The Fire

**PLEASE NOTE**

This is a continuing process and instead of make a new post I am just adding to the bottom, so if you are here for the first time you can start at the top and read to the bottom. If you have visited before, I am adding dates, so you will know where to start again.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY

HOWDY ALL!

On Tuesday December 18th I found out at work from a Co-Worker that she thought my house was on fire. I flew home to find several fire trucks in my driveway, my worst fear had came to life. I had to sit helpless for almost 2 hours and watch thick black smoke come from my home as the firefighters brought it under control. As I sat there and prayed that my home didn't burn to the ground, I watched the firemen throwing things from my house. The insulation in the attic was being thrown from the vent. I saw my kitchen cabinets come flying out the front door. I shed many tears waiting to get into my home to see the damage.

This was what I seen when I pulled into my driveway: (I took this after I had been there, I am a scrapper!)

I was SO touched when I seen the firemen carrying pictures from my basement walls and from around the entertainment center in my laundry basket. (didn't get a pic cause I think I was crying!) 

When we got to go into the basement this is where the fire started. We thought it had something to do with the wood stove, but the Insurance Adjuster who came out the day after the fire said it was electrical. See those jars of green beans and Salsa I worked so hard canning this summer, ALL GONE!! Can't save them!! Just heartbreaking.

The fire burned up through my kitchen and  you can see that it burned to the outside on the main level of the house.

Here is my kitchen, or what is left of it anyways. NOT MUCH! My Kitchen sink is sitting out on the front porch and my open cabinets from this wall are out on the lawn, and the dishwasher frame is out on the deck.

The firemen were just AWESOME as they sat the dishes they could on the table and by the microwave to try to save what they could. SO THANKFUL for that!

Here is another picture of my kitchen:

And another, you can see here where the fire burned up through the attic and roof. 

After the firemen all left and we could go through and try to salvage things, there were things that my Grandma's had given to me that was top priority. I found the old crock and some silver trays that my Paternal Grandma had given to me and some custard cups from my Maternal Grandma. SO THANKFUL I found them and they were black, but still in one piece. Some other things that I found were a set of M&M cups that a man I used to care for had given to me. Some dishes that were special as they were ones like my grandma had. 

I am SO thankful the fire didn't happen at night. The fireman said that the fire had smoldered for several hours and since the house was shut up it didn't have any oxygen to really burn. I am also THANKFUL for the several passerby's who seen the smoke and called 911 to report the fire, and SO VERY THANKFUL that NO ONE was hurt, not us or the firefighters. My house held special things, but it and all the STUFF inside it can be replaced. So I am trying to stay OPTIMISTIC that things will be just fine.

I lost many things and one of them was my Christmas tree. This is what it looked like, the firemen said it was 700-800 degrees in my living room when they opened the front door.

 On Thursday December 20th my AWESOME Walmart Family donated and delivered a BRAND NEW Christmas tree to me! We call it a Redneck Christmas Tree this is how it was delivered:

 Shrink wrapped, and ALL the price tags were still on the ornaments!! LOL!

 My Pretty New tree, that's Melissa on the left and me, she is the Lawn and Garden Dept. Manager and ONE HELLUVA Good Lady!

 Because of my Walmart Family I got to have a favorite tradition, which is to read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to my grandkids sitting by the tree. My parents were away in Texas for the winter and they let us move into their home while we figure out what to do.

On Friday, my Mom kept texting me and asking when I would be at their house as we were having trouble getting the satellite to work. There was many things to take care of and I just kept putting her off telling her I would let her know when I was back at the house. Finally around 2 I sent her a text to let her know I was at the house. I had been out running errands and trying to make sure we had the "necessities" to do the normal things, as EVERYTHING was badly damaged by the smoke from the fire. I took a minute to run to the bathroom and the door bell starts ringing! I am saying to myself GEESH, can't even take a pee!! So I go to the door and NO ONE is there?! I open the screen door, look to the left and there is my MOM and DAD!! They come back to help us out and WHAT A SURPRISE it was!! I BAWLED like a baby cause I was SO HAPPY To see them. They screamed Merry Christmas and I was like I told you that you didn't have to come home, but I AM SO GLAD you're HERE!! (I mighta cried to my Daddy on the phone cause I wished he was here!) That's Dad, Mom, Me and my Hubby, Sammy! First Christmas I have spent with them in 15 years as they usually are in Texas!!

Here are a few more pics this is kitchen that thing on the top of the refrigerator is a TV, you can see the Rice Chex, I had just spent about $60 getting all my goodies together so I could make Christmas Candy. Needless to say didn't get that done.

 Here is all my hard work from the summer, all these have to be thrown away!!

 Here is a close up of my little pantry that sits next to the oven it got a little warm.

 This pic is from the basement looking up: Burned through 5 of the rafters.

 We got to have our Christmas with kids and Grands on Thursday the 27th. I wanted a pic of all the grandkids with me and my DIL Sarah got in the pic, I asked what are you doing? See that little bump in her belly? That is grand #5!! She is due in June, so HOPING for a little girl!

The first thing I seen when I went into the upstairs of the house was my sink and inside it was the Grandkids' bowls. I had bought them each their own special plate, bowl and cup a few years back. On Sunday before Christmas we happened to stop at Walmart over in Eldon and I seen these plate, bowl and cup sets and just HAD to get them. So this was the first thing that I replaced from the fire, and they just LOVE the fact that they have a new set.

The crew from Serv-Pro came on Friday and loaded up what was save-able from the house. My house had 4 bedrooms, kitchen/dining room, Living room, family room and  2 full baths and it was FULL!! This is what I get to keep, pretty sad, but I am happy to have this, if you remember my word for 2012 was LESS, YEP I definitely got a LOT LESS now:

Here is my Dad, he came to help out as we have to do an Inventory sheet for EVERYTHING in the house, that is a JOB, let me tell ya'! He needed someplace to sit down so he could write for me as I was digging through the mess, this was the only chair I had! LOL!

This piece of art my DD is holding was a stack of plastic containers that I had, they all melted together:

 When I first when into the house, I looked at the carpet and thought it wasn't bad, that is until I moved the rug!!

 In the mist of all this mess and disaster it's the little things that have just kept me moving on. I lost 2 gift cards to Sears, worth $100, but I found a half a dollar that was on the refrigerator, at the bottom of the steps. This half a dollar has been on my fridge since 1994. Me and a friend were waiting tables and had a $1 bill in the tip jar so she said we will split it, and I tore it down the middle. It was stuck to the fridge with a magnet and how it made it to the bottom of the steps I will never know!! It is black and charred, but you can still see what it is! AMAZING!

Tiffany and Dad had to have some fun, we got some snow and when Tiffany was little like about 26 years ago, her and my Dad would play The Fox and The Goose, so here they are, they aren't really running cause they neither one wanted to fall! LOL! But was funny to see them doing this!!

 January 4, 2013

Well today Tiff and I were back to the house to work in the scrappy room. It's a LONG Process having to go through almost 16 years of accumulated goodies. I had to throw away almost 500 sheets of 12 x 12 paper today! OUCH!! It is difficult and I can see myself becoming a hoarder!! So, I gotta be careful. I have accepted the fact that it is all just STUFF. I am here, and am DARN happy to be here. There are so many things that COULD have happened. So, I just keep smiling!! Some days, deep down I just want to fall down and cry over the things I have lost, but I just CANNOT let myself go there. I am LUCKY!!

I have pics of EVERYTHING I have had to throw away in my scrappy room and once we are done, I am going to make a collage of it and will post for you to see.

Today, I had a special visitor stop by and see me. My Cousin Heather was in the area as her husbands grandmother passed away and they went to the funeral.  I was SO HAPPY to see her!! Made my day SO MUCH BRIGHTER!!  She is SO SPECIAL TO ME!!

HAVE YOU TAKEN PHOTO'S OF YOUR BELONGINGS YET? PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO DO IT!! 

January 5, 2013

Today we finished the inventory of the house! Mercy it has been such a process, and now I just have to figure out the prices, when I bought things and how much it will cost to replace them. 

I have all of my things out of the house that I plan on keeping and tomorrow we will go down for the last time to do another walk through, just to make sure that I have what I want from the house. What is remaining in the house is no longer usable and we have to figure out what we are going to do with it. 

I am making a video of the house so I can post it on here and you will be able to see first hand what the damage is and what was lost. 

I was going through some pictures on my phone earlier and found one from Thanksgiving with the kids, just so those of you who have never seen what my kitchen looked like can kinda see what it USED to be like.

So here it is, don't mind the funny look on my face!! LOL! I was eating me some turkey when Tiff snapped this picture!

HAVE YOU TAKEN PHOTO'S OF YOUR BELONGINGS YET? PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO DO IT!!