Sweaters Among Us!

Say it isn't so, that there's only a few short weeks of Summer left! I do love a warm beautiful Fall day though. It is time to pull out some long sleeve tops and some light sweaters for those cooler Summer nights. Sweaters are so versatile today with all the styles and colors to choose from. You can dress in layers or simply wear them alone. Who doesn't love a great comfy sweater on a damp rainy day too? The season is here to start shopping for Fall Sweaters for your everyday jeans or casual pants to wear to work. Do you have room for some more sweaters in your closet? I always do!

Jeans, Jeans - Bring them On!

Whether it's Summer or the start of the Fall Shopping season, jeans know no season! Jeans are like a part of your daily diet, you just have to have them or you cannot survive. They go great with a cute summer tee or a colorful Fall sweater. You can dress them up or down to fit your every need or desire and you have an instant outfit for working all day or playing all weekend. After all, who doesn't love a great pair of jeans that feels and looks good. I say bless the person who invented stretch denim too because that's the ultimate in a comfy pair of jeans. The great thing about jeans is that they have different washes too like dark, medium and light so you can get them all and create different looks. Chadwicks has a great denim collection to fit your style so why not try on a pair today. What's your favorite fit jean? I like bootcut and sits at natural waist.

Coookouts and Stains, Don't Worry!

The weather has been heating up and so has the battle against stains during all the cookouts and summer outings. Here are some quick tips to save your favorite tees and shorts:

Butter (corn on the cob, yum) – scrape off with dull knife or spoon and, if possible, pre-treat stain with liquid dish soap. Don’t rinse stain with water at this point. At home, treat with laundry detergent and wash according to care label instructions.

Ketchup (burgers) – scrape away as much as possible and rinse thoroughly the stain from back to front with cool water. At home, gently rub a little detergent into the stain and let it set 5-10 minutes and then launder as usual with a regular bleach for whites and non-chlorine bleach for colors.

Salad Dressing (macaroni, tossed) – sprinkle baby powder or a packet of artificial sweetener on stain to absorb excess oil. At home, pre-treat with liquid laundry detergent or dish soap and launder following care label instructions. Repeat if needed.

Beer and Wine (icy cold) – Beer, blot stain with paper towel or napkin and rinse out with cold water from the back (if possible). Red wine, pour club soda on the stain from back to front and blot again. Launder following care label instructions and do not machine dry until stain completely gone.

Most importantly, have fun and don’t sweat over the small stuff like stains! Carry a stain stick too!

Hot Weather, Cool Feet!

Studded Slingbacks, Cork Wedges, Gladiator Flats and Mule Espadrilles! When the weather heats up so does the shoe selection at Chadwicks. There just aren’t enough days in the week or the month to wear them all. It’s so hard just to decide which color, style and which brand name too! If your like me and love those hot summer styles but love cool feet (I’m into all the flats myself but that’s just me) in lots of colors, check them out before their sold out! Whether your walking, working, socializing or just love sandals and shoes at really great prices Chadwicks can surely add to your collection.

Capris and Shorts, Bring it On!

It's May and the warm weather is finally coming our way in the Northeast, yeah! There's nothing better than a bright blue sky, a warm feeling from the sun and a walk outside to energize you. It's great to be able to get out and enjoy on a weekend while quickly putting on a great pair of capris or shorts depending on where your headed. This is one of my favorite times of year when I can truly put away those winter clothes and break out my Spring/Summer clothes. It's when I feel most comfortable. I've heard many other women say the same.

Chadwicks offers a great selection of capris and shorts to get you started or simply freshen up your wardrobe. White capris are awesome as you can dress them up or down, add a red or blue top and your all set for Memorial Day, 4th of July or even a quick nautical look. A great pair of comfy shorts make it easy to slip on over a swimsuit or for just hanging around. Either way, you can't go wrong. Don't you agree?

Rain or Cool Shine!

I don't know about you, but I am tired of all these rainy weather days! It becomes old real fast especially when mother nature teases us all with a few nice days of sun and warm temperatures. Even when the sun does make an appearance, it's still days of driving through huge potholes filled with water and many days of pumping water from every place it can possibly get into. So, how can you keep yourself a little bit dryer and warmer when those damp and lately drowning days are upon you and you need to cover up? Like me, I'm sure you pull apart your closet looking for your best coat that may be water resistant or some other type of coat that keeps you somewhat dry and warm. Even when it's finally not raining anymore, sometimes it's still a little cool even with the sun when you just want to wear perhaps a shorter lightweight coat.

Chadwicks offers two great coats, a water resistant trench coat for those rainy days and a shorter casual trench coat for those slightly cooler days even when there is sun. These coats are for Spring, Summer and Fall seasons due to their versatility. Both coats are machine washable, comfortable, and stylish. Why not get one of each in your color choice so that mother nature doesn't catch you off guard.

I love them both !

Hopping to Find a Dress for Easter!

Is it March already? That's what I've been sitting here thinking and where does the time go? What, Easter is April 4th this year, wow that's early (two weeks actually)! I'm not ready and I have nothing to wear. I've been looking at all these great clothes for Spring and suddenly realized I've got to find a dress soon for Easter! It sure would be nice to have a casual and yet comfortable dress that I could wear to my Mom's for Easter. It's so hard sometimes to find just the right dress or outfit and you want to look just right in it too. In my daily routine here at work, I'm always wrapped up in the compliance end of it with packaging, labeling, testing, etc. Then the samples arrive, you see the web updates and advanced copies of catalogs and the excitement about what I'm going to buy starts!

Well, I am so happy that I found the dress for me (and not just for Easter). It's Chadwicks new tie front shaper dress. It's going to provide me with that little extra for the shaping in those areas where needed and yet I can feel comfortable enough to wear it all day. The fabric and colors are great and I can wear it just about anywhere. It's easy to care for and easy on your wallet. Now, this is my kind of dress! I chose the royal blue floral, but they are all great colors, what will you choose?

Caring with Heart!

Have you ever really looked at those care labels in your garments? Well, don't be so quick to cut them out before reading them. Why you're thinking? Every day in my department, there is alot of work that goes into providing those care instructions. Believe me, it's a long process that involves everything from fabric development, color approvals and garment testing. All this is done so that the best possible care is provided to our customers. What's more important is that when you care for your garments as instructed on the label, they last much longer. Who doesn't want their favorite pair of jeans, sweater or tee to last? Let's face it, we all love to shop for new clothes but still have our favorites we go back to. I call them my comfy clothes.

So, during the month of February which is typically known for the big day of the heart, Valentine's Day, put some passion into caring for all your garments. There's definitely a "Passion for Fashion" here at Chadwicks and we put our hearts into it every day. We offer many great styles with easy-to-care for instructions such as the twist front mesh tee (purple is my favorite color). What's your favorite item and color?

Let's Get Started!

Every year, we all strive for the same thing when the New Year starts. Eat right, get healthy, stop smoking, etc., etc. All those resolutions we all make and perhaps start out on the right track but then amazingly, we don't quite make it down that track. Been there, done that? I have many times. This year I'm starting again with eating right and getting healthy (not using that four letter word d i e t ) in hopes of inspiring my family and others to do the same. I have to admit that it is very hard to change your own eating habits and those around you but it can be done with alot of encouragement and support. It doesn't happen overnight and with alot of love and patience and, of course, making a little fun out of it......it all changes for the better. Adding a little bit of daily exercise is good too to get the juices flowing and that cardio in shape. I'm sure you've heard this all before but take it from someone who has experienced first hand the importance of taking care of yourself, it matters! Here's some easy tips:

Don't have time to cook a healthy meal since you work all day (like me):
Easy Crockpot Chicken - 1 whole chicken (remove skin), rinse; two jars Salsa sauce (medium or mild - your choice); put chicken in crockpot and pour Salsa over top. Cook on low 8 hours or you can do on high 5 hours. Serve with veggies, salad or brown rice...it's awesome and your family will love it, mine did!

Like to walk or on your feet all day, then check out our sneakers and comfortable footwear on line. We offer various brand names such as Skechers and the new Shape Ups which are awesome!

Got any great tips for me? I'd love to hear.........

What's In Your Bag?

Don't you just love a good bag, handbag that is? There's always so many styles and colors to choose from when shopping around for one. I can't get enough of them when I'm in a store, looking at a catalog or even on line. It's like a piece of chocolate calling my name out loud every time I look at one. I've practically run out of closet space to store all those seasonal bags, just for fun bags, it was on sale bag, couldn't live without bag, had to have one in that color too bag and let's not forget those designer look-a-likes we all know and love! What's a girl to do? It's not easy passing up all these great deals today and the quality bags you can now buy are just awesome for the price! At least that's how I justify my next splurge on a handbag, even though all true. It's doesn't get any easier either when I look at my Chadwicks catalog or on line and see all the great handbags being offered. It's a tough job but someone's got to do their part in this rough economy and buy a few good bags, right girls? Why not check out some of the Chadwicks handbags and treat yourself to a special holiday surprise or buy an extra one for gift giving. You simply can't go wrong with a great Chadwicks handbag this holiday season. That's what's in my bag!

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!

Oh Baby !

I used to think that there's nothing better than shopping to cheer myself up. You know, that nice little something that you really didn't need but just had to have. Then last week everything changed when my new grand baby arrived. Life just became suddenly a whole lot sweeter and even more rewarding. I now have double the excuse to go shopping! I start out thinking I'll just buy something small for the baby and see if I can find something for myself. Well, of course, we all know how that turns out. All of a sudden I find more items in my shopping cart than I planned on or I find myself drifting to more sites on line. It's just so darn easy to do and the stores and websites make it so easy and so inviting with all their sales and such. I'm starting to become one of those closet shoppers and hiding things here and there so my husband doesn't know. He keeps asking where did that come from and I just keep saying, "Oh, I bought that for the baby awhile ago and was saving it." I think he's catching on now though. She's a bundle of pure joy to behold and yet so satisfying all at the same time. Then a package arrived last week with some new clothes for me. You know who asked, what's that for? I said, "Hey, even Grammie has to look good when visiting the little one. You never know who else might be there visiting too." He just smiled and laughed it all away for now. I just happened to be Fall shopping from Chadwicks. I just love the boyfriend sweater and essential cami. I also bought a pair of bootcut five-pocket jeans. It's the perfect outfit an on the go working Grammie needs. I can wear it to the office and then straight to my son's house to visit the baby. Everything fit nicely, the quality was good and it looked great on! I did receive several compliments. It's great being a new Grammie but I can't wait until the day when we girls can go shopping together!

Gone Batty

Sometimes I think that down deep inside I have minor physic abilities and these abilities often send me little messages that I don’t get. Then something happens like what I am about to write about and suddenly I get the connection or is it déjà vu? I’m sure many reading this will know exactly what I mean. So the other night after a long hard day at work, I decided to relax by looking through some of my magazines, catalogs and such that had been piling up. I was feeling pretty relaxed and thinking about some of the great new clothes I’d like to buy for the Fall season (of course had my Chadwicks catalog with several pages marked......loving the favorite new tees). I then picked up the newspaper and truly don’t know why but read this article about bats and how they are dying off due to some type of bacterial disease and to watch for them. I didn’t think much more about it after that because why would I ever look for bats, yikes!

Later that night I was awakened by our cat Zeeky making loud noises, meowing and jumping at the bedroom door. All I could think of is that stupid cat is going to keep me up all night now. You have to understand that Zeeky was my husband’s idea to bring home, not mine! I’ve never really been that fond of him (I’m a dog lover). Well, after getting up and down several times to let him in and out of the bedroom and meowing, I had enough. I said to my husband “If that darn cat does not stop, I’m throwing him out of the house”. Of course, he said “Just ignore him he’ll stop….go to sleep”.

Finally, at 5:30 am I got up and was about to strangle the cat. I opened the bedroom door and all I saw was Zeeky running down the hallway and a brown blur flying at me! It all happened so fast that it flew into the side of my head and then into the spare bedroom with Zeeky still in chase. I slammed the door shut and screamed for my husband that a bird was in the house and Zeeky had it in the bedroom! He quickly got up and went into the room and closed the door. Needless to say, all I heard was the cat, the bat (which I still thought was a bird) and my husband making a lot of noise. I yelled “what’s happening?” from the other side of the door. He replied “We’ve got a bat not a bird”. Of course, I started screaming more because now I realized it had hit me in the head when it flew by! “Get it, get it!” I yelled.

After about 5 minutes, the noise stopped. My husband opens the door asks for some gloves from the garage and lets me know Zeeky has it trapped in the bookshelf. I hand him the gloves, he closes the door again. I wait…..he opens the door with the bat in his glove squeaking still and says “hurry, open the window”. I run and open the window and he throws it out and believe it or not, it flew away! I then turned around and looked at Zeeky lying on the floor panting heavily, tongue hanging out and most likely thinking “what did you just do……I worked all night for that bat”? Bottom line, I kind of like Zeeky now and lessen learned that you should always listen to your pets when they are acting up.

Who knew that reading an article about bats would lead to a bat encounter that same night! Weird, right?