Life in the Abbey

 I've only referenced it a few times on twitter/facebook, but now it's time to discuss it. 

We love Downton Abbey!!!

Are you watching it??  I can't believe we have missed this series until very recently.  I did pay a little bit of attention to it this winter, mostly because my twitter feed was full of chatter about it on Sunday nights.  But I typically do not like period movies or shows and so I just assumed it wouldn't be something I would care to watch.  Well I was SOOO wrong!!  It is so good.  So, so good.  And thankfully, Travis likes it too, so we are totally enjoying each episode and get so excited about putting the kids to bed so we can sit together and watch another one.  I'm not sure what we'll do when we finish Season 2 and have to wait until January for Season 3???  We are trying to pace ourselves while we plow through, but considering we watched all of season 1 in 5 days and we're already 3 epsidoes into season 2, I would imagine that we'll be done with it this weekend!  Ha! 

So here are my thoughts about some of our favorite characters...

Thomas.  He is so NOT our favorite character!  In fact, we were so happy when we thought we were rid of him in Season 1, I hate that he's back for Season 2!  He's so sneaky and horrible and mean...

...but his match is met in Mrs. O'Brien.  She's the one with the horrible black dress and that bun that seems to sit on the back of her head and her forehead.  Not sure how that is possible??  She is slippery as a snake, but she's got some classic lines too.  I'd be terrified of her if I worked with her!

I love both of these ladies.  Maggie Smith is HILARIOUS and has the best one-liners in the show.  She is the perfect matriarch, set in her ways and VERY comfortable in her upper class role.  Lady Grantham is just plain delightful to me.  She's the picture of elegance and grace and her costumes are fantastic.  Also, she has the most beautiful blue eyes, they tell their own story in every scene. 

But Anna and Mr. Bates, their love story is the best!!  We're in turmoil right now, waiting to see how it fleshes out in Season 2, but I love how their characters are portrayed and getting a glimpse of what it would have been like to be a servant in that grand world.  Pretty incredible time period. 

While the tension was particularly high between these two, Travis recently said "Those two need to find a back stairwell and kiss it out!"  Ha ha!  That made me laugh, I've managed to get him sucked into a great love story and I'm so glad!

While the story lines are wonderful, the costumes and the architecture and the scenery are just as intriguing.  I love to see what everyone is wearing, particularly these three sisters.  It's so interesting to see the dynamics of 3 girls played out, especially since I am one of three in our family!  Thankfully we weren't nearly as competitive or manipulative as these three, but I suppose we didn't quite have the same upbringing as they did :)

I think nurses never looked so good as they did in the early 1900's.  Mom, I think you would look great in this get-up while you're working with all those college kids!  Maybe they'd take your advice a little more serioiusly??

Last night I told Travis I think we should name our home.  If we followed the logic of Downton, we could call our place "Chaska Abbey" but I'm not sure I'm loving that.  I think we could get away with "Armstrong Manor" or "Armstrong House at Lake Grace"...the jury is still out.  We do love to dream about life with servants however.  I keep looking for that bell to ring so that the maids will come get the children in the morning and so my lady's maid will bring me some coffee and scones in bed.  Travis' valet is behind on his laundry and has not made a proper selection of cuff links for quite some time...and where is our house manager??  He/she is NOT keeping up their end of the contract. At this rate, I'm afraid I'm going to have to fire the whole staff because they are grossly negligent and have a history of not showing up to work.  I'm blaming our chaotic mealtimes on the absence of our footman and my harried arrivals on the stress of our chauffeur abandoning us. 

Oh, a girl can dream, right??  I have picked up the enduring habit of calling Travis "darling" and asking that he refer to me as "Her ladyship" when talking to others about me :)  Ha ha, as grand and beautiful and manicured as life was for the upper class of England, it's also quite sad to see how useless and inhibited and stifled they were.  Lots of wasted talent and skill, just sitting around a parlor and discussing politics and gossip.  Crazy.

Hope you had a great weekend and a nice Monday to kick off your week.  We are so thankful for a beautiful day and some warm weather, finally!!  We played at the park today and the kids were beside themselves with joy.  And me too, it's amazing what a little sunshine and warmth will do for your soul :) Tomorrow is a big day for me...Big, in that I become a year older!  It had to happen again, right?  I'm looking forward to another day with my people and hopefully some time to be out with Travis.  I've got all the presents I need and I'm grateful for the many blessings God has given me year round!  Enjoy your week and if you're not watching Downton Abbey, start!!!  You'll love it!!