Tuesday, September 25, 2007

I am so tired

For those of you who haven't seen the link yet, here's some photos of the fire:

Fire Photos

DH and I are totally exhausted ~ we are being forced to go through the tedious, heart-wrenching process of attempting to list each and every item we had in our home along with how long we had it, where we purchased it,and what it's replacement value would be. Initially, I had assumed with a total loss such as ours, the insurance would just pay out the max. amount of the policy .....WRONG. Think: how many pairs of shoes did I own, what brand were they and how long have I had them? How many LeapPad books did Kelton have? How many bottles of aftershave for DH? What the heck was in our kitchen drawers? How many photos on the wall? Type and price of their frames? Furniture is the easiest, other than the fact that the store where we bought a lot of our stuff has gone out of business, and I don't know the maker of a lot of things.

Today I am going out there again to sift through the ashes with a shovel and see if I can find things that remind me of what we had. It's a losing battle though, as the chimney collapsed down into the main part of the house and virtually destroyed even pieces of anything that may have been left. Dangerous too ~ I now own my first-ever pair of safety shoes with steel soles....put a nail into my foot the first day we were out there.

Also, we have found that we don't have enough insurance to rebuild. The first (verbal) estimate we have gotten is more than double our policy max.

And what a weird feeling to realize you suddenly don't have clothing....our daughter Briar found 3 pairs of PJ's that might fit Kelton; I'm picking them up today. The other morning it was cold outside and I realize I don't own a single sweater or sweatshirt.....a friend has now given me a hoodie. And we have a meeting to go Oct. 9 where we cant' wear shorts, so I'm going to have to try to find time to go to Goodwill or somewhere and get outfits for all of us.

I can't believe how little support we have from our families. Dh's mother hasn't even called us, and my parents although they have spoken to us about it haven't offered any support.

Anyway, that's my tale of woe for today. Thanks for listening.

Despite it all, we are very grateful....the outcome could have been so much worse. We are all safe and together and that's all that matters.

13 comments:

michelle sturgeon said...

OMG, I am SO sorry. The insurance thing is just one big pain in the ass you don't need to deal with-shouldn't have to deal with right now.
How old are your children? What are their interests? What do they need? What size clothing? What size clothing for you and DH? I will approach my mom's church group and see what we can do for you. I know myself, I have TONS of Usborne books for all ages that can be sent your way. Please email me
comestampwithme@cogeco.ca
because I will LOVE to help you.

Lorie said...

Wow, Marla! I'm so sorry for the huge mess this is for you! Please do post how we can help you. If you'd like to e-mail me with your immediate needs just click on my name through to my blog to get my e-mail address. Prayers for you and your family!

Jules said...

Oh, I feel SO bad. I just don't know why the insurance has to hassle you so much right now. I would love to help you! I will continue to pray!

BikerK8 said...

If anything this will teach us all what can happen. where does your mail go to? the same addy?
I guess we all assume as you did that the insurance just pays for our stuff.
What size is Kelton, yourself and George. Please let us help!
Bob & Kate

Gerrie said...

I'm sorry for your loss. I live Strathroy, Ontario and would love to do what I can. What size's do you need. I have some things I usually give to St. Vincent De Paul but if you could use them I'll get them to you. Email me and I will see what I can do.

Rebecca said...

hello, I am so sorry to hear your news. You don't know me but I am a fellow stamper who stumbled onto your blog. WHat are your childrens ages? I have two kids and maybe I can dig you up some stuff. WHere are you living? WHat do you need. I am sure that I have things around that you can put to good use. Let me know what would help you and I will do my best to lend a hand. Keep your chin up. THings can only get better.

michelle sturgeon said...

A big box is being sent via UPS today! I so hope you can use what's inside. If the clothes end up not fitting, PLEASE pass them on!
It ended up just being my mom and myself, as there was no time to approach the church, but we managed to fill a box! I'm sure your son will LOVE what we put in there for him!

Angie said...

I'm sorry to hear about your fire. My brother just lost his house (in Aug) to a tornado and they were going around with their insurance too. My prayers go out to you and your family.

Deborah said...

I am so sorry you went through this devastation! I lost everything once when my house burned to the ground. We barely got out alive as it was in the middle of the night! I couldn't see or breathe, and we lost our beautiful new German Shepard puppy. I was a complete basket case, so I can relate to what you are experiencing! Thank God you and your family are safe and together! Sending love and light to you! Deb a new bloggin' friend!

Tami Bayer said...

I am so sorry to hear about all you are going through. I just helped my sister through this a few years ago. We ended up getting some catalogs to help with prices of things. How the heck do they know what brand shoes you had. Just do the best you can to get close. It's a tedious, painful process. I am so sorry you have to go through it.

Diane McVey said...

I'm glad you are safe...and the children are safe. That's a blessing! It's hard to believe someone's family would not be supportive; that is truly SAD. But some people are like that...I'm so sorry it's your relatives! I know this is a nightmare, and it's so awful that there's not enough insurance to rebuild...I hope your community will pull together and help you all...please know that there are many of us here in the States that are extending our thoughts and HUGS to you! Take care, and I hope everything will be much better very soon.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad you and your family got out safely. I am so sorry that this has happened to your family. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Kelly L said...

Oh my, Marla. Today is the first I have read about your terrible mishap (not sure the right word to use here--please excuse me). I am touched by your story, and I hope your community pitches in to help you. I saw on another blog that you are moving to Florida. How wonderful for you to be in the US with us :) I wish you were closer--I would help you out with clothing and things for your child. Postage costs are so crazy anymore to send large packages. I just wanted to tell you that we are thinking of you and praying for your family!! Bless you all!