I'm available for service.

People are crazy.

And sick.

This was how I responded to an email I got this afternoon from Ann, our office manager at Community Partners of Dallas. 

Ann is our agency detective.  If you want to know what the weather will be in three weeks, who is currently dating George Clooney, or how much the eye of a newt weighs -- ask Ann.

NOTE:  I love to work with people who have hidden talents.  Ask me sometime why we call Pam the enforcer...

Some of Ann's ongoing detective work includes keeping me informed of news stories -- particularly child abuse related ones.  So today, I returned from lunch (and while I was out also exercised my right to vote), sat down at my computer and was greeted with this link from Ann:

http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/dallas-man-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-two-girls-tuesday-night.html/

Seems this asshole decided to sexually assault a 2-year-old girl and a 3-year-old girl with a green chili pepper early Tuesday morning.  His crime was discovered when another adult was putting the girls to bed and noticed the little girls had rashes on their bodies. 

He's in the Dallas County jail with a $200,000 bail amount.

That's all -- a $200,000 bail?

I don't know if $200,000,000 is enough.

The Heraldo Munoz's of the world better be glad that I am not a judge.  Hope I get on the jury. 

The Post-It That Kills Me

We have our board meeting today at Community Partners of Dallas.  The members will be here in 30 minutes.

I love our board meetings.

I know that these may not be words you hear much, but I really do.

Our board members are great -- I consider many of them my friends -- and all of them are passionate about our kids. 

I have 4 post it notes at all times stuck to the bottom of my computer here at CPD:

1. My server and email passwords (super-secure over here, aren't I)
2. A question to ask people when we talk about CPD that says "What are your impressions of ____?"
3. A copy of Philippians 4:6 that says "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

I update the 4th post-it each year.  I did this today and it now says this:

Do you know what this is?

It is the number of child deaths due to child abuse and neglect last year.

So, why don't you answer question 2 for me concerning that news? 

Our board members at CPD are wrestling with it. 

Me too.

Four Favorite Things I Love Right Now! Part 14

It's been quite some time since I last wrote a four favs post, but today seems like a good day for a new one.  If you've missed the previous posts, here's a link for the most recent one:  http://blog.paigemcdaniel.org/2013/11/four-favorite-things-i-love-right-now.html

Aren't we all sick of the POLAR VORTEX?

I certainly am -- and normally I love cold weather.  I have always said that I look better with clothes on, so fall and winter are my friends.  However, enough is enough with the threat of ice every day.

NOTE:  I really do mean that the threat of ice is what is pissing me off.  Can I get an AMEN from every boss in town?

Anyway, I decided to focus this Four Favs around the cold weather.  Here you go...

• My new jacket from The North Face -- I ordered this after my sister-in-law explained to me that it was super thin, but super warm.  It is!  Of course, I also saw it on The Today Show and they showed how you can roll it up into a ball to make a small pillow...  They have lots of colors and this is not the color I would normally have ordered, but when you're about to get on a plane for Iceland, you can't be choosy.  I will say that I get compliments on it every time I wear it, so the color must be pretty good.  It's called the thermoball and it is about as heavy as a zip-lock bag.  Here's the link:  http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/women-39-s-thermoball-full-zip-jacket.html
• I gave my besties gloves for Christmas -- they are by Echo and come in all colors.  They have the technology to work an I-Phone -- on all five fingers of each hand -- and this pair really does work (as opposed to some of the older ones I've tried).  I got them at the Women of Saint Michael (WOSM) Gift Exchange in Highland Park Village.  If you go, be sure to tell them that Community Partners of Dallas sent you -- WOSM are some of our favorite donors!
• What do you want while you're stuck inside?  If you are Paige (and you are not because that's me, but if you want to want the same things as me), you want popcorn.  I have tried every conceivable pre-made specimen, and if I'm not going to home-make my own, Garrett's is BY FAR the best.  It ain't diet food, but you'll be smackin' your lips and licking your fingers over their cheese (ohmygoodnessthebestthingyou'veevertasted) popcorn.  I literally dream about it.  Just ordered myself a couple of tins this week and I run home every day to see if it has arrived yet.  You'll know it has arrived when I have yellow fingers.  http://www.garrettpopcorn.com/
• My favorite game for friends and family to play is Cranium.  Almost every person on a team of 3 or 4 can do something well out of the selections.  We play it at CPD on our annual staff-bonding day a lot and it's always a winner.  Buy it on Amazon and use amazonsmile -- and choose CPD as your charity of choice, please!

What are you doing to stay warm?

Take My Baby, Please

I just got back from Iceland.  Here is a photo of me with my friend Lynn Biggers during our Super Jeep tour of the volcanoes, geysers, etc.

Lynn and I were on a tour with our garden club, so we had 20 women from Big D on the tour of this great place.  If you ever get the chance to go to Iceland, do.  It is otherworldly (Is that a word?) and really just a fantastic time. 

NOTE:  And always a bonus for the ugly American pigs -- pretty much everyone speaks English.

Yes, Iceland is certainly unique, but one thing about it made my mouth fall open...

During our free afternoon (Just know that the garden club trips are organized down to the minute and they really pack in tons of activities and the meals -- oh, the meals!) I did a little shopping with some of my garden club friends in Reykjavik, then decided that I would go back and visit one of the many delicious restaurants we patronized for a mid-afternoon snack.  Here it is:

NOTE:  May I be so bold as to say YUM?

Anyway, as I entered the restaurant from the street, I noticed a baby carriage out front.  It was one of those old style ones -- the pram kind -- black and all closed up.  Of course, I expected to see a baby when I entered the restaurant, but there was just a young woman sitting and having a drink in a chair.  I really did think, well, I guess the baby is in the kitchen and belongs to someone who works there.

NOTE:  I don't think it is because of my work at Community Partners of Dallas that I really did spend a bit of time thinking about that baby and where it was, but was it?  Would you have wondered?

Anyway, I ate my fries and read my book and just enjoyed myself.  After about 45 minutes, the young woman got up went outside, brought in the pram, and took out the baby.

NOTE:  This is when my mouth fell open.

That baby had been outside the whole time.  By itself.  I will say the baby certainly looked warm enough (It was in one of those North Face looking body suits), but it was about 35 degrees outside.

Anyway, the baby and it's mother left and I called my server over lickety-split to question her about this craziness.  She explained that this is totally normal there and that sometimes you'll even see 4 or 5 carriages lined up outside of a bar or coffee shop.  Of course I said, but I could have taken that baby -- the mother's chair wasn't even in direct sight line to see that baby!  She replied that Iceland is so small that someone would know that you didn't have a baby yesterday.

NOTE:  According to our tour guide, the whole country only has about 300,000 people and 100,000 of those live in Reykjavik.  As a reference, Dallas has 1.241 million, Plano has just under 300,000 and HP and UP together are about 35,000.

I've been back in the USA for about a week, but I still keep thinking about this.  Would you leave your baby on the street?  Would living in a small town make a difference?