Busy Hands...

  Sharing a vintage image by Linda Edgerton today. I so love vintage art and the innocence portrayed through soft colors and sweet faces.    I've been really busy, but not doing what you might think.  I'll reveal all on Monday, and looking forward to a little rest. Soon.

It's That Time Again...

jaison cianelli image

 You're going to hear it all over Blogland, so I might as well chime in, too.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month   If you haven't been screened yet (had your mammogram) this year, don't delay any longer. In fact, many facilities offer special perks for getting one in October.    I remember one year, I came home with "BCA" gifts. I was given a tote bag,  coffee mug and a few other goodies. Just for getting a mammogram in October.  (It was October, 2009. You can see all those goodies and read about it here.) I got mine in June, but I never fail to get one every year. It's just smart. preventative care. I know. It's a little uncomfortable, but hey, we're awesome, we're women and we can do anything, right? Don't be a 'fraidy cat.   If you don't do it for yourself, do it for those you love (and who love you). Just do it! (Please)

Look What I Won...

One of my favorite blogs to follow these days is Nancy's Daily Dish.

I love transferware and have two full (different) sets that I use all the time. 

This set  (Memory Lane with acorns and oak leaves) for everyday, and my 

blue and white Spode wedding set for Sunday dinners and special occasions.

Nancy's Daily Dish gives me that regular "fix" of beautiful dishes and I learn

more about transferware from her knowledge and ever-changing collections. (She

 also has a SHOP selling gorgeous pieces, sorted by color! Purple is stunning, btw.)

I happened to read her post about her current favorite treat in this post, and saw

 that she was offering an assortment of Almondina™ biscuits to her readers. 

It took me a while to get to the "giveaway" part because I spent a lot of little

time exploring the photos from a past Home Beautiful photo shoot she featured.

 All that blue and white, along with beautiful decor, sidetracked me again!

I got all the way down to the bottom of her post to find that I would be the first

commenter.  I know. Who ever wins if they have #1? In all the time I've been

blogging and offering giveaways, I think the Random Generator has only picked

 the #1 name once or twice. I left a comment anyway and hoped for the best.

  Well, I saw on Nancy's Facebook page that "Brynwood Needleworks" was picked! I hurried over to her blog to confirm that I'd really won. (here) and then I sent  her an email. I was tickled to try her treats and babbled away on her FB page. (BTW-If anyone knows where I can find a pilgrim plate like the first one in Nancy's post, please let me know! It would fit right in with my Spode set!)   I soon received an email from Frank Gelman at Almondina™ and my favorite UPS driver delivered my package late last week. I brought them inside, made a cup of tea and snapped a few photos so I could write this post for you. Then, I sat down and enjoyed my first taste of my Original recipe Almondina biscuits. They are biscotti, but guilt-free. They are tasty, thin biscuits loaded with  texture and flavor, and they're perfect for an afternoon tea break at Brynwood. In case you're interested in tasting Almondina biscuits for yourself, here's a link to their website. (I'm actually hoping that Frank reads this and sends me an email offering an assortment for my own giveaway for my Brynwood friends! I'm  actually raving about these delicious biscuits with no prompting or compensation!)   Thank you again, Nancy!  Thank you for your lovely, inspirational blog and for your delicious giveaway.   Take a minute or two to visit Nancy's blog (the bold-faced, italicized type words in my post are links.) Just know that you might get hooked like I did!