Holiday Shopping

So did you all go out shopping on Black Friday? Not me...no way! I just don't understand why people get up in the middle of the night to get ready to go shopping at 4am or 5am on the day after Thanksgiving. There is no way you will ever catch me in a store at that hour. Why should I when I can sit at home all comfy cozy with my laptop and shop from the comfort of my couch. I don't have to get up early. I don't have to fight the crowds or traffic. I don't have to wait in line in the cold weather. And I can usually get it shipped right to my house for free! How can I go wrong? And I can do it anytime. If I want to sleep in, I can. Then when I get up, I have a cup of tea and go shopping. It's great! And seeing as it is Cyber Monday, I will be doing a bunch more shopping today. I think I'll start with chadwicks.com. Let's see... I need a sweater for my sister...
Happy shopping!!!

How To Dress For Special Occasions

Holiday Outfits Ideas

♥ Family Dinner Party ♥
It's a family gathering party and it's a dinner party, so it's very important to make sure that we have a semi-formal, right below knee dress that can keep us comfortable moving around in the house.















♥ Work Party ♥
Going out with colleagues, all we need is simply a professional outfit that doesn't show too much of our skin.















♥ Wedding ♥
A long, simple and elegant gown is a must for wedding. The dress will make you stand out and feel special without upstaging the bride!

(Early) Bah Humbug!

Just let me start off by saying, I cannot believe Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK! What happened to November?

I've read that retailers started skipping Halloween and Thanksgiving and moved right to Christmas to try to get people to open their wallets a little sooner this year. Every year, I keep saying "gotta start holiday shopping early, gotta get started early" but I'm definitely one of those last minute people freaking out at the malls; standing in the store trying to justify buying a activity kit for a 5-year old for my teenage sister or yet another pair of slippers for my mom. What can I say, without a tummy full of turkey, I just can't bring myself to start my holiday shopping!

Every year, I try to propose to my family to just enjoy the company of each other during the holidays, rather than waiting to rip open gifts - but I'm met with 20+ people laughing in my face (I've got a HUGE family). Whatever happened to Holiday Spirit? How do I buy gifts for that many people, WITHOUT breaking the bank? This year, I'm approaching my gift giving different, I'm going all sentimental (I recently took up photography) and giving all the adults a framed, artfully designed photo of their children (last year I bought them all lottery tickets)- hopefully they'll like it! The little kiddies will get toys and clothes, as usual and the teenagers will get money! Done and Done!

What are some of your gift ideas this year?

Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

The turkey may be the star at Thanksgiving dinner but great side dishes will make your Thanksgiving meal even better! Here are a few of our staff's favorite holiday recipes:

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

* 2 (15 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 (2.8 ounce) can French fried onions
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium casserole dish mix together green beans, milk, cream of mushroom soup, and 1/2 of the can of onions.
3. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and bubbly. Sprinkle remaining onions over the top, and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mac and Cheese
Ingredients

* 4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, drained
* 2 cups grated Cheddar
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot and add the cheddar. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Top with additional cheese if desired.

Garlic Mashed Red Bliss Potatoes
* 3 pounds red bliss potatoes
* 4 cloves garlic
* 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
* 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Special equipment: potato masher

Directions

In a large pot, cover potatoes and garlic with water by 1-inch. Bring to a boil, add salt and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and garlic well. Put back in the pot and cook over low heat to evaporate the rest of the water. Mash in the butter. Add heavy cream in stages until desired consistency reached. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Butternut Squash
* 2 butternut squash, halved and seeded
* 1/2 cup margarine
* 1 cup light sour cream
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place squash halves cut side down in a medium baking dish with enough water to cover. Cover, and bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until tender.
3. Scoop squash from skin into a medium bowl, and mix with margarine and light sour cream. Whip until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There's no gift-buying stress, no disposal of dying trees, no neighborhood competitions to decorate your house. Just food. Lots and lots and lots of food. Just thinking about it puts me in a gravy, turkey, potato and pie induced dream-like state. And I'm thankful to be able to have any food to eat at all and thankful for the friends and family that come together to share the meal.
This year I think I will also be thankful for the "borrow from your boyfriends closet/leggings go with anything" trends. These will definitely help keep me comfy when I insist on having "just one more taste" of 10 too many dishes. Is it wrong that I've been planning my outfit for a few days now? I'm deciding between slouchy boyfriend jeans with an oversized blazer or leggings with a comfy sweater. Any opinions? What's your most chic outfit that still gives you room to breathe?

Chadwicks Cares about Charity

This past weekend, we had a sample sale for all employees and their families and friends. Throughout the year we gather so many samples of product that are not for sale, just for sample purposes. It was an amazing turnout! It was nice to see the enthusiasm in family and friends with their great finds and at the same time to be helping charity. We were able to raise 11,000.00! What a great feeling with a tough economy to help out especially during a season for giving. The best part about it is that I had no idea until my mother-in-law went up to pay and she said "$26!" I feel like I'm stealing, and the person collecting the money said, "No mam, you are not stealing you are actually donating to charity". What a great feeling to know all of the proceeds were going to charity!

Chadwicks Cares

The fight is year-round (not just October)

Good morning! I'm Rob from the Marketing team and as many of you know, we started selling "Change" T-shirts in October. $5 from every sale is going straight to the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. They run in four sizes (S-XL), two colors (black & white) and six "Change" messages. The black shirts do not have the ACS logo on the back, but the white shirts do. Click here for details. (You can use a promotion code on these shirts too!)
Countless families have been effected by this disease whether directly, through a close friend, or someone in their community. Help us join the fight as our goal is to raise $25,000 for the cause by the end of 2009. Here's a picture of my two girls. They love these shirts (well... anything connected to Dad's work is fun for them)!

It's a Sweater Holiday!

Are you feeling the chill these days in your bones and wallet? I know all of us are and carefully watching our dollars and even pennies. It's that time of year again when you want to feel a warm and cozy sweater wrapped around you, who doesn't? There are so many styles now to choose from and the color selections are awesome this year. There literally is something for everyone whether you are buying for yourself (and why not) or looking for that perfect gift for a family member or a close friend. Sweaters are so versatile since they come in various fabric weights that they can be worn alone, over a cami, tee or blouse. They can be worn with jeans for a more casual and comfortable look or with a dress pant for an evening out. So many of today's sweaters even have easy to maintain care instructions such as machine wash, gentle cycle which will extend the life of your garment when followed faithfully. What's even better, now is the perfect time to start your holiday shopping with so many great deals just waiting for you. Chadwicks offers a great assortment of sweaters all at a really great value with comfort that can't be beat! Our Emma Cardigan comes in five colors and with it's puckered ribbon trim, I think that the red pepper color is perfect for the holidays (even into Valentine's Day - thinking ahead). So don't be left out in the cold this holiday season with your wallet empty. Take advantage of Chadwicks sweater deals now while they are hot!

Time Flies By!!!

Is it just me, or is anyone else in shock at how quickly the Holidays are approaching? I feel as I get older each week, month, and year go by so incredibly fast. It could also be because of the industry I work in and that we are constantly looking towards future seasons; but I am always amazed at how fast time flies by! I literally am looking at my calendar and am trying to map out my weekends for all of the upcoming holiday parties and most importantly holiday shopping. I need to strategize the gifts I will be purchasing for friends and family- and most importanly sticking to a budget! I think what I am most excited for is Thanksgiving- it has always been one of my favorite holiday's- but some of us at work have been doing a Biggest Loser contest and it will be done by the 24th- which means come Thanksgiving I can finally eat :) I won't have to worry about weighing in at work anymore..until of course after the holidays!!!

What is it about Purple?

The color purple is a leading color for fashion this winter. A popular color in the 1960’s- purple is back in style especially when it comes to shoes and accessories. Purple is being called the “it” color by many fashion editors and fashion bloggers this season. Luckily for you, Chadwicks is on top of the ball with their fashion trends and offers an array of purple accents that will suit your style including jewelry, gloves, shoes, hats, belts, and scarves. Check out our shoes and accessories page to see more.

the most wonderful time of the year...

So the holidays are right around the corner...before the last trick-or-treaters even have time to collect candy the stores are full of Christmas decorations and the holiday commercials on TV are getting Christmas carols stuck in our heads (and this is still 3 weeks before Thanksgiving!) I actually don't mind as much as other people, I love the holidays and like to plan my gift giving ahead. In fact I'm using this week to start my holiday shopping. I like to get a little head start so I can enjoy the weeks right before the holiday wrapping by the fireplace and enjoying time with family and friends.

This year, with everyone's budget being tight I am making it a Chadwicks Christmas! Every woman I know is getting a little bit of Chadwicks under the tree. Here is my shopping list...maybe it will give you some ideas. And if anyone has any other inexpensive, but awesome gift ideas, please send them my way!

Stylish picks for my mom:
The Down-Filled Coat (in Chocolate), The Isabella Blouse, and The Emma Cardigan (in Black)
A tee that gives back and a cozy outfit for my step mom:
the Chadwicks Change Tee, The Deluxe Flare-Leg Jeans, and the Bouclé Shawl-Collar Sweater (in Black Currant)



Fun accessories for my both of my step-sisters:
the Glossy Patent Bag, and the Ultra-Soft Wrap


And finally a collection of cardigans for my very best friend:
the Tweed Corsage Cardigan and the Garden Cardigan

The Further Adventures of Singledom

So when we last left our heroine, (that would be me), I was discussing how I was adjusting to the single life and how much I was enjoying it. I was also talking about some of the pitfalls of dating and one subject keeps coming up over and over. Texting.

I have a friend who went through a lot of her divorce at the same time I was going through mine and we helped each other slowly and painfully get through it. She has been dating and has gotten together recently with a really nice guy. Through the entire process the same subject keeps coming up. Do I text or don't I? Should I text him first? Should I answer him? Does it sound right? What did he mean by that?

It is unbelievable that 160 characters would cause that much anxiety. I know because I have gone through the same thing. It is very hard to word something so you don't come across as indifferent, angry, crazy or, worst of all, as a stalker. Then you sit and wait. If you don't get an answer in 5 minutes you start to wonder. Did I say something wrong? Does he not want to talk to me anymore? What if he's with someone else. And when he does answer you back, you start to dissect each word to see if there is some sort of hidden meaning. I'm telling you, I'm starting to miss the old days when you would just sit by the phone.

So, what do you think? To text or not to text? Let me know.

Halloween Contest!!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. Every year at Chadwicks we have a Halloween costume contest. Every year I try to get my department to dress up and every year my cheap co-worker Sara does not want to spend money on a costume so we end up not participating. This year we got creative and dressed up on a budget. We become the Boston Area General Hospital. Sara got to be a cardiothoracic surgeon for the day and I was the head of nursing. We made the finance intern dress up as a patient. We covered his face and arms with scabby looking blood and placed a latex compound fracture on his arm. He looked disgusting!!! There were seven of us who dressed up…three doctors, two nurses and two patients. We even put up X-rays and MRIs on the windows to give the full effect of a hospital. Today we found out that we came in third place in the contest! I was excited to win third place, but Dan who also dressed up with us quoted Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights and said “if you’re not first you’re last.” LOL! Oh well maybe next year!
Coco