Downton Down Low: Hour Two

Tom and Henry (aka Hot Husband) are opening a car shop and it's so middle class. But Mary's so happy to be in the family way she gamely pronounces her pride in him.

Rose dropping some wisdom on Robert about marriage.

Daisy's gonna attempt a blow out to get Andrew's eye back on her.

Dinker needs a new hobby. She's hilarious.

Aughh! No! Daisy cutting her hair! By herself! Aww y'all. Poor Daisy.

Anna playin' beauty shop. Match number 3 is about to go down. Andy plus Daisy. "Let's not be out of step anymore." Sweet and understated.

And Tom! Flirting!

And Lord Merton's not at death's door. Happy Days!

Edith finally gets her moment in the sun. :) :) :)

Here comes Barrow to the rescue... Carson doesn't have to leave and we're all better people. Let's hold hands and pause for quiet reflection.

Baby's a comin! Baby's a comin! And Mary knows how to take off a shoe! Who knew!

Oh my. Even Mrs. Patamore's getting some action!!! The wish fulfillment is coming fast and furious as we have a  few remaining minutes.

And guess who catches Edith's bouquet?  Her editor! Tom finally gets to be interesting again!

Beautiful Anna has a son.

Cora and Violet have made up! It's a New Year. Edith's off on honeymoon! God Bless Us, Everyone.

And snow falling. Perfect note.

Cheers and Ta, Downton. Thanks a lot.

Downton Down Low: Hour One

I said NO DYING, Mr. Carson.

I think Dinker and Spratt should be under cover lovers. Though on second thought, maybe not. 

Hey now, Mr. Moseley! A new job offer and living situation! Lock Miss Baxter down.

Daisy. Clueless as always.

Hark! Is Mary planning to help Edith? She has an idea.

Prediction: Carson has hand tremors and Barrow will  realize his dream of becoming a full butler.

Oh, dang. Er'body gonna get married. Go on, Mrs. Crawley.

Daisy thrownin' shade at kind Andrew.

Oh! Set up! Edith's gonna get her man!!!!!!

And she's mad. Ooh, make him stew. Well played.

He's about to cry. Cmon, Edith.

Aww. He got me too.

"Edith's going to be happy. Hoorah." Yay!

Nice send off for Barrow.

One more grand house party for Downton gang as they meet Edith's future mother in law. 

Sad face. Mr. Carson seems to have Parkinson's.

Awkward mother-in-law exchange alert.  Classic piece of work trope.

 Wait. Nope. Lord Merton's daughter-in-law deserves that title. 

C'mon Papa Carson. Give Barrow a hug. 

Dang, Edith. You're a risk taker.

Nothing like a good looking lad swinging a hammer. Live a bit, Daisy. The writers are tying up each loose end in a pretty bow.

3 snaps, Bertie. Way to be a man.

New buddy cop team: Violet and Isobel! Down with uppity daughters-in-law!

Barrow snuffing out 3 sad candles at an empty table. Metaphor.  He must find his way back to the Crawley family.

Yay Bertie's mom. All's well that ends well. 

Here goes The Dynamic Duo!!! Springing Bertie out of the clink!

Hug it out, girls. Sisters gotta hug. 

A glittering gala of a wedding. You're a delight. And Rose's back! 

Downton Abbey: Stone Cold

So I've missed the last 3 or so episodes of the show and since there's only one left, I decided to finish strong and tune in.

It was Crazytown.  My reaction to tonight's episode in list form:

6 Reasons I Had To Admit To Myself That Downton Is A Soap And I'm Not Truly A Patron Of The Arts

1. Suddenly Tom Branson is a yenta, inviting Henry (Hot Car Guy) to throw him in Mary's path.
Why is Tom so boring?  Do we really believe he missed Downton after trying America?

2. Mary is stone cold.   Ruining Edith's relationship with Bernie by trotting out Edith's secret over morning coffee? Right as they are announcing their engagement?  LOW BLOW.

3.  Mary admitting that she can't be a "car crash widow" again to Violet in an anguished tete a tete in her bedroom.  I almost thought she'd throw herself on the bed and call out to her dead beloved...

4. But wait!  She visits his grave! And presses a kiss to it.  And wants his forgiveness. (And can I say that I kinda wonder if I'd be the kind of dead spouse who would be like, "Sure, honey!  It's fine! Move on!" ? But I'm no Mathew.)

5. Mary calls Henry back, confesses her love, and they are married 5 minutes later.  Edith attends the wedding, is the complete bigger person, and seems okay with being the beloved maiden aunt to the three Downton children. If Edith doesn't get her happy ending, and Mary gets to act a fool and commit her own series of indiscretions and ride off into the sunset with Hot Car Guy, it has all been for naught.

6. And Thomas attempts to take his own life?  Tucking that storyline in between Mr. Moseley turned Mr. Holland (which was actually a very sweet moment) and Mrs. Patamore fretting that her B&B will be know as a house of ill repute is a lot of ground to cover in 75 mintues.

I imagine I'll have to catch up on the episodes I missed in the next two weeks, and don my Nanny's old mink stole in honor of the last Downton episode March 6.  Here's to Downton in all its silliness! TTFN :)

Grease Is The Word.

The Grease Live Musical was so good I'm still happy about it 2 days later.

I really think the local gyms should create a "Musical Theater for Moms" (With Unfulfilled Drama Dreams) exercise class because I will happily sweat to those oldies.

Things I Loved About Grease Live:

1. The excitement of a live production

2. Ana Gasteyer as the principal.  So much goodness.

3. Praise Hands for Aaron Tveit who played Danny.  I now know he also played Enjolras in the recent Les Miserables movie and I want to personally congratulate him on being both incredibly talented, artistic and masculine.  The storyline of Grease is  pretty formulaic and a less-than-ideal roadmap for our daughters and their romantic aspirations, but at the end of the day, GIVE ME A MAN WITH TENDER FEELINGS AND A LEATHER JACKET. Mercy.

4.  Julianne Hough totally rose the the vocal challenge of the role.  She is so beautiful.  Again, blah, blah, blah. beauty comes from within, but really, can you imagine being as blindingly beautiful as the actors who played the lead roles?  I think that would be fun for a day.  I don't think I'd mind someone overlooking my beautiful soul for awhile.

5.  Boyz II Men doing "Beauty School Dropout".  That was so perfect.  I'll be singing it for awhile.

6.  Fox made a very savvy move and cleaned up all the cringe-worthy innuendos in "Greased Lighting" as they rightly knew their audience (women who grew up on Grease) would be watching with their own kids. Upon hearing the family-friendly lyrics, said demographic would download the album and the broadcast and have maybe already listened to the soundtrack on loop and re-watched the musical.  

7.  The whole "Greased Lighting" dance number.  The physicality of that number (look at me using that groovy showbiz lingo) was astounding.  

8. The joy of the actors performing at their very best.  You could hear the actors whoop a bit in sheer excitement on certain songs.

9.  Ending with a live carnival for the final song.  I almost thought they'd be able to get Danny and Sandy to fly away in their car.

10.  The little sly updates to dialogue, like when Frenchy tells Sandy that "We (women) have to be our own people... like they teach us in Home Ec."

Do I like TV too much?  Does it consume a bit too much of my mental energy?  Yes and yes.

But Grease Live was a shot-in-the-arm of infectious musical joy and I'll take it.


Did you watch?  What did you like about the production?

2016: Insurance Claims, Winter Doldrums, and All the Social Media Outlets

Hi readers.  And by readers I mean-- Hi Mom, Dad, Natalie, Jenny, Missy, and various college and mom friends. :)

It's a new year.

Christmas was a swirling dervish of presents and travel and I'm almost recovered.  I didn't rush to put up decorations before the 1st as is my usual practice and I'm proud to report they got back in the attic on January 21st.  #crushingit

January highlights:

Sarah turned six, and had three separate occasions to mark the day of her birth-- school cupcakes, a pancake breakfast celebration on the actual day followed by a dinner date with Dad, and a Barbie (TM) Rock N Royals Birthday party that I invited all 20 students in the class to and then promptly stressed til the moment of the party that more than 2 kids would attend.  I realize that an unaccepted invitation to at 6-year-old's party is not a rejection of me as a person.  I realize that.  I do.  I really do.  (Inner monologue: If only I was better at making friends then more kids would come to my kid's birthday party, UGH, being a introvert is so hard.)  Lesson learned:  Invite any and all children in your social circle to your kid's birthday party.  10 percent will come.  It'll be ALL GOOD.  I'll pick up this existential birthday angst up again next January for my social butterfly daughter.  The party was an unqualified success-- we did a craft, temporary tattoos, clip-in colored hair and colored hairspray, Barbie play, cake and presents, karaoke and trampoline play.  

Pinterest?  Can't touch this.


I'm writing this on hold with our insurance company as we changed over January 1 and our three providers are not showing us as insured but BCBS is. 

So.... Situation Normal there.

Can I make a confession?

I didn't even watch Downton this Sunday night.

I know.

My people are counting on me.

But it's gotten so.... boring/lame/stale/predictable.  

Season recap:  Carson is the epitome of all that is good and noble and true in the male species.  This speech on wanting a true marriage was pitch perfect.  Backstory:  his fiancée Mrs. Hughes (who has never been married, but as housekeeper is called Mrs. to disguish her position from lower ranking staff)  is sheepish about the (erm) marital act as a late middle-aged woman and fears disappointing Mr. Carson.  She asks her closest friend in the house, Mrs. Patmore, to act as go-between with Mr. Carson to discuss his expectations in that department.  It's about to get as awkward as a true-love-waits Sunday School lesson in which the male leader likens your "special gift" to a present that only your spouse can unwrap.  Which is, yes, very very true, but also skin-crawlingly awkward.

"Downton Abbey: Episode #6.1" (2015)

Charles Carson: Tell her this, Mrs. Patmore. That, in my eyes, she is beautiful. 
Mrs. Patmore: I see. 
Charles Carson: You say she asks if I want a 'full' marriage and the answer is yes, I do. I want a real marriage, a true marriage, with everything that that involves. And I hope I do not ask the indelicate when I send you back to relay this message. 
Mrs. Patmore: Don't worry about me. 
Charles Carson: I love her, Mrs. Patmore. I am happy and tickled and bursting with pride that she would agree to be my wife. And I want us to live as closely as two people can, for the time that remains to us on earth. 
Mrs. Patmore: Well, you couldn't make it any clearer. I'll say that for you. 
Source: IMDB

Men, please copy these lines down verbatim and insert them into your wife's
Valentine's Day card that you will be accompanying with a thoughtful gesture that extends beyond the  card itself.  I want to help you.


Also, I want to convey complete sincerity here, infertility is a delicate subject to approach and I would never want to imply that it is not a serious and emotional struggle that couples face, but they way it is being used in the Anna-Bates storyline stretches one's patience.

Anna finally is cleared any involvement in the death of her attacker, and the minute the couple receive the good news that they are finally free to live their lives again, Anna is all  "I'll never make you happy the way you deserve because I cannot have a child and you're just lying when you say you're happy and it doesn't matter."  

Since this is a fictional drama, OF COURSE we know that Anna will have Bates' child and OF COURSE it will all be wonderful, so I feel like Anna's character feels a bit one-note when dealing with the complex emotions of infertility.  

Anyhoo.  Edith finally has a date with a man who is 1) not 70 and 2) is not moving to pre-Nazi Germany, so hooray, Edith.  Go on, girl.  I'd say "get down with your bad self," but let's not forget her covert pregnancy and the Solomon like push-and-pull between Edith and the Drewe family to raise Marigold.

I won't even bore you with my thoughts on the blackmail Lady Mary plot, except to say I'm over Lady Mary and Lord Grantham is a poorly written character.

Lastly, I have to share my current podcast/IG/Netflix faves:

Netflix:
  The West Wing.  I heart this series.  I watched the first 4 seasons in college and sporadically until it went off the air in 2006.  It feels relevant 10 years later.  I love the passion of the characters, their flaws and sense of moral unction to do what is best for the country.   I wish the politicians on the national stage conveyed the authenticity that the paid actors reciting written dialogue on a TV show do, but that's the way it goes with reality.

IG:  
I started following a mom entrepreneur that another notable suggested and I just enjoy her fun, positive style. Plus she sells the cutest Mom shirts.  I can't make myself purchase one at $35 a throw, but I'd love if someone gifted me one.  (Not that my husband reads this.)

Feel the rhythm...Feel the rhyme. Get on up! ...it's MOMBIE time!😆 Cool Runnings, anyone? I love me a good underdog bobsled movie.😂🙌🏻 ------------------------------------------------ ...anyway....You guys! Good Morning!! I'd love for you to join @_christinaboyce and I for our weekly #MombiesRise series!💀💁🏼 ------------------------------------------------ Just post a picture of your morning super drink and/or your fab messy mom hair, tag us, use the #mombiesrise hashtag and tell us about your morning Mom Life!👍🏻 ------------------------------------------------ I stayed up way too late last night trying to finish my book, A Royal Pain, by Rhys Bowen...but I knew I had to stop when the book fell from my exhausted hands and whacked my poor giant crooked nose.😁🙄...with just 30 pages to go. ------------------------------------------------ I planned on waking up before the kids to finish my royal mystery novel in peace. ...but of course...I had no such luck. Those wild beast children woke me up at 5:45 and I was much too grumpy to read.😭 ------------------------------------------------ I just got BryLee out the door for school. Mav is crying in his crib, trying to go down for a nap since he's done nothing but scream all morning...and Ellie's painting a toilet paper roll telescope at the art table.😆 ------------------------------------------------ ...so I grabbed a breakfast soda and came to my room to finish my book.😊👍🏻 I challenge you to take a few minutes for yourself this morning! Those kids can wait while you have a little mom time.😉 ------------------------------------------------ Have a fabulous day, friends!😊😘😘😘

A photo posted by MaLyn #RealLife #MomLife (@malyn.logic) on Jan 27, 2016 at 5:23am PST

Podcasts:
The blogger behind Modern Mrs. Darcy, a book-lover's dream, has started a new podcast called What Should I Read Next?   The host interviews a book lover and plays "book matchmaking" based on the interviewee's taste in books.  I've also been listening to  Off-Camera with Sam Jones, a movie insider's podcast with notables like Matt Damon and Will Ferrell.  This is also a show on IFC channel.  Some of the movie stars are predictably pretentious about THE CRAFT, but many are fascinating, particularly the Damon and Ferrell interviews.

I'm also pleased to report I've used my elliptical a grand total of 3 times and read my bible maybe 30% of the days in January.  Self-helpers call this imperfect progress, so I'll be honest and take it. 

Have a great Wednesday!

(Oh, p.s. I get to go to Chattanooga with my youth worker friends for the Conclave conference this weekend--Child-free girlfriend/hang out/learning time!  Yay!)