Economics: A Free Trade Argument

It is the maxim of every prudent master of a family, never to attempt to make at home what it will cost him more to make than to buy... If a foreign country can supply us with a commodity cheaper than we ourselves can make it, better buy it of them with some part of the produce of our own industry, employed in a way in which we have some advantage. ~Adam Smith

Smith's advice makes sense. So much sense, in fact, that most of us run our personal affairs in this way without thinking twice. For example, many of us take our shirts to professional cleaners even though we could certainly wash and iron them ourselves. Anyone who advised us to "protect" ourselves from the "unfair competition" of low-paid laundry workers by doing our own wash would be considered looney. Common sense tells us to make use of companies that specialize in such work, paying them with money we earn doing something we do better. We understand intuitively that cutting ourselves off from specialists can only lower our standards of living. ~Alan S. Blinder

A Change of Pace

Just for funnzies... Here is one of my new favorite songs. :O)

MMW: Modern Marian - Another Side

When I was considering what Marian would look like if she lived now, I immediately jumped to the Sherwood gal we all know and love. Boots. Vests. Full (perhaps even split) skirt for easy movement. It's not hard to picture Marian with a bow, and her Night Watchman identity comes as no surprise. She couldn't sit still and do nothing. But there's another side of her, too. I call it the "castle side." The side of her that is elegant in satin and velvet, where she's girlie and proper. And all in a refined manner that is not overly delicate, but perfectly lovely and ladylike. Bow and dagger are put away for the moment, and her tactics turn to political influence and spying.

After watching Keely, Kelsie, and Laura all capture what I think is the essence of modern Sherwood Marian, I decided to try my hand at her castle side. (Only I didn't have a castle handy for a beautiful backdrop.)



My shimmery satin blouse with glittering buttons was the perfect starting place. Beautiful, yet practical and comfortable, this piece seems so Marian. I paired it with a traditional black gored skirt. Black makes it elegant, and the lines of the gores give it a tailored look while not restricting movement.



Curly locks are pulled back with glittery pearl and faux diamond pins. Not only are they pretty, but one never knows when they'll come in handy for saving Robin... :)

What I'm Wearing:
Satin blouse - Dressbarn
Black tank - Gabes
Black skirt - Christopher and Banks
Strappy, black heels - Target
Pearl bobby pins - Claires
Pearl Flower hair pins - Wal-mart
Glittery, drop earrings - Claires

MMW: Kiri's Medieval Marian

Lincoln green and designed for archery, my copy of Susan Pevensie's archery dress seemed perfect for a Marian photo shoot. Only I felt more like Susan than Marian... Easily fixed! Just add a Marian-like braid and boots...



And then wander into our Sherwood Forest look-a-like backyard...



And it's impossible not to feel Marian-esque. :)



Be sure to check out all the other wonderful entries at AmandaBethOnline!

MMW: Take 3 -- Kelsie's Modern Marian

When I found out about Amanda Beth's Maid Marian Weekend, I was very excited. We had watched the first season of BBC's Robin Hood over the summer and really enjoyed it. And after Laura invited us to participate on her blog, I decided to try a modern Marian interpretation.



Marian's outfits usually have long skirts, and my brown wrap skirt seemed like a great modern version of Marian's split skirt. I adore Marian's vests, so my white vest was an obvious choice- especially with the faux fur trim around the hood.



Marian sports lots of blue-ish tones, so for some color in my ensemble we went with a bright teal top.



I finished off the outfit with slightly healed leather boots. Practical Marian style and fashion all rolled into one!

What I'm Wearing:

Brown, moleskin wrap skirt - Christopher and Banks
White tank by Choices - Belk
Teal button front tee - Old Navy
White vest by JJ Basics - gift
Black heeled boots by Predictions - Payless
Charm necklace - Aeropostale

MMW: Take 2 -- Keely's Modern Marian Attire

In honor of Amanda Beth's Maid Marian weekend, I decided to don a Maid Marian inspired outfit today. How exciting! So I went to my closet and started looking for any pieces that just yelled out, "I am sooo Maid Marian!" Well, after a minute or two still nothing had jumped out at me and I still wasn't dressed. That wouldn't do at all... So once again I went to my closet in a frenzy knowing my modern Maid Marian outfit must be there somewhere.

All my favorite Marian costumes have vests. But alas I don't have a vest but a jacket was the next best choice. I'm positive that if Marian had been looking through my closet she would have picked my scarf. (It was the one item that might actually have been yelling "Marian!" at me...) So jacket and scarf it was- then I found a skirt that went and here's the final product...




Amanda picked a great time of year for this event as I think our woods are beautiful for picture taking right now!

What I'm Wearing:
Corduroy skirt by Kama- Christmas gift
Pink tee from Old Navy
Corduroy jacket by Star- from Goodys
Scarf from Claire's
Boots by AirWalk- from Payless

And I want to thank Laura for letting me post this on her blog. You're the best, La!!! :)

MMW: Modern Marian

Maid Marian's wardrobe in the new BBC Robin Hood is simply delightful. Filled with the period & modern-esque, Marian's apparel is enough to make any girl swoon. In honor of AmandaBeth's Maid Marian weekend, I choose to piece together a Maid Marian inspired outfit.


Maid Marian wears lots of cute vests and pretty split skirts. See above and below...

Pairing these two together, I created my outfit. Marian also dons bright, vivid colors; so I grabbed my bright blue shirt. Marian wears little jewelry, but my outfit need something. My grandmother's locket seemed the perfect choice.
The only questions that remained is: What footwear? Marian often wears feminine boots; however my snow boots wouldn't fit the bill... Therefore, I doffed my cute, Marian approved flats. ;)


This should definitely be a yearly event! It was too much fun to only do once. :P

MMW: Robin Hood -- A Legacy

When we think about Robin Hood, we think about the man who robbed the rich and gave to the poor... Yet his legacy stretches far beyond his influence stretches far beyond the Sherwood Forest, even to places we might not expect.

Superheroes get their names and stories from all kinds of sources. Superman grew into a legend from the imaginations of two boys, Spiderman crawled into comics from the creative genius of Stan Lee, and Batman began as a different kind of detective comic by Bob Kane...

One of DC's staple heroes got his start as Hood wannabe: Oliver Queen costumed as Robin Hood and transformed into the Green Arrow. And for a little while in the Smallville universe, Lois dressed as his Maid Marian.

You really don't have to look very far to see Robin Hood's legacy...

Maid Marian Weekend

The Maid Marian Weekend is finally here! For the next three days, Robin Hood and his lady love will haunt my blog. Thanks to AmandaBeth for hosting this fun. :O)

Check it out!

Celtic Thunder Concert!

On the way to the concert, we had way too much fun. :O)

We watched the DVD *said in my best Damian accent*

Took lots of pictures

So excited!!

How long till we get there?!

Tickets!

Dinner at the sister Wong's in Washington, PA

Yummy!

And delicious.

WE MADE IT!
Despite traffic, Mr. Kincell's mad driving skills got us there.

Whoot!

In our seats

Just a little excited

A group photo

We looked at our souvenir programs...

And learned more about our favorite boy band. :P

The Concert was SWANKY!
but our throats...

And hands were really sore!

Isn't the stage awesome?!

Of course after the concert... We were all thirsty

And in need of caffeine

A great ending to a perfect night!

Maybe we'll all go again next year?

Peace out, Yo?

No doubt all of you (my three precious readers... tee hee hee) have noticed that I haven't posted in quite some time. I didn't even update you on my comment challenge!! Well, life intervened; God had other plans for me.

Schoolwork (4 papers!!), Daniel's costume, Ball planning, the Ball itself, and regular life have kept me quite busy... Not to mention the Swanky Celtic Thunder concert! :-) And, this means I should have lots of blog material!!!

So coming soon:
Celtic Thunder Pictures
Maid Marian Weekend
The BALL!
Week 2 of my comment challenge
And of course... Your weekly economic tidbit