Busy, busy......

Everything seems to be happening at once, which is just the way life goes sometimes. But that's not a complaint..... I'd rather be busy. Seems that doing six things at once can be just as easy as doing one thing at a time.

Our wait for the 4th landscaper to get here was in vain.... he never showed up, never called, and didn't even answer my phone calls to him. Needless to say, we scratched him from our list of contenders. We called back the second guy who was here..... the one recommended by my friend A in Pearland. He can't get here this week because he's already begun another landscaping job, but he will be here next week, most likely on Monday. Between now and then, he said he would drop by to confirm what he'll be doing here with the front and back flowerbeds, and pick up a small deposit for the few plants he will need. We have so much growing in the backyard flowerbeds that he isn't going to buy too many new plants.

I wish he could have started on our yard this week, so it would be done for Saturday's Pajama Party, but that's the way it goes. And last night we had another bout of heavy rainstorms, so I'm wondering if that will delay his schedule this week.

Our guest list for the Pajama Party this weekend continues to grow..... it's beginning to be more of an Open House than a party. I've told our neighbors to bring friends with them.... whoever they think would be interested in the Pajama Program.... and of course, I told them to make sure their friends came with a pajama set for a child. Some of our neighbors who can't make it to the party are dropping by to bring me pajamas and books for the kids, which is such a nice thing for them to do.

One of our neighbors suggested we get some newspaper coverage from one of the smaller local papers, which I thought was a good idea. I called one paper and was told that they didn't have the staff to cover "small events," but they could send someone out for "a larger gathering." Sixty-plus people isn't large enough? And this is for a non-profit organization which is collecting pajamas and books for children in crisis, for goodness sake. I heard from another friend that the Powers That Be at this particular newspaper have been leaning toward covering the Country Club set the past couple of years. Well.... la de dah.........

So there I was last night, exercising and watching "Dancing With the Stars," when a little thought from somewhere out in the universe popped into my head: get in touch with the magazine that Frankie used to write for. Bingo. Into my closet I went, and I got the extra issues of the magazine that was printed after Frankie passed away. I read the stories about her yet again..... then found the name of the man who runs that magazine. And wouldn't you know it... I knew who he was..... Frankie and I had run into him a couple of times when we had gone out to lunch together and she had introduced us. I fired off an eMail to him at the magazine, explaining who I was, telling him about the Pajama Program, and inviting him to Saturday's party. I am hoping that he will be calling me either today or tomorrow. If not, I plan to call him and speak to him about getting some coverage on the weekend's event.

And speaking of closets...... I spent nearly two hours yesterday re-arranging (for the umpteenth time) the closet in my sitting room. This closet, filled with floor to ceiling shelves, has held so many different things over the years, from eBay items to party favors... and now half of the shelves are dedicated for pajama storage. I know that I will run out of room in the plastic bins that I have, and this sitting room can hold just so many plastic bins on the floor before I will be tripping over them, so I knew closet space would be needed. I now have six shelves to hold pajamas... two for girls, two for boys, and two for babies.

I'm still waiting for call-backs from local realtors...... still hoping that someone with a generous heart will donate a space for a Pajama Program Reading Center. (From my lips to heaven's ears...)