Downton Season 3, Episode 4: Carry On.

SPOIL-ER. Come back when you've seen the episode.
But make sure you all either come back or read all the way to the bottom of this post,
because I have a freebie to give you that will make you all lift your chin up and feel a little better.Think of it as  me passing the tissue to you, my friend.


I can't stop crying. And it's an ugly cry. The best and worst, most incredibly acted and well written death scene and after shock that I've seen in a long time, maybe not since when sweet Beth dies in Little Women {classic, Louisa May Alcott}. Or when we think Marianne Dashwood {my alter ego...I may have to write a post about that} in Sense and Sensibility is near death and you aren't sure if she's going to pull out of it or not.  This was an unbelievable scene that was gripping and so real, without gore or showing blood, btw.
The terror in their eyes was so real to me. And Dr. Clarkson, you had me at 'pre-eclampsia'. And oh, Dowager Granny...what a beautiful and touching bit of acting from Dame Maggie Smith...her lines were so moving and wise, and then there was the scene when she is walking through the halls of her old home looking oh so much like her age has caught up to her with the weight of this tragedy...oh, I must wip out one of my favorite quotes:

"Grief is the price we pay for love". ~Queen Elisabeth II

OK..so besides major plot points...these are the things I LOVED about this episode:
Tufted upholstered headboards:
Every style...from ornate to stream lined...it's an upscale hotel look that works well with any decor.

Fancy Shmancy Bathrobes:
Oh why, oh why do I wear plaid flannel and sweat pants to bed? Do I think anything could be more comfortable than dreamy silk? I'm bringing back feminine, silky, loveliness, even if it is really just for my own 'I'd like to feel special' reasons. Wouldn't we all feel a little more lovely in a pretty nightgown and bathrobe? I mean "dressing gown"?

There is an amazing British Lingerie maker, Lucille, that was producing ladies' garments back in the day. A family member has revived the brand and is producing these stunning versions for purchase today. You may have to sell your car to buy one though.

Lucille's "Duches of Warwick" gown

 

Now I don't know if I could wear this making PB&J's for the kids lunches each morning... 

but aren't they gorgeous? 

Jenny Packham...my favorite option, but alas..not in budget

or this

but

I'd settle for

Layla Grace, $83

or 

Amazon, $39

Carry On: 
And, getting back to the root of last night's Downton...let me just say, that the British "stiff upper lip" is exemplified in dear Carson. So, "Carry On".
It isn't flippant. It isn't unemotional and insensitive. With saying "Carry On" it means almost that we owe it to those that we've lost to pick up and very painfully continue to live and love in dignity, despite the tragedies that life brings.

So click and download these printables..There are so many versions out there, just about one for every mood, hobby and color choice. But here is the original phrase.

{In the Spring of 1939, with war against Germany all but inevitable, the British Government’s Ministry of Information commissioned a series of propaganda posters to be distributed throughout the country at the onset of hostilities. … The posters were intended to offer the public reassurance in the dark days which lay ahead.

The intent of the poster was to convey a message from the King {King George VI) to his people, to assure them that ‘all necessary measures to defend the nation were being taken’, and to stress an ‘attitude of mind’ rather than a specific aim.

At the end of August 1939 three designs went into production… The first poster, of which over a million were printed, carried a slogan suggested by a civil servant named Waterfield. Using the crowns of George VI as the only graphic device, the stark red and white poster read ‘Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory’. … The third design, of which over 2.5 million posters were printed, simply read ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’.

… The ‘Keep Calm’ posters were held in reserve, intended for use only in times of crisis or invasion. Although some may have found there way onto Government office walls, the poster was never officially issued and so remained virtually unseen by the public – unseen, that is, until a copy turned up more than fifty years later (2001) in a box of dusty old books bought in auction. }

Or you could always:

XXXOOO.

P.S. Don't forget to enter the January Give Away daily!!! Winner will be announced this FRIDAY!!!

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