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Greetings!
The dominant theme for March and April in both my professional endeavors and my personal life has been Home Improvements. Get Organized! had the privilege of participating in two large home shows on back to back weekends in March. The first was at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas and the following weekend we had a team at the Ft. Worth Convention Center.
I was honored to be chosen to speak on the Lifestyle Stage at both shows two of the three days. That, combined with the talking we did with interested attendees at our booth, has made my voice resemble that of a beluga whale.
Both shows created some wonderful contacts and opportunities for Get Organized! Through the Dallas show I was introduced to Ahmed Hassan from the DIY show, Yard Crashers. We were able to visit at the event and I learned a lot from him about the process of getting on DIY. He will be a great resource for me in the future.
The Home Improvements around our home continue this month. We just finished work on the exterior of our home replacing rotted wood and repainting. Now we are adding a new front door and to complete the new look I purchased some beautiful spring flowers for my beds.
My 16 year old youngest son recently asked if he and I could plant a garden. Shocked, of course I said we could, as I love gardening and have lots of experience growing tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, spinach, and more. Although he wants to plant strange things, I know it is well worth the time together.
If you are considering spring home improvement projects, I know you will enjoy our newsletter this month. You are sure to find a few great organizing tips for your home. As always, thanks to our fans for keeping up with us on Facebook. If you are not already a friend of Get Organized!, join us soon so you will not miss out on upcoming events, contests, and organizing tips and products. 
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I met Ahmed Hassan!
If you have ever watched the DIY show Yard Crashers, then you know Ahmed Hassan. Ahmed and Lorraine spent the weekend at the Great Big Texas Home Show talking from the Lifestyle Stage to homeowners ready to get their home and yards organized and looking great for spring. |
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Welcome to the GO Team Tracee and Dorrie
 Tracee received her Master's degree in Counseling and has worked with individuals to help them make life choices. Because of her background in counseling, she is a good listener and negotiator for helping reluctant clients purge unwanted items or come up with new ideas. Tracee is also experienced in creating strategies to motivate children and help them stay on task. Tracee has experience in starting a home-based business and loves planning, strategizing, building routines, and coordinating activities. With an eye for detail and skilled at helping clients organize a budget and set up paper management systems, she is excellent at breaking big ideas into small, realistic steps. If you need help going paperless, setting up a calendar, or organizing your emails, Tracee can help you enjoy the freedom that comes with using technology.  Dorrie is an Indiana native, but now calls Wylie, Texas, home. She started her working career in new home interior design, followed by years in banking and then the cellular industry. Dorrie owned her own interior design business for several years until she decided to focus on raising her family. As Dorrie and her husband, Brian, a law enforcement officer, raised their family, her organizational skills helped her effectively run their household and home school their two children. While managing her home, Dorrie has also acquired financial experience as a bookkeeper and active board member for a national non-profit organization. Dorrie is a crafter at heart and enjoys scrapbooking and crocheting blankets. This passion brings the experience necessary to create functional storage systems for any craft room. |
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Need a Speaker?
 Looking for a new style of educational speaker? One
that leaves you motivated to change, and gives you practical ways to correct bad habits.
Lorraine Brock, Professional Organizer, Family Coach, and Speaker, does that and more. She has spoken to large companies such as AT&T, L-3 Communications and TI, but has also presented to mom's groups, parent organizations, church groups, and at networking events.
To inquire about fees and Lorraine's speaking schedule, contact us at Info@GetOrganized.ws for more information. |
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Spring into Fun this Summer
 Lorraine planned and organized a day during Spring Break in March to play tourist in Dallas with her family.
She has lived in Dallas, Texas, all of her life, yet had never visited the JFK Museum (pictured above are two of Lorraine's three sons).
With summer right around the corner, we want to share a fun project to start planning now so you will have it ready when school gets out for summer vacation.
Purchase a white poster board and create a grid of 2x2 squares (about 28 total) using a black marker. Write the name of an activity or something special to see in each square. For example, a square might say "PJ and Popcorn Day", "go to the zoo", "eat watermelon at the pool", "tea party day", or "craft day". Fill all the squares with things your family will enjoy doing together.
As you complete each activity, color the square. This plan makes it easy to come up with ideas on days when you or the kids are looking for fun things to do.
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It's Time to Organize
Your Garage
Spring is a great time to organize your garage. We recommend you get this done before those hot Texas summer days are upon us. Taking on a big project like this can seem over- whelming, especially when you open the garage door and see piles and piles of stuff!
One way to make this task more manageable, is to begin by purging items that are no longer necessary and then sorting the items you plan to keep into categories. Grouping items in like categories, along with your available storage space, allows you to assess the type and size of your storage solution. For example, yard tools and bug spray might be better located near the overhead door. Tools might be stored closer to the entrance of the house.
After the categorizing and storage location decisions have been made, think about the many different ways you could store the items. Should they hang on a pegboard? Could they be organized on
? Would some items be more accessible in a storage bin? Bulky yard tools might be best stored on a hanging rack. Small yard tools and work gloves might work well in stacking baskets. If you choose to store items in a sliding drawer system, be sure the drawers can handle the weight. Sealing storage containers might be best for extra pet food to keep the food fresh and unwanted creatures out. Bikes can be hung from the ceiling on hooks or on an open wall space. There are many unique bins made to suit all types of sporting equipment including one to store all shapes and sizes of balls. A cube organizer and coat hooks near the house door could hold shoes, caps, towels or any other loose items used by the family. The final category of garage items includes large tools and equipment that must be stored on the garage floor.
The benefits of an organized garage far outweigh the time and energy to make it happen. Your work will create a home for all of your items and they can be retrieved quickly when needed. If the new layout is explained to everyone in the family, kids and adults will be able to find what they need for sports games, craft projects, and yardwork, and be motivated to keep it organized. An added bonus is that you may even be able to get at least one car in your garage. Get started on your garage project soon or call Get Organized! to do it for you!
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Become a Professional Organizer through our
Affiliate Program
Get Organized! is interested in connecting with individuals throughout Texas who are naturally organized, creative with space planning and organizational systems, have business smarts, self-motivation, and an understanding of the importance of excellent time management. Organizing skills are often learned or enhanced through tasks and hobbies you have done both in the corporate world and in your own home. These skills, in addition to the branding advantage and professional training from a successful organizing company, can launch you into a profitable organizing business.
Our Affiliate Program allows you to focus on working as a professional organizer while you save both time and money utilizing the experience, brand recognition, and proven processes from one of DFW's finest organizing companies - Get Organized!. The initial investment includes: your time, travel expenses (for training in the Dallas area), general liability bonding insurance, and insurance for business use of your vehicle. There are no other startup costs.
We look forward to hearing from you about starting your own organizing business anywhere in the great state of Texas. |
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Pegged on Organizing
One of the most versatile products for organizing is pegboard. Most people think that pegboard is used in garages to hang tools, but why limit the possibilities? Pegboard can now be purchased in colors, framed as art, or painted any color or texture; silver, gold, black, or even a color with sparkle. For a kid's area try primary colors or fun colors like pink or green. Use spray paint and, if possible, a paint that has primer already mixed in the paint.
Once your pegboard is in place, it's time to add accessories (hooks, baskets) for function. The Wallpeg Store in Ft. Worth, Texas, sells peg hooks online only that are ready to install, won't fall out, and have pegs and pegboard made of scratch resistant plastic. They offer a FREE peg sample with a self-addressed stamped envelope plus free shipping to most states.
Another great pegboard site is DiamondLifeGear.com. Some of their products have been spotlighted on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They sell pegboards made of metal and hardboard and offer multiple color options. They also sell scratched or dented pegboard for 50% off. This can save you money if it will be used in a place where beauty does not matter.
For DIYers, pegboard can be purchased at any hardware store, cut to size, and finished for any space in your home. The websites mentioned offer ready-to-install boards at great prices.
Pegboards can be installed in closets, pantries, attics, laundry rooms, garages, mudrooms, and more. View the photos to the right for creative uses for pegboard. |
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Savvy Ways
to Save
Are your grocery bills higher than your budget? Do you notice that you are throwing away spoiled or excess food?
Here are some suggestions:
- Don't throw away limp vegetables. Soak celery, carrots, or radishes in ice water with a slice of raw potato and they will regain their crispness.
- Wash, dry, and store fresh herbs in plastic bags, then put them in the freezer. They will be good for up to a month.
- Butter will stay fresh in the freezer for up to six months.
- Lining your vegetable drawer with paper towels will absorb extra moisture and vegetables will stay fresh longer.
- Place a bay leaf in containers of flour, pasta, or rice to repel bugs.
- Bananas will stay fresh longer if they are kept in bunches.
- Store cottage cheese and sour cream containers upside down in the fridge to create a vacuum which prohibits bacteria growth.
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Packing and Unpacking
Services
Our team of professional organizers can de-clutter
before you pack and move
and/or pack, unpack, and organize your entire home once your move-in is complete.
We can also work with your movers for placement of furniture when the truck
arrives at your new home. |
Get Organized! only recommends
for the services listed below,
and we proudly recommend
them to our clients.
Mention Get Organized! and get 30% off tile and grout cleaning, and ask about our area rug cleaning special! Carpet, oriental, and area rug cleaning, tile and grout cleaning and sealing, carpet repairs and stretching, leather cleaning and repairs, upholstery cleaning, 24 hour water damage restoration, and pet urine removal and treatment.
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Need a Realtor?
Buying or Selling?
2 Free Hours of Staging
with Service
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Need a storage unit for
a few months or long term?
Maybe a member of your family recently passed away and you inherited
things you need to store
until you have time to sort through them?
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Cleaning out your garage and realize you need additional storage space? Maybe you have a college student coming home
for the summer and you
have furniture and boxes
to store.
Get Organized!
recommends
They have 20 locations in the DFW area. |
We are a full-service moving concierge company,
skilled and experienced in all relocation services. Located in
Dallas, Texas, we offer a
premium moving experience catered to your needs.
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PlumLife is a calendar system different and better than
other scheduling programs
because it was designed under the belief that everything in life
is related.
Their fundamental belief:
The calendar is the center
for life at home.
Their goal:
To create a scheduling system that has a place for everything
in one place.
With PlumLife, the calendar is central. Contacts, maps, and global search engines are then
all linked together.
The workspace is key to seeing your entire world "live" AND
all in one place.
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