Welcome to my bake sale to raise money for cancer research.  This bake sale is my way of supporting my cousin as he competes in the Timberman Ironman in honor of his dad who passed away last summer.  For more about that story , you can check this post.  Below are 29 items donated by bloggers, friends, family and myself.  I’m so thankful to everyone who has participated so far!

In order to bid, send an email to keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com with your baked good in the subject line and tell me the dollar amount you are bidding.  The bake sale is open through midnight est on Wednesday, June 29th. I’ll continuously update the bids on this page throughout the day so don’t forget to check back in case you are outbid.  Please see the end of the post for rules.

Joanne’s Carrot Cake Cookies

Current Bid: $25

Victoria’s Lime Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Current Bid: $30

Victoria’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Pinwheel Cookies

Current Bid: $20

Victoria’s Cherry Chocolate Shortbread

Current Bid: $20

Madison’s Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies (will ship anywhere)

Current Bid: $35

Kristen’s Chocolate Chip, Toasted Pecan & Dried Cranberry Cookies (Made by Jen)

Current Bid: $20

Carol’s Spelt Raisin Cookies {Vegan} (with choice of add-ins) (will ship anywhere)

Current Bid: $20

My Mom’s Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Current Bid: $40

My Mom’s Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Current Bid: $25

Sharon’s Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies

Current Bid: $50

Becca’s White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Current Bid: $25

Lauren & Chrissy’s Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Current Bid: $40

Jessica’s Coconut Walnut Cookies

Current Bid: $20

Peggy’s Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Current Bid: $20

Christina’s Multigrain Biscotti

Current Bid: $30

Veronica’s Snickerdoodle Blondies

Current Bid: $40

Rachel’s Butterscotch Blondies with Salted Chocolate Glaze

Current Bid: $53

Erin’s Peanut Butter, Banana & Nutella Bars

Current Bid: $25

Monica’s Whole Grain Oatmeal Carmelitas

Current Bid: $35

Nina’s Mint Chocolate Brownies

Current Bid: $17

My Salted Gooey Caramel Butter Bars

Current Bid: $35

Becca’s Black Bottom Cupcakes

Current Bid: $20

Jessica’s Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins

Current Bid: $20

Nina’s Sugar-Topped Blueberry Muffins

Current Bid: $20

My Low Fat Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Current bid: $29

Jessica’s Pistachio Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Current Bid: $20

Kristen’s Toasted Coconut Pecan Granola

Current Bid: $20

Erin’s Homemade Granola

Current Bid: $20

Caroline’s Homemade Granola

Current Bid: $20

Bake Sale and Bidding Rules:

• Each item has a minimum bid of $15 and minimum bids of $3.
• All baked goods are open to US residents.  It is noted next to the item if the baker will ship outside of the US.
• The funds must be donated per the instructions here within 24 hours of the bake sale.
• The products will be shipped by Friday July 8th

Leave any questions regarding the bake sale in the comment section of this post.  Thank you in advance for participating in a cause close to my heart.

Almost two years ago, my Uncle Bob, my Dad’s big brother, was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The news came from across the country in California with surprise and sadness.  However, at the time, we knew my uncle was strong and a fighter, and although he had to go through months of various treatments including chemo, we always thought he would pull through.  I felt for my cousins that had to go through this, but also admired their strength as a family and lack of self-pity that any of them had.

As my dad put it, “My brother Bob was my protector and teacher for as long as I can remember … then, the unimaginable [happened], Bob was diagnosed with lymphoma. He faced that with incredible courage. He always seemed optimistic about the treatments. He tried to make it more comforting for his family and friends by talking about the lives and needs of others, rather than dwelling on his own  health.”
Uncle Bob seemed to be responding to treatment well enough for the first 6 months, but he couldn’t quite beat the cancer. In March, just two days before my wedding shower, I received a call from my Dad.  What he said shocked me; it wasn’t the news that I had expected.  My Aunt Linda, my Dad’s big sister, had passed away from complications related to a seizure. This was completely unexpected and heartbreaking.
The day after my shower, we went down to Baltimore to say goodbye to my aunt.  Uncle Bob was luckily able to make the trip from California to be with his family.  My uncle, who I hadn’t seen since before he was diagnosed, came with the same personality I remembered.  Funny, smart (my dad and his siblings all seem to be geniuses), and energetic.  The chemo had taken away his hair and aged him a decade, but the minute he opened his mouth he was the same Uncle Bob I remembered.  The same big brother my dad grew up with.
That day, we talked about my upcoming wedding.  We talked about some treatments he had scheduled and that if his tests worked out from a timing standpoint, he’d be dancing at my wedding with the rest of us.  His sister had just died and he was in-between bouts of chemo, and all he wanted to talk about was how much he looked forward to making the trip to Philadelphia in June.
Unfortunately, my uncle couldn’t make it to the wedding as he was undergoing more treatment at the time.  I felt so sad for my dad that both his brother and sister were missing from that day.  Some of my cousins did come, though, and shared in the celebration.
As the summer wore on, the cancer seemed to grow with a vengeance. My Uncle fought hard and probably stole a few more weeks of life than anyone could have imagined. On August 20th, coincidentally the night before my birthday, I got the call that Uncle Bob had passed away.
Because of the distance, I had never been very close to my Uncle, but every time he visited I was reminded of what a wonderful person he was.  I loved seeing my dad joke around and get teased by the man who was his big brother.  I know that the loss of his siblings took something from him, and the very thought of that breaks my heart.
It has been almost a year since Uncle Bob passed away, and I still don’t believe it is real.  I can’t believe that someone with so much life just isn’t around anymore.  Now, to honor my uncle and help others who may face their own struggles with Lymphoma, my cousin, Steve, is competing in the Timberman Ironman. In conjunction with this, his goal is to raise $5,000 for research and grants related to blood cancers.
To support Steve, and honor my Uncle Bob, my dad’s big brother, I’ll be hosting a bake sale on the blog Wednesday, June 29th. It would mean the world to me if you would donate a baked good.  If you are interested in participating, please email me at keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com by Thursday, June 23rd. Please send the name of the baked good you’d like to donate, a photo of the dessert and a link to your blog post if you have one. Also, let me know where you can send your baked good to (ie US only, etc.).

Please head over to Madison’s blog Espresso and Cream today.  She is holding a bake sale and all of the proceeds go towards the American Red Cross for disaster relief in Japan.  You will even get a chance to bid on these:

What better way is there to raise money for Japan than buying some delicious baked goods?