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News Articles
Testimonials
- "1 Merrie hour equals about
10 or more mere mortal hours.", read more from
A Letter from Lynne
- "She approached her job with
much enthusiasm. Each time Merrie came to work alongside me, she
entered my office like there was no place she’d rather be.",
read more from A Letter from Nancy
- "This was one of the best
investments I ever made", read more from
A Letter from Eileen
- "We sat and talked a short
time about what I wanted to accomplish, then we got busy. She made
some suggestions about where to start. Merrie left me with the
feeling that everything we did was my idea.", read more from
A Testimony from Helen
News Articles
 Merrie
has been featured in the Press & Sun-Bulletin of Greater Binghamton,
NY. The article, "A Place for Everything", is available for purchase
online at
pressconnects.com.
Testimonials
A
Letter from Lynne
February 11, 2004
After moving three times in four years during a period with lots of
overtime, long commutes, travel and two young children, our lives
had become completely unmanageable and the most dramatic physical
evidence was in the appearance of our home. That was the thing on
the bottom of the list when there wasn’t enough time. After the last
move in July 2002, we had become almost completely paralyzed. We
wasted countless hours looking for necessary items and important
papers…hours that weren’t available to spend on cooking, exercise,
socializing and family fun. We needed scissors and didn’t buy any
because we owned at least 10 pairs – 10 pairs we could not find.
When we searched the boxes for scissors, we found box after box of
possessions we’d forgotten we owned and…no scissors.
I’d read lots of organizing books and actually know a fair amount
about how to do it, but our house had just become completely
overwhelming and we couldn’t face tackling it without a huge mental
effort and big blocks of free time – both hard to come by. Hardly
anything has a place and we didn’t know where anything was. Even the
packed boxes were a jumble…I opened one with winter boots, whiskey,
fancy guest soaps, light bulbs and a shower curtain…among other
things.
We tried to group things and find them a home, but then later more
of that item would turn up and the selected home was then too small
– and the appropriately sized potential homes were already packed
with stuff. I left like I was living inside of one of the those
number shuffling puzzle square with the single open spot and that
I’d never be able to solve it.
When the holiday season came and my husband asked for no gifts
whatsoever because we were drowning in things, I new we needed help.
Our things were controlling us instead of serving us. We had CHAOS
(can’t have anyone over syndrome) and our social life and that of
our kids was suffering too. So for my husband’s gift, I arranged
time with a professional organizer, Merrie. We’re both professionals
and value the expertise that professional can bring to a problem.
I was impressed with her questions and care during the consultation.
She made it clear that solutions varied by personality, habits and
needs and that there was actually such a thing as over-organizing.
She wanted to accommodate the ‘person’ that you are, no the ‘person’
you think you should be. She wanted to fit our priorities and expend
time in a way that would be most useful, calming and satisfying to
us, while providing professional opinions based on her experience. I
knew I didn’t need help choosing containers or deciding to part with
junk – although some people do. We just needed help plowing through
our stuff so we could find things. Merrie proposed literally sorting
our entire house and putting everything into categories such as
adult clothes, kid clothes, craft supplies, gardening stuff, kitchen
and entertaining, tools, books, etc. She planned to open and gross
sort just about every box.
We got an estimate, scheduled a few days in January and February of
2003 and Merrie worked the first day alone. When I got home that
first night, my jaw fell to the floor in disbelief even though I had
high expectations!!! She did in one day what would have taken tow of
us (with kids in the house) literally a week to do. (1 Merrie hour
equals about 10 or more mere mortal hours.) She gave us hope! Merrie
continued to work – sometimes with one of us, sometimes on her own.
I liked how she carted off all our discard pile and made a point to
fulfill special requests…the jobs got finished and didn’t drag. All
together, Merrie worked three or four days total, in increments that
fit the work. I can honestly say it’s just about the best money I
ever spent. Not only did rooms get cleaned up, but we learned
additional skills that we’ve continued to apply. Even my kids are
junior organizers now.
We spent much of the next few months continuing to sort, purge and
organize as time permitted. One huge project was going through all
the paper files – and all the loose paper in the house. Another big
one was purging adult clothes in a variety of sizes and vintages.
Another was going through toys – some of which hadn’t seen the light
of day for a while. Merrie checked in one or two times at our
request, and although there were sometimes a few steps back, we
continued to make progress.
Now, that we’re literally on the home stretch, we invited Merrie
back again for a day to give us a bug boost toward that light at the
end of the tunnel. I can’t wait – I know we'll be parking two cars
in the garage when she leaves tomorrow!
Lynne Y.
A
Letter from Nancy
I have been running a Creative
Memories home business for almost twelve years. I enjoy my work and
my business has been successful. However, a problem was draining the
pleasure from my business: my lack of organizational skills.
When I hired Merrie Warner to help me bring order to my office, I
made the following observations:
- She approached her job with much
enthusiasm. Each time Merrie came to work alongside me, she
entered my office like there was no place she’d rather be. She
always made me feel as though she loved her job and that she loved
helping me bring order to my chaos.
- She treated me with great
respect. She wouldn’t allow me to put myself down because of my
lack of organizational skills; she didn’t allow me to be
embarrassed at this area of struggle in my life. I deeply
appreciated this, because when people have a weakness in this
area, we tend to feel like we are lazy or less-skilled. Merrie
always encouraged me and wouldn’t let me feel that way.
- She didn’t organize my office in
a way that worked for her, instead, she wanted to make it work
for me. She kept asking, “How does your brain think?”
She wanted to know what would work for me so she could
develop an organizational strategy that was personalized for my
own thinking and specific business.
- As I work around my office now,
I still “hear Merrie’s voice,” guiding me to workable solutions
for maintaining order in my office and home. She not only gave me
tools but she also gave me a hope and a vision – all
three are very important for those who struggle in this area.
Nancy G.
A
Letter from Eileen
Merrie Warner gave me a new lease
on life with her organizing skills. I have never been well
organized, but in the last two years, with the death of my husband
and my seventieth birthday, matters became rather serious; important
papers could not be found, bill were not paid on time, etc. Also,
there was quite a bit of clutter in the house.
How wonderful that there is a professional organizer in the
Binghamton area! I got in touch with Merrie, knowing something had
to be done, but thinking I would be dealing with a very controlling
and disdainful person. For from it! Merrie was fun to work with,
amazingly understanding of my plight, and sensitive to what would
work for me. We both worked hard, but Merrie is the hardest worker I
have ever known. She not only helped me clear out the whole house
and organize all my papers, she taught me ways of keeping everything
in order. I wondered whether I would slip back into my old ways, but
now I know that won’t happen, because I am so happy with the
neatness and order in my life. All the anxiety, conscious and
unconscious, caused by chaos and clutter, is gone. I know right
where to find everything, and it is a joy to come home to an
uncluttered house.
In addition to working with me to sort and file, Merrie hauled away
garbage, recyclables, and items which could be used by others.
This was one of the best investments I ever made, and Merrie is one
of the finest people I have known. I recommend her without reserve.
Eileen
Helen’s Testimony
Merrie Warner from “America, Get Organized!" came to my home on
Feb.13, 2006 to help me organize my sewing room. She arrived at the
appointed time with her note book in hand and a “let’s get busy”
attitude. We sat and talked a short time about what I wanted to
accomplish, then we got busy. She made some suggestions about where
to start. Merrie left me with the feeling that everything we did was
my idea. It was obvious she had some professional training. Those
were two hours well spent. We cleared out a lot of useless junk and
packed up bags of useable things to be donated to a worthy cause.
Merrie even loaded my donated stuff in her vehicle and took it away
for me.
Now, several weeks after Merrie’s visit, I am still clearing out. I
can still hear her little voice in the background saying to me “do
you really want/need that “? Most of the time I tell myself “NO, I
don’t want/need that” and out it goes.
I have known Merrie for several years and have had occasion to visit
her home. She manages her large family and personal life in a very
organized way. She is a happy, cheerful, very friendly lady and I
recommend her services to all of my friends.
Helen M. (Crafty Grama) Ferrigno
http://www.craftygrama.com
Johnson City, NY
May 30, 2006
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