Baby Kate and something you can do!

Sweet Baby Kate

I love this baby girl and her family.  I attended her funeral last Saturday.  It was sweet and heartbreaking.  I spent a lot of time with my friend and it was really nice.  We cried together and we laughed.  Such a difficult part of life dealing with death.  And no one should ever have to deal with the death of their child.  They are doing well, all things considered.

I know many many of you prayed for Kate.  Many of you follow Amanda on instagram (@rykerandamanada) or on Facebook (Kate Cherrington Conway).  Many donated, sent gifts and cards.  I feel awkward saying thank you as it isn't really my place..but I'm just so grateful for the outpouring of love Amanda and Ryker have received.

Last week I auctioned a quilt on instagram, all the benefits went to the Conways.  Lori from SewPsyched! was the highest bidder.  She has an AWESOME idea I'm very excited about.  Here is her post.  Make sure if you want to participate you MUST go to SewPsyched!.

Quilt by Quilt Story Meg

I am going to sign the back of the quilt with my name and place of residence and a brief message.
Then I am going to send it along to the next person who would like to sign it. And on it will go.
Because Ryker and Amanda lost little baby Kate.  Less than two brief months is all they got with her.  You can read her story here on a Quilt Story's website, and on Instagram under user @rykerandamanda.   
I won this quilt in an Instagram auction to benefit Kate's parents because they had recently lost her and were experiencing devastating hospital bills. They did not know about the auction. They haven't asked for money from anyone.  The only thing that is holding them together right now is their love for each other and  the love of  family and friends.  
You can share in this mother's grief and send her kind words and thoughts by viewing her instagram profile @rykerandamanda .  It is startling, heartrending, incredibly brave. I honestly do not know how to help her other than to show her that she is not ALONE. That there are others out there who understand, or want to, and who care.
Let's try to get as many signatures, from as many places and people as possible. So that when Amanda wraps herself in this beautiful quilt, she will think of her beautiful baby, and know that we are all there thinking of them, too.
It doesn't have to be fancy. Mine's not. I'm not a fancy kinda gal :)

And so, I am starting a Send Along with this quilt. For Kate. For Ryker and Amanda. For us all.


To enter the Send Along:

• Leave a comment on this post with your name.  If you are a no-reply blogger, please email me at givbludplayhocky@gmail.com.
• I will make a list, by country, of folks who would like to sign the quilt.
• I will send the quilt out to the first recipient. I will send them the next recipient's email. You can then exchange addresses, or even get together over coffee. Wouldn't that be nice?
• I will add two fat quarters of some luscious fabric that I would not normally give away.
• Won't you please do the same for the recipient after you? I believe that receiving a thought/gift from another signatee will bring us all together, and also maybe help defray the cost of postage.
• I will pay postage to the first Non-USA recipient, and the return postage to the USA, through Paypal.
• I will post where the quilt is, every time it moves.
• Please take a pic of your message on the quilt, and link it here. If you don't know how to do that, just email it to me, and I will post it for you.
• I am going to include a notebook so that you can record a message for Ryker and Amanda, or thoughts, if you wish to do so.  

Let's all get together and no something kind for a mother who we do not know, but can surely understand.
XXOO!Lori

Thank you Lori!!!!

PS Winners from First Friday Giveaway are HERE.  Check it out to see if you won!!!

For Sweet Baby Kate

Many of you have heard about my best friend Amanda's baby Kate.  Either through my instagram (or other social media) or the post I did HERE a few weeks ago.

I'm so sorry to say that sweet Kate fought so incredibly hard but yesterday morning she passed due to internal bleeding.  She was thriving on her second liver transplant and things took a sudden turn.  I am absolutely heartbroken for my friends.

This post is about things you can do to help.

If you are on instagram one thing you can do is share an image of a butterfly.  These have been symbolic of Kate and her journey for Amanda (@rykerandamanda) .  Use the hashtag #butterfliesforkate so they can see our love for them and Kate.

Next Southern Fabric is having a one day sale for April Showers layer cakes for $24.99 and all the proceeds will go to Kate's family!!  Thank you thank you thank you!

To financially donate you can see these two sources:

Well Fargo account #1253566481

Go Fund Me 

Lastly in a few minutes I will be doing an Instagram Auction for this quilt (below) my instagram is @quiltstorymeg.  ALL proceeds will go to Kate's family.

Just a huge thank you to everyone!!  I'm so touched by the outpouring of love.  Amanda is AMAZING.  She is always always doing for others.  She is incredibly sweet and kind.  I'm so grateful for her and her friendship.  I wish desperately she wasn't going through this.  Thank you again to all of you for caring.