of light or dark) that provides the stimulus setting or resetting a biological clock of an organism. If that is the case, then clearing brush from lots is a zeitgeber for me!

Today’s word is no “shrinking violet.” Why? Because it’s not exactly a short word! And I feel like I should know abecedarian. Let’s see how close I can get to the true definition:

abecedarian: (ā-bē-sē-ˈder-ē-ən) 1. a person who likes to recite the alphabet 2. a person who does math exclusively with an abacus 3. a person who dares others to recite their ABCs in public

What’s your guess for abecedarian? Go here to tell me about it!

Wednesday’s Post: An odd day…

Good morning, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW was solatium. Merriam-Webster Online says that solatium is:  a compensation (as money) given as solace for suffering, loss, or injured feelings. So this means that when I lose my keys for the 49th time, I should get paid??? If so, I think this is a practice which needs more emphasis in our culture!

This week’s WOW is zeitgeber. Since I never took German and this word definitely has that “flavor,” this could get really interesting for my definition guesses:

zeitgeber: (ˈtsīt-ˌgā-bər, ˈzīt-) 1. the acne on Goober’s face (the younger generation just said, “Who’s Goober?”) 2. the person who pops the acne on Goober’s face 3. gawking at acne in Berlin

I warned you it would be interesting. What’s your definition guess for zeitgeber? Go here to tell me all about it!

Wednesday’s Post: Word of the Day!

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: solatium; Word of the Week: crepitate; Word of the Week: deracinate; and Word of the Week: anodyne

Book Club Update: Have you ordered your copy of Start? No? Go here to get your copy now!

Compassion Counseling Center Update: We have reached the 200 mark on “Likes” on our Facebook page! We could still use some more clients, though, so that all of our counselors-in-training have the needed hours to graduate on time. Please continue to pray that hurting people in our area will find us quickly! Thanks!

Last week’s WOW was deracinate. The Merriam-Webster Online definition is: uproot or to remove or separate from a native environment or culture; especially to remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences from something. The hubby had a pretty close guess for this one! How is it that everyone in my family is smarter than me??? Oh. Wait. It’s my family.

Today’s WOW is crepitate. I feel like I should know this word, but it has escaped my brain (probably from that face plant a few weeks ago!). So here are my guesses for crepitate:

Book Club: What does an 108 year old rabbi say about the Messiah? Go here to find out.

Compassion Counseling Center Update: We officially start on 1/15/2014! Thanks to a “tribute gift” of $ 1000, Compassion begins counseling in 16 days! A tribute gift is a donation made in honor of, or in memory of, someone special to the donor. Go here to see the beginning of the Tribute Gift Page and go here to honor or memorialize someone special to you! Since Compassion is a 501(c)(3) charity, all donations are tax-deductible.

Also, Compassion will have a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at 4:30 pm at Oakdale United Methodist Church, 2675 Overhill Drive, Stephenville, TX 76401. YOU are invited! We will have refreshments and tours for all those attending. If you would like to attend, please go here to let me know. Yes, family and friends are welcome! I just need a “head count” for the sake of ensuring enough refreshments for everyone attending.

Book Club: Are you willing to take a walk on the wild side with me in January 2015? Yes? Terrific! Go here for all the details.

Compassion Counseling Center Update: We have an approved budget of $ 21,130 for 2015! That’s the good news. The bad news? There’s only $ 614 in our bank account right now. Care to forego a latte to help us get started in 23 days? Go to the ad to the right of this post to donate online!  Care to write a check instead of donating online? Send to: Compassion Counseling Center, 2675 Overhill Drive, Stephenville, TX 76401. We can post memorial/honorary gifts at the web site to remember/honor your loved one and we can list organizations as our partners for a donation of $ 500 or more. And please share our web site with family and friends: http://www.compassioncounselingcenter.com. Thanks for thinking of us and please pray that we will have a “full docket” of clients on January 15th!

Twelve Days of MIP continues this week. Go here to see the first post from last Wednesday!

Good morning, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW was soigne and Merriam-Webster Online says that soigne is: well-groomed, sleek, elegantly maintained or designed. If that is the case, then I’m seldom soigne, even on a good day.

This week’s WOW is meed. Not mead, which I already know, but meed. I have a feeling about 10 of you are about to tell me how clueless I am on this one:

meed (ˈmēd) 1. The way 90% of Americans spell mead *le sigh* 2. my seed 3. when I feed me

What’s your definition guess for meed? Go here to educate me!

Wednesday’s Post: My 9th and 10th most favorite posts of 2014…

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: soigne; Word of the Week: refulgence; and Word of the Week: malversation

Book Club: This Friday’s post will be the Slow Reader Friday discussion of Christine Caine’s Unstoppable. This book is quickly becoming one of my favorites!

Compassion Counseling Center: We have $ 760 to raise by 1/15/15. If you would like to help people in our area get much-needed counseling, please go to the link to the right and donate. Memorial/Tribute gifts can be given in honor of a special person in your life and organizations can become a Compassion partner for a contribution of at least $ 500. Our partners and our Tribute honorees will be published on our web site. Compassion is now a 501(c)(3) public charity and U.S. donations to Compassion are tax deductible.

The 12 Days of MIP:  Beginning this Wednesday I will start revealing my favorite blog posts for this year. Do you have favorites? Go here and tell me about why you liked a particular post!

Book Club: Once again, a book comes into my life right when I need it! Have you started reading Unstoppable by Christine Caine? Click here for more details.

Compassion Counseling Center Update: We had our first fundraiser for Compassion this past Saturday and it was a lot of fun. If you wished you could attend, but didn’t, there is still time to participate! Debbie Noel will allow all of us to buy gifts for our family and friends until December 10th (and yes, they can be sent directly to your gift recipient in time for Christmas!) and give her commission and 15% of the sales to Compassion! In addition, she is offering great bargains to all participants. Debbie fought off the flu to make fabulous food and fun for all who attended. Please at least visit here to see the products she offers. Thanks!

Fast Five: I will be posting about the final short book of the Bible–Jude. (Why does a Beatles song always “play” in my head when I see that name???)

Howdy, Word Lovers! One of the counselors-in-training for Compassion Counseling Center said she looked up malversation last week and that I was really close on my 3rd definition guess. Here’s Merriam-Webster’s definition: misbehavior and especially corruption in an office, trust, or commission or corrupt administration. Since my 3rd guess was “a discussion between Congress and President Obama,” I’m putting this in my “win” column on Word of the Week.

This week’s WOW (Word of the Week) is refulgence. Here are my guesses for refulgence:

refulgence (ri-ˈfu̇l-jən(t)s) 1. the gastric response to too many refills 2. reefer indulgence 3. the lovely smell that remains on your hands when you overfill your car gas tank at the gas station

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

Wednesday’s Post: Hey, Jude…

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: malversation; Word of the Week: adscititious; Word of the Week: infix; Word of the Week: opusculum; and Word of the Week: knackered

Book Club: Today is the first day to begin reading Unstoppable by Christine Caine. Have you started to read it? Go here to get Unstoppable. 

Compassion Counseling Center Update: Only 45 days until Compassion Counseling Center begins receiving clients! Also, this Saturday (December 6th) we will have our first fundraiser and Open House from 10 am to 4 pm at Oakdale United Methodist Church, Stephenville, TX. Have your Pampered Chef gifts shipped directly to your gift recipient in time for Christmas and try out Pampered Chef products! Tour the rooms that will be set up as counseling rooms and hear from Compassion staff members! Free childcare and cooking demonstrations! A portion of the proceeds go to benefit Compassion! Click here to shop online!

Last week’s Word of the Week was adscititious. My daughter attempted guesses, based on the prefixes and suffixes of this interesting word, but quickly admitted she had no clue, just like me. Thankfully, we can consult Merriam-Webster Online which tells us that adscititious means: derived or acquired from something extrinsic. Yeah. That was helpful.

Maybe we should just move on to this week’s WOW (Word of the Week) which is malversation. Here are my guesses for malversation:

malversation (mal-vər-ˈsā-shən) 1. a bad conversation 2. a conversation with Mallory 3. a description of discussions between Congress and President Obama

What’s your guess for the definition of malversation? Go here to let me know what you think.

Wednesday’s Post: The Return of Fast 5!

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: adscititious; Word of the Week: infix; Word of the Week: opusculum; Word of the Week: knackered; and Word of the Week: hegira