WAY Overdue

I apologize for my lack of updating this blog. Roses from Rosalynn is still up and running. The donations have slowly been coming in, allowing us to continue to keep donation bags to Ohio State. HOWEVER, there is a HUGE need for these bags! Children's Hospital would LOVE for RFR to be available to their families who have lost beloved children/babies. However, we are nowhere CLOSE to bringing in the amount of donations it would take to do that right now.

There is a book fundraiser in the works as we speak. The details are still in process, but I will keep you all updated as it takes form. Also, remember, at any time, you can click the donate button on this blog, and it will take you to a secure paypal account that evry penny will go to this orginization. EVERY LITTLE BIT helps! NO donation is too small.

Recently I had to send out two packages in the mail. I was approached by 2 coworkers in a matter of 24 hours. They had had close family members lose a baby, and they were all devestated. They knew about Roses from Rosalynn, and their family memebers were NOT at Ohio State. They asked if I had any way of sending a bag to their loved ones. Of course I did. I colected the information I needed, and had 2 bags sent out within the next 24-48 hours.

Feel free that if you have a friend or family member experience a loss, contact me. I don't care where you live in the country, or how far along the baby was, just email me @ Erin@projectsweetpeas.com and I will gladly help.

Thank you all again!
God Bless!

Christmas Donation

My sister (the NICU nurse) came to me and told me that there had been 2 deaths within 24 hours in the NICU. When they went to their Roses from Rosalynn stash of bags, they had been picked over and had nothing left to give the families. It was night time, and unfortunately the head chaplain who deals with the infant deaths, and who I usually deliver the bags to, was out of the office and they couldn't get a hold of her. This is when we decided the NICU and LandD were going to keep a stash outside of the chaplain's office in order to access the bags after hours.

So, on Christmas Eve I packed up 3 bags for girls, and 3 bags for boys, 10 outfits ranging in different sizes, and a stack of special books (Mommy Please Don't Cry, There are No Tears in Heaven and a book written by my mother's 2nd grade class dedicated to Rosalynn) to be given to the grieving families.

I truly hope this helps in the unfortunate  event of an after hours passing.

Please remember, these bags are only made possible through donations. This is a non-profit, and you will get a tax deduction for any donation made. I know this time of year is really hard financially, but ANY little bit helps!

Thank you so much!! Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Thirty-One Party to Support Roses from Rosalynn!!

He there everyone!! This past sunday I hosted a Thirty one party! It was a lot of fun and had a lot of great women attend. The consultant is an old friend from highschool, and she had told me if I hosted a party, that I she would donate a portion of the profits to Roses from Rosalynn. Now, I know living all over tha country, you couldn't attend the big event, but if you act fast, you can still contribute to this great cause!! Go to this link, and order by Wednesday morning, and you will be able to be a part of donating to Roses from Rosalynn!!!

http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/eventhome.aspx?eventId=E711106&from=MYEVENTS

Hurry!! Time is running out!

Bag Deliveries!! (Way overdue post!!)

This is LONG overdue! I have made two deliveries so far. The first was a single bag and the second was a group of 11 bags to the bereavement group at OSU medical center.

The first bag delivery was a very emotional one for me. I received a phone call from my sister telling me that a baby in their NICU would be taken off the ventilator later that morning, and was wondering if I happened to have a bag in my car. I said I didn't, but when I got off of work, I would head home and grab one and bring it back to the hospital. When I got off at 6am, I drove home, and the tears started streaming. I was overcome with the grief for this family, for myself, for my precious baby girl, and for this precious baby girl who would be passing in a matter of hours. It was a hard delivery. I pulled up to the front of the hospital still in tears. My sister met me because I was not ready to meet a family in this process. One day maybe, but not yet, my own grief is still too fresh and raw. Bug had tears in her eyes ass well. She was supposed to get off at 7am, but decided to stick around until the family showed up in order to present them with the bag, and be with them as they said goodbye to their daughter. I honestly don't know how she does it. She is one strong cookie! From what Bug told me, the mom was extremely thankful for the items in the bag, and will cherish them forever. that is all I want to hear! This is why I do this!

 For Rosalynn's first birthday in Heaven, I wanted to make a delivery to the hospital I gave birth to her in. So on April 19th, exactly one year from the day that I walked into those doors only to find out my beautiful daughter's heart had stopped, I met with Joan.

Joan has been an integral part of my healing process. She is one of the chaplains at Ohio State University Medical center that deals with baby loss. She took Rosie and bathed her, dressed her, and presented her to me all wrapped in her pink knitted blanket to be baptized. She sat with me for hours and let me cry. She spent time with my family and most of all treated my beautiful angel with love and respect. She found a beautiful dress to put my baby girl in that we ended up burrying her in. She also rounded up a memory box that now holds the few things I have to cherish.

My sister and Aunt walked into the hospital and were greeted with hugs and smiles. Joan was ecstatic to see me after this whole year, and was even more thrilled to find out we were expecting Rosie's brother or sister. We sat in her office and talked for a good hour. She told us that she had just come from a family who lost their baby that day. This makes me so sad that a project like mine is even needed! I ached for that family, because exactly one year ago we had been in the same situation. I know the hell they will be going through for the next few months; the questions, the pain, the dark places. At that moment, the family felt like there would be no tomorrow, that their lives had ended. Yes, their lives had ended the way that they have known them, but all I wanted to do was go up there, hug the mom and dad, and tell them that things will get better, that the pain will never really go away, but the days will get easier to get through. I was living proof that one year later I was smiling, pregnant again, and filled with hope; feelings that on April 19/20th 2010 I never thought I would experience again.

Of course we took pictures!



The bags....if you can see the embroidery, that was from my aunt, and the other side of the bag has the Project Sweet Peas Logo



Bug, Me, and Joan! I love the little bears peaking their heads out the top of the bags!!

Just a Quick Update

I know it has seemed as if I have been hiding or MIA, but I haven't. In fact, the donations have been coming in slowly but surly, and now that school is done. I have SOOOO much more time to dedicate to raising funds. I have a potential fundraiser opportunity coming up. Maybe not exactly a fundraiser, but an awareness opportunity. A friend from one of my classes wants me to come and talk to her sorority. Supposedly they have a whole season of "giving" and outreach in the Spring quarter. She wants me to speak and her and her sorority sisters are going to do an item drive on campus for Roses from Rosalynn. This is still a POTENTIAL fundraiser as of right now, and will be updating as I get more info in the coming weeks. Also, my church wants to do a birthday drive for Rosalynn. Since her birthday falls on Holy Week, my church wants to post in the bulletin and have me make an announcement the week before Holy Week so that people can bring items during Holy week. I was honored that they wanted to do this, I just have to run it by the PSP board first. I will be making a small speech at each mass leading up to Palm Sunday and collect from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

I have a delivery appointment for April 18th. I have about 20 bags as of right now to drop off. I am ecstatic!! I am ready to deliver NOW, but unfortunately the chaplain @ OSU has been out for a hip injury this past month, so won't be able to meet with me till April, so we just decided to do it for Rosalynn's Birthday. I will be posting pictures of the finished bags and all the generous items everyone has donated!!!

My dearest Sister in law and one of my best friends, and Holly from "Caring for Carleigh" donated 16 "Mommy Please Don't Cry" Books between the 3 of them!!! AMAZING considering this is the most expensive item in the bag, and probably the most personal item from me.

Thank you all for you continued support!!

TAX EXEMPT STATUS!!!

I would like to announce that it is official. After waiting and much hard work from our Project Sweet Peas board members, Project Sweet Peas is officially a501(c)3 tax exempt non-profit organization! I have mentioned before that PSP is a non-profit, but we finally have our tex exempt status now! what does this mean? Anyone who sends a donation to Roses From Rosalynn (or any other ocal PSP project for that matter) will be mailed the paper work to apply it to their taxes at the end of the year. It gets better! If you donated since I got Roses From Rosalynn up and running (around OCT/NOV) and you have not filed your 2010 taxes, you can message me and I will send you the form for last year. I am thrilled to be a part of this amazing group of women who are so dedicated to helping other families in  time of need.


This tax exempt status will hopefully open doors wide for more donations from bigger companies, along with grants. Let's get Roses from Rosalynn all through Ohio, and Project Sweet Peas in all 50 states! If you are interested in starting your own local project, email me, or log onto Projectsweetpeas.com and send an email their way and express your interest.


Thank you everyone for your continued support and generosity!

What Goes in The Bags?

A lot of people have been asking me for lists of what will be going into each Angel bag so that they can donate to the cause. I am sorry it has taken so long, but it was because we have tweeked them more than I expected. After talking to my sister, "Bug", and determining what the hospital we will be delivering to already provides the baby loss parents, we have made our list finalized, and this is what ill be going into each bag:

~Hand and Foot print molds- these can be picked up a your local Walmart for about $7, or I am sure there are some online ordering places.
~ Journals and pen so that mom and dad can write down memories of their baby and their feelings over the next few months/years. Some people aren't as vocal as I am, and don't want to pour their heart out on the internet.
~A receiving blanket
~an outfit. I prefer a outfit that is proper for burial, because I could not have brought myself to go into a Baby's R Us to pick one out myself. I know some parents want to do it themselves, but if the outfit is already beautiful, then they don't have to if they don't want to.
~Booties and little hats to put on the baby.
~A teddy bear, small, for baby- there was a comfort in my heart knowing that Rosie's little bear was with her from the time she was born, and now resides with her in the casket. I have been looking specifically for the angel TY bears, but they are harder to find than I thought.
~A large teddy bear for mom- this is to ease a little of the pain from the "empty arm syndrome". I carried my bear around for weeks!
~A disposable camera. Although I did not think of it at the time, I regret now not getting more photos of my beautiful daughter. I think that if the camera is in the bag, parents may be inclined to take pictures. Then, they don't even have to develop the film until they are ready (It took me at least 2 months to finally look at the pictures that the hospital took).
~Gift cards. I will be giving gift cards to Joan (the bereavement director) to be given to the dads. For most women, they are in and out of the hospital within 48 of giving birth. However, under some circumstances like mine, I was there for 4 days. Foster didn't eat much. He didn't want to leave my side. I feel like if the dad has a $10 gift card to Chipotle or Tim Hortons or somewhere close to the hospital, he may be more inclined to eat. Also, the hospital food is not always appetizing, so  maybe the mom will partake in the GC.
~ Last but not least, a specific book, "Mommy Please Don't Cry, There are No tears in Heaven" I am including in every bag. If you are a BLM, and would like to donate a different book to help the mom and dad in their grief, feel free! 
~Any monetary donation is great also. There are a lot of expenses that go into this that you don't physically see (like the canvas bags, printer ink for the letters, thank you cards and stamps, etc.). To do this securely, feel free to use the paypal donation button on the right, or send it to me in the mail.

As we get more donations and are able to expand to other hospitals, more items will be added to this list. For instance, memory boxes. OSU has them already. They give them to each angle mom, however, other hospitals may not, so if you want to donate memory boxes because you are crafty and make them, or just find a nice one at a store and buy one, we will NOT turn down any donation! We will eventually use everything!

I hope this helps, I thank you all ahead of time for your generosity, and God Bless!

To send donations directly to me, please email me for my address: erinkfinneran@gmail.com