Anybody remember that commercial for plastic bins? The family had too much stuff, so they bought a bunch of bins and packed it all away. Then they had extra room, so they bought more stuff! At The Betty Brigade we do a lot of home organizings and clear-outs. We have ...
Fess up, now. Where do you keep all your important family photos and letters? In neatly designed scrapbooks and photo albums? Or are they in more modest trappings... say, maybe like shoe boxes? Don’t worry, I won’t wag my finger. Most of my memorabilia sits in plastic bins awaiting the ...
Most Michiganders know how to prepare the family for a coming winter storm. But don't forget about your pets! Among the many things we do for clients, The Betty Brigade offers pet care. Here are some tips for making sure our pets have what they need during a winter storm:
If Valentine’s Day blew by you in a blur of lace doilies and truffles, take heart. It's not too late to prepare for other festivities this month. Did you know that February is National Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month? I don't think Hallmark knows about it yet, because ...
January is National Get Organized Month, so the question is pertinent: What does it mean to be organized? Author A.A. Milne said, "Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up." As convoluted as it sounds, I think ...
"I don’t know where to start. It’s overwhelming!" That’s what most clients say when consulting on an organizing project. It can be daunting, but it’s like any large undertaking. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! No project can be done all at once. But even ...
photo by Ovation PhotographyLots of folks are caught up in the annual debate over which is greener -- or at least less ungreen: a real Christmas tree or an artificial one? That’s what my last blog was about. But what about other options? Can it still feel like Christmas without ...
courtesy sxc.hu It used to be pretty clear-cut: real evergreens were never green! Thinking we were being eco-friendly, we bought faux firs to avoid chopping down real trees. But the evidence seems to say chop away!
In my time at the Betty Brigade, I've been in many a home in which the kitchen cabinets house the chipped and cracked "everyday dishes," while the fine china sits in dusty boxes in the attic, flawless and unused. I've seen this situation enough that I'm now a "use-the-good-stuff" advocate. ...
Photo by Donald Adiska, Ovation Photography The lunch room buzz at the Betty Brigade grew day by day, as more Betties experienced the vision. “You’ll hear angels sing!” they promised. The legend grew, and one day it was my turn. Following the pet sheet instructions, I unlocked the front door ...
“Toxins for 400, please, Alex.” “It was once touted as a miracle substance, but has now proven deadly,” Trebec prompts. “What is arsenic?” BZZZ! Trebec should add that it’s a natural substance used as far back as 3000 BC, found in archeological digs in Scandinavia, where they used it in ...
Ready? What do you get from sitting on a glacier too long? Yes, I’m starting with a joke — to break the.... ummm... ice. My problem is that it’s not that funny, so I buried the answer somewhere in this blog. Meanwhile, speaking of ice, we at The Betty Brigade ...
You name it, somebody collects it — from baseball cards, stamps and corks to staplers, naval fluff, even barf bags. Enough people collect overdone comestibles that there’s actually a burnt food museum. The Phallological Museum in Iceland features the world's largest collection of... wait for it... ! Any guesses? You ...
Library of CongressOkay pop quiz! What is green paper? a. a tentative government report of a proposal b. paper made of post consumer waste c. money Answer: none of the above. Truly green paper is no paper at all! But can we even imagine such a thing?
Pencils, books, teachers’ dirty looks... And paper, paper, PAPER! They're back to school! The school year begins with pressed uniforms, sharp pencils and empty notebooks. But remember looking in that backpack in mid-November... yikes! The periodic table lies crushed at the bottom, along with raw macaroni from some art project, ...
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com AnnArbor.com's partner news site MLive.com is on a quest to find the best barbecue in ......
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