​Good morning,
 
Did you take your Christmas decorations down yet? Yesterday Call Sheilah! had the pleasure of working with  a meticulously organized professional who just needed an extra set of hands to help remove Holiday Decorations  from almost every room in her beautiful home.  It was fun and tiring but we got the job done in four hours. She was pleased and so were we. And then this very smart woman put us on retainer for a few hours a month. We will help coordinate certain aspects of her incredibly full work week. If you are thinking about how Call Sheilah! can help in your life, retainer is very smart way to go. As a matter of fact,  the last several weeks, I’ve had a number of very interesting questions:
 

• How much lead time do you need? – It really depends on the project and our schedule. BUT…

 

• What are the benefits of having Call Sheilah! on retainer? – If you put Call Sheilah! on as your personal assistant on retainer, you will always jump to the top of the list. The more hours you retain us for, the higher up on our priority list you will be. Additionally, Call Sheilah!  provides discounts for retainer packages. Call for a quote.

 

• How does that work with you one hour minimum? What if I hire Call Sheilah! to take care of a task, that only takes 15 minutes? – then it will be incumbent on you to find something else for us to do for 45 minutes J

 

• Do you have questions for us? Please do not hesitate to ask. You can email or post them to our Facebook page.

 
We want to hear from you! BUT first, if you have seven minutes, check out Tune into Wellness Today, Schenectady County Cable Access afte, to see my interview (which starts at around 11 minutes) with Lisamarie Tersigni of Inspiring Wellness Solutions. We talked about all the services featured on my website, and specifically how Call Sheilah! delivers services to loved ones and helps with those who require compassion and care (in addition to practical needs: transportation; assistance with excursions, tasks and shopping needs), for the long or short term.
 
Best,
Sheilah

We spent a good part of the week baking pies, and a few hours prepping to help downsize the contents of a home for a client’s aging parent.  They are getting ready to move into a smaller space and we are showing up to provide the support, and to manage not only the massive task, but the emotional baggage that can often times be a block to progress.
 
The pies were a good distraction too: bourbon chocolate pecan, sweet potato, and others. It smelled great all weekend and the quality control staff is sure that it will taste great too.  
 
But thinking about downsizing meant that a good part of the weekend was spent thinking about our own parents move and how fraught these types of projects can be, because of familial baggage. Help with this daunting task today is simple. Bring in the people who have no baggage and who can get things done simply and efficiently. Call Sheilah!
 
We understand because of our own experience, that when an adult child is asked to step in to help parents prepare for a move like this, there is always emotional baggage and often times we don’t know it’s there.  It is painful and can bring production to a halt. So many people are afraid they will lose the memory if they lose an item, but the adult children are often the ones left worrying about how to house and store those memories – the ones disguised as useless stuff that take up too much room and cause all the stress. Call Sheilah! has no baggage with your aging parents or their stuff or memories. 
 
Additionally, we have gone through it ourselves over ten years ago personally, and we are ready, willing and able to help you with this daunting task. We can simplify and figure out what to donate, what to keep, and what your parents should bring with them into assisted living.  Most of all, we here at Call Sheilah!  understand which items simply need ten minutes of show and tell, and are prepared to create that space and listen to the actual story about those items. We will ask questions about the items and how they came to be so special. We will listen to your parent to talk about what the attachment actually is. If we pay homage to that memory, the item might just makes its own way into the donation bin, which makes the downsizing that much simpler.
 
There are hundreds of tips and pointers to be found on the internet about how to help your aging parents in this regard. If you want to give yourself a gift AND actually be able to show up emotionally for your family without getting blindsided by baggage you didn’t know you had. Call Sheilah! will handle the fondling, reminiscing, massaging, sorting, deciding, packing and unpacking and you can spend time being kind and supportive to yourself and your parents during a challenging time.
 
We all know life's many tasks can get overwhelming no matter what the season or the reason. At Call Sheilah! we believe that suffering because of them is truly optional. Let us help bring balance to your life.

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Consider giving the Gift of Time, with a gift certificate from Call Sheilah! We can customize them to reflect your name, logo, business and more.
 

The information below is culled and cut from various other articles. There are so many now that the holiday is two weeks away, and  I'm a big believer  in not reinventing the wheel.   That philosophy is why Call Sheilah! ​  is able to help provide services to so many people: resources at our fingertips, and a willingness to use those resources. So, if you are planning to participate in the Thanksgiving festivities, and you are planning to host a familyl/friend gathering, here are my two cents.  And remember, if there are things on this list that you want  to delegate, we at Call Sheilah! ​ are waiting to hear from you. We've  taken the liberty of adding [Call Sheilah!] in the body of the text to indicate those things where we would be happy to  help.

More than A week BEFORE THANKSGIVING
Plan your menu: If you don’t have any tried-and-true recipes, now’s the time to test Thanksgiving recipes from Pinterest, or go with something more reliable like the NY Times Essential Thanksgiving interactive recipe guide.

Deep-clean your kitchen: For some reason, company always gathers in the kitchen. I always try to move them along, but they never listen. So, give your kitchen a truly deep clean now to create the perfect zen atmosphere for creating, roasting, mashing, chopping, whipping, stirring, shaking and basting. It won't stay spotless until Thanksgiving, but it's always good to get this room to the point where you just need to touch up before the company comes.

Delegate dishes: Ask people to bring oven-ready contributions. No one wants other cooks in their kitchen on Thanksgiving. I definitely don't, and neither does my sister, by the way. Make sure you coordinate those dishes, though, because no one wants three pans of green bean casserole either. One obligatory pan of that is delicious and plenty.

Make two grocery lists: Write out an aisle-by-aisle grocery list of perishable items (potatoes, Brussels sprouts, etc.) and another for non-perishables (spices, canned goods, etc.). Shop for the non-perishables now before they’re in short supply. If you’re buying a frozen turkey also get it now while the size selection is still good. Keep it in the freezer until it’s time to defrost and/or brine it.  You have to thaw a frozen bird at about four days before the big meal. Nothing worse than a frozen turkey the day before Thanksgiving.

Make your guest rooms and/or restrooms ready for guests: Clean, prep linens and towels, and  reset clocks, reboot cable boxes (sometimes they need a good reboot if no one is watching TV in there on a regular basis). Make hotel reservations for guests who prefer to stay off site.  

Plan your cookware and gadgets: With your menu in hand, plan what you’ll use to cook each item on the menu. Do you have enough of everything: gravy boat, serving utensils, platters? Likewise, it’s a good idea to make sure you have the gadgets you’ll need: potato masher, turkey baster. Are your knives sharp?  [Call Sheilah!] ​

Less than a week BEFORE THANKSGIVING
Plan your table linens: Get out your holiday tablecloth and cloth napkins and inspect them for stains. Remember the stains from last year that you said you would deal with after the holidays? That didn't happen, did it?  Is it time to replace your linens?

Plan your centerpiece: Order flowers or make your own. Not into flowers? You know, Martha Stewart or DIY can tell you how to make a centerpiece if your so inclined. Or maybe you need to, um,  [Call Sheilah!] ​

Clean the rest of your house well: Give the rest of your house a thorough weekly cleaning to deal with cobwebs, dusty baseboards, etc. (You can find weekly printable cleaning checklists for every room here.)

Buy long-lasting perishables now: Things like heavy cream, potatoes, eggs, onions and butter tend to be hard to find the closer we get to the day, and the less time spent in supermarkets the day or two before Thanksgiving,  the better. Buy them now and you’ll know you’re covered. Even some vegetables (celery, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes) will stay fresh in the crisper.  [Call Sheilah!] ​

Giving back: Do you want to purchase any extra Thanksgiving meal items for those who need an extra lift? You can do this when you are doing your own shopping.  Donations of Turkey's, non perishable items, paper goods, and gift cards can be made to homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, half way houses, rehabilitation centers and other facilities that need our support and kindness. This holiday and the holiday season can be particularly trying if food scarcity, resources and shelter are a major challenge.  [Call Sheilah!] ​

Decorate: If you’ll be decorating beyond the table, do it now and ask your family for help? They can't read your mind and if you ask, everyone will get in the holiday mood.

Make and freeze what you can: Cornbread for stuffing can be made ahead of time and frozen. It's actually better, because it dries out when baked in advance! You can make and freeze:  pie crusts (and congratulations if you are making your own!), undecorated cookies, cranberry sauce/relish, and dinner rolls.

Make your game plan: Grab a notepad, and a pen or an iPad or tablet, and calculate the timing of the big day. Count back from the time you’ll be serving dinner to figure out when your turkey should go into the oven. Keep in mind the turkey must rest after it’s cooked. Your side dishes go into the oven while the turkey rests. If you have a 3-tier oven rack you don’t have to worry about running out of room. And if you don't, then you have some juggling to do. When you start thinking about this step, plan into this step, advanced forgiveness.  Some things will just not be as coordinated  and perfect as you would like, given space restrictions and timing.

Add two hours to this planning: You will need a buffer, so you can stop, check emails, texts, procrastinate, have a cup of coffee with your college kids and adult children who seem to have nothing to. See below for ideas about how your family can help.

Stock your bar: Make sure you have enough glasses for all of your guests. Now double that because people inevitably misplace glasses and will need a new one. If you’re serving adult beverages buy the appropriate liquors, mixers and garnishes today. Easy on the advance drinking. It's hard to stick to a plan if you start imbibing to early.  [Call Sheilah!] ​

Begin defrosting your turkey: While the package says to move it to the fridge three days before Thanksgiving,  experience shows that you may need four days. The package doesn't acknoweldge that your fridge is crammed with other holiday food and it will need to be colder and therefore defrosting will take longer. Also, if you’re going to brine the turkey you need the extra day for this. Be sure your bird in a container that will catch drips. The clean up will be easier if you are not battling bacteria in your fridge for weeks.

Plan your seating: Is there a children's table? Do you have guests that need to sit near each other, or away from each other? Do you need to plan around particular personalities in order to ensure that the conversation stays friendly and pleasant. Draw or print place cards so guests will know where to sit. This is a way for you to have a bit of control over the conversation and energy flow, disguised as a lovely and decorative accent to your table.

Get out the holiday dishes: Run the dishes, glasses, platters, and serving utensils through the dishwasher. You never know what has been happening in boxes and cabinets during the last several months.

Shop for perishable items: Make room in your refrigerator and give the shelves a quick wipe down so it’s ready.
 [Call Sheilah!] 
​
Clean your coat closet: This is a good time to clean out your coat closet. Your local dry cleaner may be doing a coat drive for a homeless shelter. See what you have that can be donated, which will create space for the holiday gathering.

Two Days  BEFORE THANKSGIVING
Defrost frozen dishes: If you’ve made cornbread or other dishes ahead of time, transfer them to the fridge to defrost.

Confirm with guests: If you’ve delegated dishes to others to cook, take a few minutes to send a text and confirm their plans haven’t changed. Doing this a few days before lets you rearrange your own menu if needed. And helps you deal with the guests who decide that they don't want to make what you actually asked them to make. Infuriating, yes, but if you have advance information, you will be less likely to react in a way that creates a scenario where YOU to have to apologize later on.

One Day BEFORE THANKSGIVING:
Brine your turkey: If you’re going to brine your turkey, now’s the time to do it. Be sure to keep it refrigerated in the brine!

Dry out stuffing ingredients: Cornbread, regular bread, whatever you’re using — most stuffing recipes call for dried-out bread. Set yours on paper towels on a clean counter.

Prep ingredients: Go ahead and chop things like onions, carrots and celery today. You can peel potatoes a day ahead of time and refrigerate them in a bowl of water. (Where are your family members: partner, roommates, children...they make great potato peelers). Make dips and appetizers if you are serving them. Don't go overboard with appetizers. Your focus is the main meal and you want to help your guests stay hungry for maximum enjoyment.

Bake pies: Don’t put the pie off until tomorrow. Make them now, let them cool on the counter, then cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil.   [Call Sheilah! -- We are baking a limited menu of pies, and are working with a local genius baker for an assortment of other delicious ones.  Call today to inquire: 518 937.7908]

Get your recipes ready: Gather every recipe you’ll be using and set them on your counter so you won’t have to hunt for them tomorrow. My sister tapes them to her cabinets, so she can stare at them throughout the day. She doesn't really need the recipes at this point, but it's a good, strategic, smart move and it's been working for years. It also acts as an excuse to take a deep breath - look up at the recipe as if you are strategically calculating the  next delicious move, while you buy yourself a moment to appreciate all you've done to make the day special.

Clean: Since you’ve done thorough cleanings recently, you can get away with a quick dusting of horizontal surfaces followed by a good vacuum/sweep. Give the bathrooms a once-over, too, and make sure you have ample supplies available:  toilet paper, soap, disposable bathroom towels.

Get the bar/beverage area ready: Set up a beverage center away from where you’ll be cooking so guests can help themselves. If you’re serving adult beverages, set out the bottles and glasses now. Chop garnishes like lemons and limes and store them in the refrigerator (again, family, roommates, where are they today?).

Trash area: Make  sure your garbage cans are empty so you can remove trash from the kitchen as Thanksgiving day progresses. Have plenty of kitchen trash bags on hand. Have plenty of   trash can liners for your outdoor cans on hand as well.

Pets: Do you need a plan for pets? Does your dog jump on guests? Do they need to be on a leash until after  the guests arrive? Is the kitty litter box empty and is someone assigned to checking that during the holiday festivities?

Prep table linens and set the table: Does your table linen need to be ironed? (FAMILY? ROOMMATES?)

THANKSGIVING DAY
Follow your game plan: Use those extra two pre-cooking hours you budgeted to have a nice cup of coffee/tea and a moment to meditate before the madness; a moment to assure yourself that the day will be delightful,  even if it is not perfect. Something will go wrong, but that doesn't mean  that everything  IS wrong. 
Finish placing towels and linens in guest bedrooms and bathrooms.

More tasks for your family  and roommates: Greet guests, coat check, continuous check on bar and beverage area, check on bathrooms as the evening progresses, remove trash from kitchen to garage or trash bins outside, cat box clean up, do the dogs need to be walked or let out?

Wash as you work:  Keep a sink of hot, soapy water available for washing things as you use them, or just load the dishwasher as you work. Maybe one of those guests, who consistently and generously asks if they can help, can be assigned  to the sink, so they can wash as you go, or can fill the dishwasher so it can run before the meal is over. Running, emptying and refilling the dishwasher repeatedly while  cooking is happening,  makes clean-up a bit easier!

And finally, enjoy your meal: Remember what it is that you are truly  thankful for as you eat and enjoy your friends and family. Sometimes this is the hardest part: go slow, be mindful, practice gratitude, give yourself a break, and enjoy.

One more reminder: Giving so others can enjoy the holiday: Do you want to purchase any extra Thanksgiving meal items for those who need an extra lift? You can do this when you are doing your own shopping or Call Sheilah! to coordinate ​.  Donations of Turkey's, Ham's or non perishable items, paper goods, and gift cards can be made to homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, half way houses, rehabilitation centers and other facilities that need our support and kindness. This holiday and the holiday season can be particularly trying if food scarcity, resources and shelter are a major challenge.  [We would be happy to help with this.]

Happy Thanksgiving. 

We all know life's many tasks, whatever the season or reason, can be overwhelming. At Call Sheilah! we believe that suffering because of them is truly optional. Let us help bring balance to your life.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.