I've Been Dreaming of Downton Abbey: Season Four

6 months after the disastrous ending of season three, Downton Abbey and its residents both upstairs and downstairs embrace the comings and goings of life in the grand estate. 

I've Been Dreaming of Downton Abbey: Season Three

With the upcoming third movie coming in September my Downton Abbey rewatch is back in full swing! Season Three can only be described as a roller coaster ride of emotions. Relief, laughter, tears, suspense, shock, more tears, a little more laughter, excitement and then the most shocking of endings. 

I’ve Been Dreaming of Downton Abbey: Season Two

My Downton Abbey rewatch continues as the Crawley's and the lives of all those around them adjust to the changing times brought on by WWI. Of all the seasons this one is probably my favorite. It was good to see the Crawley's come down from their ivory tower and join the rest of the world. Seeing how the war broke down so many social barriers was fascinating. 

I've Been Dreaming of Downton Abbey: Season One

Does anybody still remember Downton Abbey? The show that had the whole world in a chokehold between 2010 and 2016. The mania behind that show was real! I was there for it all. So, starting on New Year's Day, I've begun a much overdue rewatch of Downton Abbey. I finished season 1 last week and I'm going through season 2 now. And after a decade the show still holds up. 

Downton Abbey 2019

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet!

Downton Abbey Movie!

Yes! It's official! A new Downton Abbey movie is in the works right now!

I found out last month through Laura Carmichael's (Lady Edith) Instagram and figured it should be shared!

I am so excited!!! 

Oh, the news hosts are incredibly annoying and half of the video is literally them driveling on about other things that have no relation to the Downton Abbey movie. 
So stop the video at 1:50.

The Crawleys Return

The last...

of the laughter and the tears

the joys and sorrows

the memories and the madness

one last visit to Downton.

Starts tonight.

Christmas Layout!

Brought to you by

Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley!

Matthew proposes to Lady Mary in

Downton Abbey

      In spite of my amazing fan-girl love for Smallville in the last several months, do you honestly think I had forgotten about my beloved Downton Abbey?? And who better to use for my Christmas theme then one of the best couples in television fiction!!

In Remembrance of WWI

Robert's Prayer (Bring Him Home)

100 years ago Germany declared war on Europe.

To all the fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers all over the world that gave their lives for their families, their countries and their freedom.

For those who returned home.

For those who didn’t.

For those who came back heroes.

For those who came back disgraced.

For the boys that left home and returned as men.

For the soldiers that closed their eyes at night only to see the war replay in their minds.

To the nurses and doctors who risked their own lives to preserve the lives of the brave men and boys.

To the courageous families they left behind that waited with anxiety and prayers.

To the wives who spent lonely nights awake.

To the children who wondered when their fathers would return

To the mothers who let their sons go.

To the fathers who fought by their sides.

To the brothers who waited for their stories when they returned.

To the sisters who shed tears of hope and fear.

Also to the families that opened their homes to the wounded soldiers returned from the battlefield and who sacrificed much of their former lives to make way for a very different one.

Here’s to 100 years of remembrance of pain and suffering, of horror and hell, of fear and nightmares.

Here’s to 100 years of continuing joy and victory, of hope and heaven, of home and peace.

Thank you for your sacrifice.

"If I am asked what we are fighting for, I can reply in two sentences. In the first place, to fulfil a solemn international obligation … an obligation of honor which no self-respecting man could possibly have repudiated. I say, secondly, we are fighting to vindicate the principle that small nationalities are not to be crushed in defiance of international good faith at the arbitrary will of a strong and overmastering Power."

~Premier Asquith, Statement, to House of Commons, Declaration of War with Germany, August 4, 1914.

Original Tumblr Post: HERE

Downton Abbey Tonight!!!

Downton Abbey: Season 4

OMG! It's finally happening! I think a lot of people out there can totally understand the amazing excitement I'm going through right now! And for those who don't...you have no idea what you're missing out on!

Lady Mary, Lady Rose and Lady Edith

Lady Mary with her son George and Tom Branson with his daughter Sybil "Sybbie"

Lady Mary and Anna Smith Bates

Castles, Presidents...and Mice

     Merry Christmas! 

     My family is pretty subtle when it comes to Christmas. We went to the evening church service and then went home and ate supper of ham, cheese and crackers, with vegetable and fruit trays, and my brother even brought home a pizza when he got back from work at Little Caeser's! After we ate, we did our little gift game, which constitutes of finding one's gift through memorizing and figuring out clues.

I got this lovely 14x14cm. oil painting

And this very cute cup that I've been using all day. Seriously! I haven't gone to the cupboard once to get a drinking class. So it's actually convenient to have one's own cup.

Then name draws came around and my dad (who drew my name) got me these:

I had picked this up at the library and knew that I immediately wanted it! It gives a wonderful look at all of the characters of Downton Abbey from season 1-3.

I don't think I've ever mentioned that I'm a big Kennedy fan. In spite of their flaws, I've always admired the Kennedy family (mainly Bobby and Ethel Kennedy as well as Rose Kennedy) for their iron willed ambition and fierce loyalty to one another. My mom and I caught this mini-series about half way through on television and I managed to watch most of it the following week. I really wanted to get it so I could watch the whole series. If you want a good biography series to watch about one of America's most famous political family, then this is it. It's honest, clean, and I think very accurate to the heart of the Kennedy legend.

Then on Christmas Day, I got these delightful gifts!

YAHH! I finally have the whole Merlin series! My family has just now gotten into Merlin and so I think it's not just me that's excited about finishing the series.

This Downton Abbey book is all about the making of from casting to costumes to set designs and makeup. Very well done with interviews from cast, crew and writers.

This is the first of the Downton Abbey books and this explores seasons 1 and 2, but unlike The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, this book explores the historical context of the time period as well. 

I love Chanel! Mainly for the simple elegance and timeless classic designs. It's on my bucket list to get a Chanel purse and my mom was actually going to get one for my birthday! Except the cheapest you can get is $300! And I believe that's in America! So my mom got me a bag that looked similar in design to the legendary designer's masterpiece. It's beautiful and I love it! The picture makes it look bright bubble gum pink, but actually it's more of a coral/peach color.

I thought that was it for my presents...until I looked into the bag and saw a small white box...

This was a completely unexpected gift! 

The power button on my old i-pod stopped working almost a year ago, but I found a somewhat primitive method of plugging it into the USB cord to turn it on. So I didn't make a big deal out of getting a new one. Then a few weeks ago the + volume button just stopped working! Now I was really in trouble, because the volume was down so low I couldn't hear it. My mom said that she would give me her old i-pod and to wait until after Christmas to transfer my music, when all along she and my sister had bought me a new one. So, even though I had to download and update my version of i-tunes, I managed to get all my music transferred with no trouble at all.

Then afterwards we went and saw, Saving Mr. Banks, which was wonderful! If you've been wanting to go and see it, then go! It's a great movie!

~ ~ ~

So, I had another wonderful Christmas, I love all my gifts and have a had a good break from school (which has been pretty drama free as well). I hope everyone had a happy memorable Christmas as well!

Spring Break!!!

                                    

     Yahhh! Spring break is finally here and I am so glad too; this semester has been much more difficult than last semester. I love school so much though, that I really can't complain too much about it. It's so hard to believe that I'm almost done, too! I might take summer classes...I don't know yet.

     Sadly, I've actually been sick for the last few days with a really bad cold. So I've been coughing and sneezing all over the place and it's so embarrassing and aggravating, because if there's one thing I cannot stand, it's sneezing. Also, I have come to find out in recent years that NyQuil has not affect on me, whatsoever. If I take NyQuil than I will be tossing and turning all night with fever dreams and that is absolute misery for me. Anyone who has had fever dreams may agree with me, it's terrible. It's been a slow process, but I am getting better : )

     On the flip side, Bella Rose over at >>>To Say Nothing of Reality<<< has quite a talent for making homemade music videos and made this wonderful Downton Abbey video for me, that's about Mary and Matthew Crawley! She did it to Bryan Adams "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)," which (for anyone who is a lover of Mary and Matthew) is absolutely perfect! Then she goes to tell me that she has never seen Downton Abbey! Has that for the intervention of fate?!

Someone from YouTube accused Bella of stealing their material and YouTube forced her to take the video down! So, sadly you can't see it, but it was beautiful.

     Thank you, Bella Rose! 

This is definitely one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me! 

      Sooo...as for plans for spring break...I don't really have anything...except for all the homework my English teacher gave me...and research for my argumentative paper, which is about women's rights in the Middle East and it really is quite difficult, but I'll get through. Oh yeah! I spent a good deal of my day (30 min.) last Saturday  posting the new movies that are coming out this summer! They're on the my left sidebar and if you click them, they'll link you to the individual movie page on IMDb that gives you all the information you need. My family and I are all big movie lovers and we love going to the theater. I think it's going to be a great movie summer and might even top last summer, which was an amazing year all around (seeing as Les Miserables and The Hobbit came out in December).

Iron Man 3/May 3

     The movie I most excited to see...probably Iron Man 3, seeing as Iron Man is my favorite super hero, (favorite Avenger at least; my favorite superhero is Professor X. from X-Men). I found out that he's Bella Rose's favorite too and so we spent the last couple of days in ridiculous fan-girl fervor...awesome : ) As a matter of fact, I'm going to continue doing the superhero movie reviews and my next one will be Iron Man, followed by Iron Man 2. So keep a look out for that in the next few days. I want to get those done before the third movie comes out. (I love doing movie reviews!!!)

     Alright! Get off the computer! Lunch and housework are calling!!!

~Ivy

All The Single Ladies Blog Party ~ Day Five

Silly Love Songs

     I love silly love songs! It's just feel good music : ) I have so many songs tht I want to play at my wedding, but I'm not sure what my wedding song may be...Here are a few.

 ~ ~ ~

"At The Beginning" by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx

I have loved this song ever since I saw Anastasia! The lyrics are perfect and I love the music and the beat...and it's just perfect!

~ ~ ~

"I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You" by Marc Anthony and Tina Arena

Similar to the song above, this has been a favorite of mine since I saw The Mask of Zorro (Great movie!!!). I love the slight Spanish influence that they put into the music and the lyrics almost sound more like lines you would hear from a romance novel instead of a love song.

~ ~ ~

"Angel By My Side" by Do

I don't know if anyone is familiar with this song, because you can't find it here in America. It's beautiful, though and something you would probably play at anniversary party.

~ ~ ~

"Heaven" by Do

The same as Bryan Adam's "Heaven" only sung by Do. It had a softer more feminine sound to it, making it much more romantic.

~ ~ ~

"Inspiration" by Chicago

I'm not an 80s girl, but even I love this song. I use to sing it around the house all the time!

~ ~ ~

"Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera

I know, you're thinking, "The song from The Karate Kid 2?? Why??" and I say. "Why not?" It's a great song!

~ ~ ~

"I'm Alive" by Celine Dion

Being a Celine Dion fan since I was eight or nine, I knew I have to have her music at my wedding and this song is just perfect!

~ ~ ~

"I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" by Elvis Presley

Although, I've never been a big Elvis fan, when I heard this song playing in the background of the movie Fools Rush In, I fell in love with it!

~ ~ ~

     That's the beginning to my wedding playlist, but I'm sure more will be added eventually.

     Do you think it's unhealthy to make expectations about your wedding when you've never even had a boyfriend? I mean, I know girls who spend most of their young teenage life pouring over bridal magazines, picking out their favorite gowns or ring or making exact detail plans of what their wedding day is going to be like. I think it may be considered odd, maybe it's just part of our inherent feminine nature that makes us want to get married in the first place.

     Anyway, I leave this post with a special treat! This is my newest Donwton Abbey video! I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it!

All The Single Ladies Blog Party ~ Day Two

It Is a Truth That Is Universally Acknowledged...

     To be honest, I am really picky about my drinks. Like I said in the icebreaker, I don't like coffee or tea or really any drink, except water. Also, I can't drink wine because I have epilepsy and the medication that I'm on can have a negative effect with alcohol. I really don't think I'm missing out on much.

     What I do really enjoy is hot chocolate! Any kind of hot chocolate will do. Normally when I head into Starbucks with my sister, I order hot chocolate instead of a coffee. Of course, I love chocolate as well! Im addicted to it, especially the Hershey drop candy; I could eat those all day! I love just about any brand of chocolate, Hershey, Reeses, M&Ms, Twix, Godiva, Ghirardell, Lindt truffles; yes, just about anything.

     When season 2 of Downton Abbey premiered in America last January, I started going out to the store to buy candy (there was always some kind of chocolate involved) to eat as we watched each episode. When season 3 (FINALLY) premiered this year we continued on with the tradition. Something we'll always remember <3

     Candy + Downton Abbey = Best Sunday nights ever!!!

Downton Abbey Confession #11

The only consolation that Edith Crawley had on her wedding day is that her dress was prettier than Mary's.

 No argument needed there.

Matthew & Mary: A Love Story

A new video!!!

Mary & Matthew: A Love Story

     So, there's actually a story behind this video. This was the very first video I made and it was my hardest as well. What is up there is actually the second version. My first one was ruined and so I had to start all over again. It ended up being a good thing, because this one is much better!!

Favorites: Top 3 Romantic Couples in Fiction

Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary Crawley

Downton Abbey: Season 2

 Without a doubt my most favorite romantic couple ever!!!! Of course, they had a pretty stereotyped relationship.

 Snobby wealthy girl looks down on a middle class (but very handsome) man.

 After a while the girl realizes that he's an incredible catch.

 She falls in love with him and (best of all) he's in love with her!

Guy proposes, she turns him down.

War starts and he comes back with a second girl...and they're engaged.

She gets a second guy...and they get engaged.

They both still realize they're in love with one another and now they're stuck.

The second girl dies and the second guy is a jerk.

The second guy gets his ass kicked.

On a cold winter night, the guy gets down on one knee and says,

"Lady Mary Crawley, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Girl answers

"Yes!"

They kiss and spin around in the falling snow and the credits roll.

And then comes the wedding....

But that's not until January.

     Stereotyped or not, Mary and Matthew are an incredible couple, just like most of the couples in Downton Abbey. I like the fact that they're both human...and Matthew isn't out for Mary's blood or her money for that matter, and Mary isn't obsessed with Matthew, she's genuinely in love with him. Point being, it's a breath of fresh air to read about real everyday people who go through real everyday problems in a vampire obsessed culture.

   Then comes Fifty Shades of Grey where love is just a cruel game of sex and (basically) abuse. It's an awful thing to read about and I can't understand why any woman in her right mind would even pick up a novel like that. 

    As predictable as Mary and Matthew's storyline may be, it's wonderful to see a man who will defend a woman, who makes mistakes, who knows that he's not perfect, but does the best he can to be the best kind of man out there.

  It's a relief to see a frightened woman who is doing her utmost to be strong and confident, who is in love, but is willing to let go of that love for his happiness, who puts her family before her heart and desires, and will sacrifice her future to atone for her mistakes, even if it means giving up the only man she has ever truly loved.

    I'll take the predictable over the absolute unbelievable.

~ ~ ~

Faramir and Lady Eowyn

The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King

     I've never read The Lord of The Rings, but maybe my love of the three films will make me some kind of Tolkien fan (I hope I didn't commit heresy for saying that). In spite of my lack of knowledge, I loved Faramir and Eowyn and thought that were so totally made for one another. I mean, if any two people deserved some small amount of happiness in the story I really think it would have been them.

      Sadly in the movies you only saw about fifteen minutes of relationship development and that's only in the extended edition. Yet, the simple (rather fast) love story had a deep impact on me. To begin with, their personal lives prior to meeting one another, were very similar. Both were lonely, they were losing their homes as well as their families,  they were willing to die for what they had left, and they were just absolutely desperate to be loved.

     I love the fact that they met in the hospital (or the House of Healing, I guess it's called in the books). and it was the ultimate love at first sight story as well. So even though they know that Middle-Earth is about to end at any second, they both seem to think,  

"We've been through Hell and back. We're tired and have lost just about everything and now, we have finally found what we've spent our entire lives looking for. So if we're going to die, at least we can die knowing that, for half an hour we were the happiest that we have ever been.

     Yet, love and sacrifice conquers all and everyone lives happily ever after and no one deserved a happily ever after more than these two.

~ ~ ~

 Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley

Anne of Green Gables

      I think anyone who has ever read the books or seen the movies (proud to say, I have done both) have absolutely loved Anne and Gilbert. Ever since that immortal scene in the first story where Gilbert calls Anne carrots and Anne slams his slate over his head. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

      Now, I'll admit, I was sooooo in love with Gilbert when I watched the movies! I thought he was so perfect! I think every girl has always wanted a Gilbert Blythe of their own. His genuine kindness and strength of character was such a needed quality for Anne's feisty and and often times troublesome nature. He never ever doubted Anne's talent and was always a source of guidance, even when she thought she didn't need it.

      In the third movie Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story, Anne's love and devotion for Gilbert is put to the ultimate test when he is MIA in WWI. There's a scene in the film when she tells Diana, "I'm not going to stay here and wait for my husbands funeral." Against all odds, Anne travels Europe to find her husband. Through hardship and pain, they are eventually reunited, but not without consequences in the end.

    When a friend of Anne's is killed she promises him before he dies that she will take care of his son. When Anne and Gilbert go and find him, he's gone. Anne is desperate and terrified that this precious child is lost forever. Then Gilbert says simply, "We will find him. No matter what it takes." That scene always brings tears to my eyes because it makes me realize that not even war or death or destruction can change the love and compassion that Gilbert gives Anne or the inspiration and hope he has always instilled in her.

Where by Lisbeth Scott

Downton Abbey Confession #7

Oh men of Downton Abbey, why do you have to be such pleasurable torture on a woman's soul? 

Dan Stevens as

Matthew Crawley

~ ~ ~

Allen Leech as

Tom Branson

~ ~ ~

Rob James-Collier as

Thomas Barrow

~ ~ ~

 

 

 

Downton Abbey Confession #6

  Thomas and Branson love is just too cute for words.