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Lorraine Brock, President
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Fans and Followers, a word from our President:
I, like many of you, have a few extra things on my plate this month and my time management expertise is kicking into high gear. As I always teach in my Get Organized! Talks, I do a daily brain dump of everything I want to do, have to do, and need to do. I place all of them on my calendar when I will do them, even if they are weeks or months ahead. This is a strategy that may help you too.
One of our family traditions during Christmas is keeping a pot on the stove of our Christmas Stovetop Scent. I have included the recipe and the history of how our family began using this wonderful scent to fill our home. During the holidays we also enjoy making my famous hot chocolate. I use traditional Swiss Miss hot chocolate packets and add flavored coffee creamer. I personally like Peppermint Mocha, but French Vanilla is yummy too. I hope your family enjoys some special traditions each Christmas.
While I am working on Christmas festivities, I am also running a very successful business. While we have a wonderful team of organizers, I often fail to mention our support staff. You may not know this, but Get Organized! has two full-time and two part-time office staff. These ladies do everything from editing, working with vendors, taking calls, scheduling, financials, payroll, and more. They are such a blessing to me personally and to GO. Because we have staff fully focused on the operation of the business, we can take care of our clients quickly and efficiently, which is highly unusual in the professional organizing industry.
January is the celebration of National Get Organized Month, and we will be hosting two events on all things organized. One will be in Plano, Texas on January 13, 2017 and the other will be in Tyler, Texas later in January. If you are interested in getting organized for the New Year, don't miss these. See details on the Plano event below and watch your email for Tyler information.
I look forward to chatting with you in 2017 and helping you get totally organized.
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January 10- Messy Desk, Missing Papers-
Lorraine will present one of her most popular talks on systems that help manage piles of paper. At the Women's League of Canton.
January 13- Get Organized! Workshop- This 2-hour workshop in Plano will cover time management, paper clutter, home organization, and email inbox clutter. Free, but reservations required.
January 14- Get Organized for the New Year- Come hear Lorraine's tips for organizing and decluttering, as well as her favorite products and systems for keeping order. At the Grapevine Public Library at 2:00 p.m.
January 20- Organize Your New Home- Learn techniques to organize your most cluttered areas in your home. At the Denton Public Library.
Also, in 2017, Get Organized! will celebrate ten years of helping clients change their lives from chaos to calm. Watch for fun little features throughout the year.
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 If you are in the process of organizing your home, then you recognize the importance of being careful about what comes inside. With that in mind, below are some gift ideas for you, your family, and friends that will not add clutter to your life. Many of them are experiences that provide family time together and others are consumables that do not stay around the house long. Choosing the right one may require you to take a little time to consider what the recipient would particularly enjoy. That can be part of the fun, knowing that you are giving something he or she will love.
Additionally, you might want to adopt a new tradition for the children in your family to keep household clutter under control. Instead of an out-of-control gift bonanza on Christmas morning, give each child only four gifts: something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. For example, a want might be a new bike, a need might be a new backpack, a wearable might be pajamas, and a new read might be the latest in his or her favorite book series. This system simplifies gift giving, reduces clutter, may save money, and puts the focus on a meaningful Christmas. It also makes you, the gift-giver, really put thought into each gift before making a purchase. No more grabbing things just because they are on sale or because you need to even out the number of gifts!
Some clutter-free gifts for people on your list: - Tickets to a sporting event, concert, or play
- Tickets for an activity like ice skating or rock climbing
- A season pass or membership to a museum, aquarium, zoo, or amusement park. Often these memberships offer reciprocal agreements with similar museums in other towns, so the recipient can even enjoy this gift while on vacation.
- Flowers or plants for indoors, or perhaps even a flat of pansies with a promise to help plant them outdoors
- Homemade food gifts or an offer to bring dinner on an evening to be determined
- A membership in a monthly food-of-the-month club for items such as cheese, bacon, fruit, etc. Choose a favorite food and search online for a club. Sometimes you can order a shorter membership than a full year.
- A massage or an afternoon at a day spa
- A digital subscription to a magazine or newspaper
- A Netflix subscription
- A gift card for a Nook or Kindle book, or iTunes
- A gift card for a favorite coffee shop, cinnamon roll shop, or steak house
- Classes or lessons on cooking, sewing, golf, guitar, dancing, etc. Search for the type of lessons along with the recipient's zip code to find something nearby.
- Coupons for babysitting, pet sitting, house sitting, or yard work, either provided by you or through a service
- An offer to take the recipient to brunch - especially nice for good friends who want to
catch up on family and activities - A weekend trip or vacation to the beach, mountains, big city, or ski lodge. Part of the fun will be planning the trip together.
- A room makeover for a child, to update with new paint, bedding, and accessories
- A busy box for kids that includes items suitable for the child's age, such as craft paper, markers, scissors, alphabet letters, blank books, rubber stamps and ink pad, playdough, etc. While this is not strictly clutter-free, it is made of consumables that help the child explore and grow.
- The gift of an organized kitchen, garage, or other space in your home or office. Contact us and we will work with you to bring order and calm to newlyweds, seniors who are downsizing, new moms, or anyone who could benefit from our consultation and organizing services.
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 We love to decorate the home for Christmas! Do you need some inspiration for simple décor ideas around the house? Here are a few quick ways to use everyday, inexpensive items that you may already have on hand to make your home look festive for the season. - Fill glass mason jars of various sizes with small seasonal items such as unshelled pistachios, peppercorns, or red possumhaw berries (or a similar winter berry). Nestle a small tea light in the top, tie a ribbon around the rim, and you have a beautiful, natural table top design. Group several jars of varying height and fillers, for more impact.
- Fill large glass hurricane jars, globes, or similar glass containers you have on hand with pinecones. If your Christmas décor leans more toward glam than natural, lightly spray paint the pinecones with gold or silver paint for more sparkle. You can also fill these glass vases with mini glass ornaments in colors that match your room or even use old-fashioned Christmas bulbs for easy decorating.
- Brighten up a bannister by threading individual sparkly glass ornaments of various shapes on ribbons that are tied securely to the handrail. Let them hang straight down for a festive addition to the stairwell. If you have a cookie cutter collection, you could hang those instead of ornaments.
- Use a leftover branch trimmed from the Christmas tree as a natural greenery focal point. Place it in a mercury glass vase with a little water and hang small ornaments on it. Check with local tree lots for their cast-offs if you use an artificial tree and do not have live boughs on hand. You can also scout out your backyard for other evergreen branches.
- Turn your everyday framed art into Christmas decorations by removing them from the wall, wrapping with Christmas wrap and ribbon to look like a present, and hanging back on the same spot on the wall. You can also make sofas and chairs more festive by wrapping a wide Christmas ribbon around the throw pillows for a festive holiday change.
Take a look around your house to see what you already have on hand that can be reused in new, creative ways. Have fun as you prepare for Christmas!
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Time-saving Christmas Cards
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 Is sending out Christmas cards on your list of things to do this month? There are several sites set up to make it easier for you. Choose a card design from their collection, personalize it by adding your own words and a photo, and add your signature. The company will print the card on cardstock and mail it for you using the addresses you supply from your digital address book. You can work from your computer or use an app on your phone.
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 Looking for some Christmas cookie recipes? A few years ago, the staff at Get Organized! participated in an office cookie exchange. Click here for a compellation of fourteen delicious recipes they shared. Maybe you will find a new favorite among them! |
 Become a Professional Organizer with Get Organized! We currently need an organizer in Denton County. The right person must be extremely organized, creative with space, not easily overwhelmed with large amounts of clutter, and not afraid of getting dirty or doing very physical jobs. Work days are 9-5 p.m., but work is part-time with flexible days of the week. Only send a resume if you live in Denton county, specifically Denton, Keller, Southlake, Grapevine, or North Fort Worth, or near Arlington, Texas. College students or those that are college age need not apply, as we are looking for more seasoned individuals. Moms are encouraged to apply. Being handy with tools and having an eye for décor is a plus. Call 972-841-0738 for more information.
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A Storage Company that offers Free Pickup
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 CALLBOX Storage picks up packed items from your home or office for FREE, safely stores them, and brings back what you need when you need it. Pricing compares to traditional storage, but there is no more back and forth to your storage unit! An online account has photos of your boxes/labels so you can see what you have in storage. Why use traditional storage when you can use CALLBOX Storage? Serving the DFW Metroplex. Check out their segment on Good Morning Texas.
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 Mailing packages soon? If you are shipping gifts to friends or family, save time and money by using the U.S. Postal Service's Priority Mail Flat Rate. For items up to 70 pounds mailed domestically (or up to 20 pounds internationally) you can order free Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes and other supplies delivered to your home, and ship right from home. This saves a lot of standing-in-line time!
Note that when you order the free boxes, they will be delivered to your home within 7-10 days. Delivery date of the package to the destination is 1-3 days from the day you ship. The Postal Service recommends that you mail by December 21 (or earlier if shipping internationally) in order to arrive by Christmas. |
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Moving Soon?
NDMS coordinates moves within DFW, nationwide, and internationally.
This is the official moving company of the Dallas Stars with an A+ rating at the Better Business Bureau.
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Need a Realtor?
Mary Pat Elledge is our recommended realtor for all our GO Clients.
Serving the Dallas area.
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Need Childcare?
Families turn to Mom's Best Friend to find the best nannies and babysitters in Dallas and Fort Worth. Providing senior care too.
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Luxury Apartment Living in Frisco
Downsizing in the Dallas area? Check out Origin at Frisco Bridges. These apartments are walking distance to world class shopping and dining plus all the attractions of Frisco and North Dallas just minutes away. Origin amenities include a dog park and wash station, leisure pool and lap pool, multi-level parking garage, unique technology features, and EXTRA storage. Visit us at Origin at Frisco Bridges to see our floor plans.
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Get Organized! services the DFW and Tyler, Texas area: Getting organized is a decision that will change your home, work, your family, and ultimately your life. It is more than a pretty closet or a clean counter top. It is about changing your lifestyle by turning chaos into calm.
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See us on Good Day Fox Check out one of our many Get Organized segments. "Kids School Papers"
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See us in D Magazine Get Organized! helps an employee at D Magazine clear her desk clutter.
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See how our GO Team helped a family get
totally organized during our 2015 Training Week.
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