Category / Oat

by princesshotflash

2 years

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@ Hawaii Loa Photo by Jodie Roeca

2 years since Oat passed. 2 years being on my own since I met him 33 years ago. 2 years since the saddest day of my life. 2 of the hardest years of my 58 years.

I’m trying my best to carry on, working through things slow.

I’m keeping busy learning new things, quilting, stamping, preserving and spinning.

And making new friends and connecting with my old crew. Laughing, talking and just being silly as we enjoy each others company.

Oat would have enjoyed moving back to Hawaii with me. Maybe too much to do for him but so many opportunities for him to create a new costume photo shoot or a shelter we could use to go camping in. Who knows what he would have came up with all the stuff my dad has. He would have loved all of the tarps. Miss you.

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by princesshotflash

Team Cheery Oats

That’s TEAM Cheery Oats to be exact.

I decided to participate NJ Sharing network 5k Celebration of Life on Sunday, June 3 in New Providence, NJ. I’m getting a team together and that’s where Team Cheery Oats comes in.

I wanted a name to play off of his name and I thought of cereal (oatmeal) and with friends from work we came up with a cereal name for our team. “Cheery” is kind of fitting for him as the customers told me how they remembered his smile and how he would greeting them with a hello.

Working on a t-shirt design for out team. I googled cereal boxes and found this as my inspiration.

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Here’s what I got so far. Still fussing with it.

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Please join our team and to walk and raise money for NJ Sharing network. Our team goal is a $1000. And you get a Team Cheery Oats shirt. Here’s the link to the team page: http://njsn.convio.net/site/TR/Events/20185k?team_id=1820&pg=team&fr_id=1091

If you can’t join us on June 3rd, please think of donating to our team to reach our goal. Here’s a link my page where you can make a donation: http://njsn.convio.net/site/TR/Events/20185k?px=1013597&pg=personal&fr_id=1091

Thank you all for the support throughout this year. It’s been tough but the support helped me take one day.  I hope to see you on June 3.

 

by princesshotflash

Repurpose, Restart, Happy New Year!

Decided to frog (rip apart–knitting term) the first sweater I ever made. It was for Oat and made with 2 strand of super soft merino wool from Morehouse Farm in NY. I decided to make a throw for my dad who is always cold in Hawaii.

2691399216_bca0487d38_oHere’s Oat wearing the sweater in Prague in 2008. This is the beginning of my Mr. Handmade.

My little Orange loved helping me with frogging the sweater.

He’s exhausted from all his hard work.

Ollie knows better to get involved with the yarn. Sleeping on my leg is his job.

This is what I’ve been doing. Trying to repurpose things that meant something to Oat. Repurposing his knit hats into shawls and wraps for Wrapped in Love. Hawaiian shirts will be turned into a patchwork quilt. And hopefully I can turn his old jean into an interesting project.

I hope this help me with a restart in 2018. Lots of changes and more to come.

Happy New Year to everyone! Hope it is good one for everyone.

by princesshotflash

#GivingTuesday

Looking for an organization to give to this #GivingTuesday. There are two organizations that I’ve supported this year and like to share with you need a suggestion.

Elijah’s Promise

As a foodie and former restaurant owner, this organization is dear to my heart. They have many programs that help the community, I’ve been involved with the soup kitchen. They serve 300 meals a day which is an incredible feat with donations and volunteer help.

I volunteered one day last spring in their kitchen prepping for lunch, serving and cleaning the kitchen. And just this past weekend, with my restaurant closing, I donated as much as I could from my restaurant from fresh food to dry goods to cleaning supplies. I hope my donations help them feed at least one meal service.

Wrapped in Love/NJ Sharing network

They are very special to me. Through NJ Sharing Network, I was able to donate Oat’s corneas, tissue, and bones to help others. Wrapped in Love is a volunteer group that creates wraps, shawls, scarves, and lap blankets to send to donor families on the 2 year anniversary of their special gift. I’ve started attending their knit nights and created Oat’s knit-a-long get my friends to join Wrapped in Love efforts.

NJ Sharing Network is a really special organization. They checked in with me on Oat’s 6 month anniversary. It was such a surprise and wonderful feeling to know how much they care about their donor families to check up on me on this anniversary.

I’m going to knit night tonight and I’m delivering my sister’s lap blanket, Martha’s (the fastest knitter I know, even faster than my sister) mom’s scarf and my chunky gray lap blanket for donations. The first of Oat’s knit-a-long items.

Corinne’s lap blanket
my gray chunky

Or do you have too much crap like me

#Lupuspickup.org sent me a post card telling me they will be in my area for pick up and this spurred my cleaning cells into high gear and I collected 6 bags of clothes and shoes (mostly Oat’s) and 1 box of housewares donation. So easy to schedule an appointment and perfect timing for me to help me get rid of stuff.

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donation waiting for pickup

by princesshotflash

OMG! Look what I got!

Blanket One has landed with bunch of goodies for me.

infinity cowl in superwash wool

more goodies

Downton Abby Tea (black tea infused with honey), silly putty, and a groovy pattern–oh wait–it’s a notebook. Thank goodness, there would have been major alterations to the pattern. I’m not my 1970’s figure anymore. Haha!

Now for the best part of the box…

Blanket One

A beautiful light blue cotton/microfiber lap blanket courtesy of my sister, Corinne, who is an awesome knitter. One of her projects that came out of hibernation.

I’ll be taking this to Wrapped in Love Knit Night along with my gray bulky garter/stockinette blanket. I hope whoever gets Blank One from Wrapped in Love will loves it as much as I do. I know Oat would love. He would want it for himself, he is really Mister Handmade.