Baking For Kate 2014 Preview #3 {In The Kitchen & Kitchen Inspired}

Whew! And here is the third and final preview for the Baking For Kate online bake sale and auction happening THIS WEEKEND, folks!  All of these items are either for the kitchen or have been inspired by the kitchen.  We have fabulous baking/cooking packages and wonderful handmade, hand crafted items from some very creative and talented bloggers and artisans. 

For those of you not familiar with Baking For Kate, I started it last May to help raise funds for my dear friend, Kate's Mommy Bucket List.  Kate was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer last January.  As her friend and knowing the hand she had already been dealt in her life, I just remember my heart sinking into my stomach when I heard the news. Kate is one of the most giving, kindhearted people that I know. After losing her first daughter, Shannon at just 3 days old to CHD and then mothering each of her 3 children through NICU, Kate helped form Project Sweet Peas.  After suffering the loss of Shannon and becoming a veteran mama of the NICU, Kate saw the serious gaps in support for grieving parents and parents with babies in the NICU and decided to fill those gaps.  

And since being diagnosed with breast cancer, Kate has become an advocate for cancer research and has volunteered for many charitable functions and fundraisers to benefit the cause.  All while raising three young children, being a wife to her police officer husband, and receiving various cancer treatments over the past year.  In fact, Kate received the prestigious Karen Shapira Survivor Award presented by Giant Eagle for outstanding excellence in promoting breast cancer awareness and making a positive impact in the lives of others just the weekend before last!  She is a warrior and fighter with the biggest heart. 

Baking For Kate 2014 Preview #2 {The Homemade Goodies!}

The Baking for Kate online bake sale and auction is THIS weekend, folks!  And I am sharing a little preview with you all today of the homemade and home baked goodies that will be up for bid in a few short days and then baked up & created by your favorite food bloggers and then shipped out to the lucky & generous bidders. :)

For those of you not familiar with Baking For Kate, I started it last May to help raise funds for my dear friend, Kate's Mommy Bucket List.  Kate was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer last January.  As her friend and knowing the hand she had already been dealt in her life, I just remember my heart sinking into my stomach when I heard the news. Kate is one of the most giving, kindhearted people that I know. After losing her first daughter, Shannon at just 3 days old to CHD and then mothering each of her 3 children through NICU, Kate helped form Project Sweet Peas.  After suffering the loss of Shannon and becoming a veteran mama of the NICU, Kate saw the serious gaps in support for grieving parents and parents with babies in the NICU and decided to fill those gaps.  

And since being diagnosed with breast cancer, Kate has become an advocate for cancer research and has volunteered for many charitable functions and fundraisers to benefit the cause.  All while raising three young children, being a wife to her police officer husband, and receiving various cancer treatments over the past year.  In fact, Kate received the prestigious Karen Shapira Survivor Award presented by Giant Eagle for outstanding excellence in promoting breast cancer awareness and making a positive impact in the lives of others just the weekend before last!  She is a warrior and fighter with the biggest heart. 

Baking For Kate 2014 Preview #1 {The Signed Cookbooks!}

The second annual Baking For Kate online bake sale and fundraiser is less than two weeks away! 

For those of you not familiar with Baking For Kate, I started it last May to help raise funds for my dear friend, Kate's Mommy Bucket List.  Kate was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer last January.  As her friend and knowing the hand she had already been dealt in her life, I just remember my heart sinking into my stomach when I heard the news. Kate is one of the most giving, kindhearted people that I know. After losing her first daughter, Shannon at just 3 days old to CHD and then mothering each of her 3 children through NICU, Kate helped form Project Sweet Peas.  After suffering the loss of Shannon and becoming a veteran mama of the NICU, Kate saw the serious gaps in support for grieving parents and parents with babies in the NICU and decided to fill those gaps.  

And since being diagnosed with breast cancer, Kate has become an advocate for cancer research and has volunteered for many charitable functions and fundraisers to benefit the cause.  All while raising three young children, being a wife to her police officer husband, and receiving various cancer treatments over the past year.  In fact, Kate received the prestigious Karen Shapira Survivor Award presented by Giant Eagle for outstanding excellence in promoting breast cancer awareness and making a positive impact in the lives of others just this past weekend!  She is a warrior and fighter with the biggest heart. 

Thank You For Making Baking For Kate a Huge Success!

The first Baking For Kate Online Bake Sale was a fabulous success!! :)  A total of $870 was raised through the bake sale alone and sent to Kate's Paypal account set up just for helping fund her Mommy Bucket List!  It was just shy of the $1000 goal I had hoped the bake sale would meet by the end of the weekend.  

I want to give a HUGE thank you to all of you who made it to the bake sale and bid on all the goodies! :)

And I also want to thank all of the lovely and giving bloggers who donated signed cookbooks, kitchen goodies, baked yummies, & baking inspired items for the bake sale...

~Lori from RecipeGirl~

~Kelly from Star Blossoms~

~Jaime from Mom's Test Kitchen~

~Camille (and the rest of the sisters!) from Six Sisters' Stuff~

~Stephanie from Life Tastes Like Food~

~Julie from This Gal Cooks~

~Dorothy from Crazy For Crust~

~Sarah from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes~

~Meg from Sweet Twist of Blogging~

~Julie from White Lights on Wednesday~

~Lisa from Wine & Glue~

~Lyuba from Will Cook for Smiles~

~Rachel from My Disorganized Life!~ 

~Marisa from Food In Jars~

~Heather from SprinkleBakes~

~Raquel from Organized Island~

~Amy from Rational Designs~

~Martha from A Family Feast~

~Teri from The Freshman Cook~

If you haven't done so already, go check out these lovely bloggers and give them a follow on one of their social media outlets to say thank you! :)

The Baking For Kate Online Bake Sale was such a wonderful success that it is my hope to hold another one of these in the fall.  

I am also considering holding a Handmade Online Rummage Sale near the beginning of December to also benefit Kate's Mommy Bucket List.  I have had several small shop owners who make handmade goodies (not necessarily baking or cooking inspired) contact me about wanting to get involved.  The Rummage Sale would be a way to bring in those of you with non-food talents into the fundraising fold and would help bidders get a jump start on their holiday gift shopping while also helping a good cause. :)

If you are interested in donating an item(s) for either the bake sale or rummage sale (or both!), please be sure to fill out the Donation Interest Form. 

**Please note, I will be limiting bake sale/rummage sale items to 25 for each event to keep the events manageable.  I will try to include everyone who would like to donate, but completing the form is not a guarantee that your donation will be accepted.  

If you were unable to participate in the bake sale (or were outbid on your favorites), you can still help Kate and her family! 

You can make a direct monetary donation to Kate and her family via Paypal (please send as a gift to Friends/Family) to CrawfordsRockingCancer@gmail.com 

Or via check or money order to:
The Crawford Family Benefit Fund
First National Bank
4627 Rt 51 Suite 601
Belle Vernon PA 15012

My friend Lisa from Hummingbird's View is selling her Feed Them With Love print for $5 as a digital download.  100% of the proceeds from the sale of this will go to Kate's Mommy Bucket List fund.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Again thanks so much to each and every one of you who made Baking For Kate possible! :) 

Baking For Kate {The Final Bake Sale Preview!}

It is hard to believe that the Baking For Kate online bake sale is happening AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!  I am so thankful to each and every one of the amazing food bloggers and creative and amazing women who have donated items for this bake sale.  I have been blown away by the generosity of so many!   And also by the outpouring of friends and family of Kate's and total strangers who have pledged to stop at the bake sale this weekend to bid on their favorite goodies.  :)

If you haven't done so already, please make sure you click on over and give the Baking For Kate Facebook page a Like.  That is where ALL the bidding will be taking place, and you don't want to miss out on bidding on one of your favorite goodies, now do you? ;)

Also, make sure you CLICK ON OVER HERE for all the bidding guidelines.  Please note that you MUST have a Paypal account to bid on items (this is how you will send the payment if you happen to be the highest bidder on an item) and you MUST have the bake sale items shipped to an address within the United States.  If you live outside the U.S. & have a Paypal account, you could still bid & send your goodies to a friend or family member in the States for a fun surprise!  Just a thought... :)

Okay, are you all ready for the last sneak peek of some of the amazing and yummy goodies that could be getting shipped to your home after this weekend?? 

And be sure to also follow my Baking For Kate Online Bake Sale Preview Board on Pinterest to see all the bake sale goodies in one place and to get a sneak peek of the starting bids for each item. 

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Caramel Cookies from from Meg at Sweet Twist of Blogging

Summer Fun in the Kitchen Gift Pack donated by Julie from This Gal Cooks

Ultimate Cookie Lovers Duo- Oreo Pudding Cookies & Death by Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies from Sarah at Fantastical Sharing of Recipes

Feed Them With Love 8x10 Print from Lisa at Wine & Glue

Coconut Oatmeal Cookie Bars from Lyuba at Will Cook For Smiles

Sweet Cupcake Crocheted Hat for Baby (Custom Size & Color) from Kelly of Star Blossoms

Autographed copy of The RecipeGirl Cookbook from Lori at RecipeGirl

The Essential Meal & Recipe Planning Pack- an 11x14 Dry Erase Menu Board & 24 Customizable Hand Stamped Recipe Cards

Created & donated by Carrie at Frugal Foodie Mama & Amy of Rational Designs

Custom Engraved Recipe Bamboo Board from Marcella's Engravables donated by Jaime from Mom's Test Kitchen

Autographed Copy of the SprinkleBakes Cookbook from Heather at SprinkleBakes

What are you most excited to bid on this weekend?  

Please continue to help spread the word!  Feel free to grab the bake sale button below and place it on your blog or website.  Also, use the hashtag #BakingForKate on Twitter and Instagram!  

If you missed my first preview of the bake sale items, make sure you check it out here.
See you all at the Baking For Kate Facebook Page at midnight when bidding starts for the weekend!  Thank you all again SO much!! :)

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Baking For Kate {Bake Sale Preview #1!}

It is hard to believe that the Baking For Kate online bake sale is happening this weekend!  I am so thankful to each and every one of the amazing food bloggers and creative and amazing women who have donated items for this bake sale.  I have been blown away by the generosity of so many!   

If you haven't done so already, please make sure you click on over and give the Baking For Kate Facebook page a Like.  That is where ALL the bidding will be taking place, and you don't want to miss out on bidding on one of your favorite goodies, now do you? ;)

Also, make sure you CLICK ON OVER HERE for all the bidding guidelines.  Please note that you MUST have a Paypal account to bid on items (this is how you will send the payment if you happen to be the highest bidder on an item) and you MUST have the bake sale items shipped to an address within the United States.  If you live outside the U.S. & have a Paypal account, you could still bid & send your goodies to a friend or family member in the States for a fun surprise!  Just a thought... :)

Okay, are you all ready for another sneak peek of some of the amazing and yummy goodies that could be getting shipped to your home after this weekend?? 

I thought so...  ;)

Salted Dark Chocolate Chip & Hazelnut Cookies from Stephanie at Life Tastes Like Food

Signed copy of the Food In Jars Cookbook from Marisa of Food In Jars

Oreo Peanut Butter Popcorn from Dorothy of Crazy For Crust

The Ultimate (& Very Organized) Cupcake Decorating Set from Raquel of Organized Island

Think Pink Biscotti (In Vanilla Almond or Coconut Chai) from yours truly (Frugal Foodie Mama)

Loves to Bake Cupcakes Pewter Charm Necklace from Sarita's Jewelry Box donated by Jaime of Mom's Test Kitchen

Cranberry Almond Coconut Macaroons with a Chocolate Glaze from Martha of A Family Feast

Summer Fun Peanut Brittle Trio {Take Me Out to the Ball Game, S'mores, & Sweet Carolina} from Teri of The Freshman Cook

A Copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 50th Anniversary Edition donated by Julie from White Lights on Wednesdays

What are you most excited to bid on this weekend?  

Please continue to help spread the word!  Feel free to grab the bake sale button below and place it on your blog or website.  Also, use the hashtag #BakingForKate on Twitter and Instagram!  

Be sure to stop back by here for another sneak peek of the rest of the bake sale items on Friday morning! :)

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Baking for Kate- A Formal Invite to My Online Bake Sale

I am cordially inviting each and every one of you to stop by the Baking For Kate Facebook page and give it a Like, and then be sure to return there the weekend of May 18th and 19th, 2013 for the bake sale.   

When I learned of my friend Kate's Stage IV breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year, I felt my heart just sink into my stomach.  I felt ill.  I felt helpless.

I met Kate after I had suffered my second consecutive miscarriage.  Kate is one of the co-founders of Project Sweet Peas, a non-profit that provides comfort and support to parents who are enduring and continue to endure the hardship of having babies in the NICU and for grieving parents who have experienced pregnancy loss or the loss of a baby.

Kate founded Project Sweet Peas in honor of her daughter Shannon who died of CHD just 3 short days after being born.  She has since had 3 children- two twin girls and a boy, all NICU graduates.

After meeting Kate, I was so moved by what she was doing that I decided to make a donation of keepsake baby bracelets for Kate to include in the memory boxes that Project Sweet Peas provides for heartbroken parents.  She helped me find a way to honor, to remember my two sweet little ones that I had lost much too soon... 

After learning of her diagnosis, I knew I had to find some way to help.  I sent her an all pink care package with home baked goodies, but that just didn't feel like quite enough.  The idea of an online bake sale kept coming back to me, but I just couldn't quite wrap my mind around the logistics of organizing one.  

But then I woke up one morning and decided that I was going to make it happen.  And now Baking for Kate is a reality. <3

Here are a just a few key guidelines for the bake sale...

• You must have a Paypal account.  It is super easy to set up and secure for all involved.  If you do not already have a Paypal account set up and you wish you participate in the bake sale, please set one up asap.  It takes a few business days for Paypal to confirm and verify the checking account you will be attaching to it.
• Bidding on items will not start until 12am EST on Saturday, May 18th.  Bidding will commence at 11:59pm EST Sunday, May 19th.  Any bids placed before 12am EST on May 18th and any bids placed after 11:59pm EST May 19th will not be accepted.
• A few hours before the bake sale bidding starts, I will post all photos & descriptions of the bake sale items to the Baking for Kate Facebook page.  You can browse a bit before the bake sale & decide on which items you would most like to bid on.  Please make sure you go and Like the Facebook page so you can stay updated on all the bake sale news!
• Most bids for items will start at $5 or $10.  You may bid on items in $5 increments only.  (For instance, if an item has been bid to $20, you must bid $25 to outbid the highest bid.)  Bids in increments other than $5 will not be accepted. 
• You will bid by commenting on the photos.  In your comment, please include your bid amount and your email address. (Be sure to spell out the @ and dot to throw off spambots.)  
• On May 20th, the highest bidder will be contacted via the email address they provided in the comments.   They will have 24 hours to send the money to me via Paypal.  If they do not reply and send the bid amount within that time, the next highest bidder will be contacted.
• If you bid on and win a baked or homemade item, please allow a few extra days for the shipping of that item.  Most of the food bloggers participating will be making/baking their goodies after the highest bidder has been confirmed and will want to be sure that what they are sending you is fresh and yummy. :)
• 100% of the proceeds will go directly to Kate and her family to help cross off items on her Mommy Bucket List and to help cover the expenses of her medical treatment.
• This covers most of the guidelines for the moment.  But if you have any further questions, concerns, or comments, please do not hesitate to email me at thefrugalfoodiemama (at) yahoo {dot} com.  

Okay, and how about a few sneak peeks of some of the incredible (and yummy) items you can bid on come May 18th... 

A copy of the new Six Sisters' Stuff cookbook... signed by all six sisters!!

Candied Bacon Brownies With (or Without) Walnuts from {I Love} My Disorganized Life

Stay tuned to posts on the blog throughout the next week- I will be randomly showing more sneak peeks of some of the bake sale items!  And please spread the word about the bake sale to all of your family and friends!  

If you are a blogger or have a website, please feel free to grab the Baking For Kate button and place it on your sidebar.  I would greatly appreciate it! :)

<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BakingForKate"><img border="0" src="http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r537/frugalfoodiemama/bakingforkate_zpsa9e508f0.png " /></a>