Ok this is the 2nd time I have tried to post this....UGH computers.

My cousin and her family lost everything last night in a house fire. They are all still numb and just don't know what to do. They have nothing but the clothes on thier backs and of course family. Thank goodness her mom lives in Monroe about 15 minutes from her. So she has a place to stay. I am tring to get things together and will be making trips out there to them everyday I have to.

Here are some clothes sizes that they are - if you are getting rid of any that might fit them please let me know and I will try and buy them from you.

Kristy (my cousin) 10-12

Ray (her husband) 32x32 or 34 and med shirts

Charlie (almost 3) 4 - 5

Misourie (13) 14 slim or a 1 Juniors

Russell (her 16 or 17 yr oldstep son) 30x32 and a med shirt

They have no toys, no school supplies nothing.

There are 2 great things that have happened which are just amazing to me. Last night while looking for hot spots they found the bunny that they had gotten at Easter ALIVE. The cage was melted, the roof collapsed and that bunny is doing well. Then today while we were going going through what we could we found 2 Bibles in a drawer that had not been burnt, they weren't wet or anything. Tell me someone wasn't watching out for them. (Becuase none of them were home, if they were someone would have been hurt because it started upstairs where thier bedrooms are.)

So any help would be great appreciated even if all you can do is a say a little prayer for them. They need everything.

Thanks guys in advance!!!!

Er.. jeeze.. I feel bad. I haven't sent mine yet. All things happen for a reason tho, so um.. have the expressed a desire to have a gift card from anywhere else? Do they just need some cash?

You all are just too much. I received a few things in the mail today. It just brought tears to my eyes. I know you from here but have never met face to face and it's just amazing how a community came together for what is a stranger to you and family to me.

Thank you all so very much. I am sure Kristy will give a thank you note to post when I see her this weekend. It is just all overwhelming.

THANK YOU!!!!!

Susan they haven't said anything about what they really need. I just suggested wal-mart becuase they have everything. But Target, Lowes, Home Depot anything like that would be great I would think. Don't feel bad if you can't it's no biggie at all. Just keep them in your thoughts and prayers...as the weeks go by it will get easier but it want go away.

Kim, may I say that your extended family is blessed to have you. You're doing something great. You didn't have to do this but it just goes to show how wonderful you are and how much you care.

Telly Thank you for the kind comment. I just feel that this is the only thing I can for them. They need to concentrate on making the list and stuff like that for the insurance. My mom has 4 other siblings and we grew up very close with out cousins. They are more like brothers and sisters. We spend summers together and vacations together. We are very tight knit family. Which I am very thankful for.

Again Thank You!!!!

If I can help you guys to get it to Kim since I don't live far from Monroe let me know.

Dianne, will you be in the Huntersville or North Charlotte area anytime? If I were getting a gift card, I could mail it, but I have a few shopping bags of clothes and shoes for the 3yo boy. (No grown up stuff...sorry!) I have my own little 3yo so "carpooling" these things would be super helpful to me. Lemme know!

Don't feel bad if you can't it's no biggie at all. Just keep them in your thoughts and prayers...as the weeks go by it will get easier but it want go away.

I can and I will, just got sidetracked and wondered if anything specific had come up that they need. I'll get something sent off tomorrow. Promise!

Kathy not worries - I can get it from you at some point. My MIL lives in Huntersville I could always meet you there or something to that effect. We are taking the kids to the wiggles tomorrow night so I will be leaving work around 3:30. I am meeting up with Dianne for lunch in Matthews saturday and then heading to Monroe to spend the afternoon helping where I can.

Again everyone Thanks so much!!! It's hard to believe it's already been a week.

KIM! I am so sorry that I haven't gotten mine to you yet! With school starting back this week (I'm a teacher) and everything else that's going on, I've been slack and irresponsible and haven't sent anything. I promise it's coming. I haven't read the rest of this thread lately, but is there any place in paticular that they need gift cards from? Is there anything else that they need more than gift cards? I am so sorry for being late with this.

Denika - It is not problem really. I talked to my aunt today as Kristy was out at the house and I didn't want to bother her. They haven't said anything about any certin place for gift cards. She said they still need clothes....so anyplace like Wal-Mart, Target, Khols any place really that they can get clothes from would be great. I am still collecting clothes here so I am taking her what I have to her tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone.

Hey Kim, I'll be at Concord Mills tomorrow from 11am to 1 or 1:30. Could we schedule a drop-off of the bags I have? I'll check the board in the morning. If no reply, I'll call your cell when I hit the road at 10:30am.

Hey Kim it was fun meeting you and Curtis for lunch yesterday. What a cool place!

Sept 19 our church is having a "Fall kid's konsignment sale" One of the cirlces wants to sponsour your cousin and the other family. They will be emailing me details. They will let them come in before hand and get stuff I think they are giving them coupns or something, and then at the end they can have whatever else they'd like. I think they also get furniture.

Made the drop-off (thanks Kim for meeting me, and Dianne for waiting for my late butt...LOL) and Sept 9th I'll load up toys to bring.

That's a great idea, Dianne! How nice!

Dianne & Kathy thank you so much. It was great to see ya'll to for a little on Saturday.

Dianne I will talk to Kristy and see if she is available that day. If not maybe her mom could come in her place. Unfortunatly she still has a business to run through the week and weekends right now are consummed with cleaning out what she can of the house. That is far enough away she might be able to make arrangments. Keep me posted on what she has to do and when with the times and I will pass it along to her.

She told me to tell everyone THANK YOU from the bottem of her heart. They whole family is just so grateful.

The insurance company has rented them a house and there is a website she goes to pick out all her furniture and such that the insurance company will rent for her. So things are starting to fall into place for her and the family a little bit at a time. She has opened an account to put all the money and such that people have giving them so that they can use it when they get their new house. She doesn't want to spend it now since she doesn't know how much the insurance is actually going to pay out and if the furniture and kitchen things will be replaced etc....still so many unanswered questions.

Thanks for the continued prayers and thoughts....

Love from Kim and Kristy, Ray, Charlie, Missouri & Russell!

Kim,

I am so sorry to hear about this? I will look and see what things I have that I can give. I may have some 10 -12 I can give for the girl. Gotta go through it tomorrow. Sorry I am sooo late on getting this I havent been online here in a while. God bless them and hopefully everything will fall in place for them soon so they can stop thinking about this. <hugs>

Angie