My new project

Good morning! Yesterday was a rainy and cold day and a very inactive one as far as any projects go for me. I had to (begrudgingly) hold off on working on any projects due to a pinched nerve in my back. I was also pretty busy yesterday as far as getting to church and then going to my in-laws house to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. Today though I am feeling a tightness in my back but it's not going to keep from my new project at hand. The ABC book is nearly completed. I only have a few more pages to go through and then the actually binding together and finishing touches. However, that project doesn't need to be done until the beginning of May, so I can put it aside for a couple days. I have a new project that I am so excited and honored to do. My husband's grandparents, Nona and Nonno, are celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary. They came to the United states from Italy and we are throwing an Old World Italian dinner themed party for them. I am creating a framed page in tones of cream, sepia and black (the colors of the dinner) from a gorgeous old photo of the two of them in 1947 in front of the Collosseum in Rome. I saw the picture once upon a time at their house, and when I thought of the idea of creating a page for them to be on display at the dinner, I called my mother-in-law hoping and praying that she could get a copy. It turned out she had the same idea to have me make a page but she was afraid that we would have to go with a different picture since she didn't think she could get or had a copy of it. I, of course was pretty upset about that. But then, two nights ago, Alida (my mother-in-law) called me to say she had found a copy! Yesterday when I went over there, she showed it to me. It was smaller copy of the one at Nona's house, but it was beautiful. We gently took it out of the album and as I looked at the picture, I got a bonus surprise on the back. Scrolled in Nona's hand in Italian was the date and a caption. I passed it to Alida for her to translate. We managed to decipher that it said something along the lines of  "With my dear Mario...." and then two words we couldn't make out and then "Loredonna" which is Nona's name. I knew I had to get a copy of the back of the picture too!
 So, this morning I have spent scanning the picture, front and back, into my computer and trying to restore it. I love that it has that sepia tone, because I have a beautiful piece of paper to back the photo with  **thank you Alida for having a brilliant eye when it comes to matching colors** given to me by my mother-in-law. I am so excited to get started on this! I just have to make a run to the store today and pick up a few things.

If anyone knows what the last couple words are, please let me know! 

Thanks for checking in!