The Clampits Go Christmas Shopping

I sweet talked my husband into going Christmas shopping with the kids and I. He put me off for two weeks but we went yesterday. As we were pulling out of the driveway he mentioned that he wanted to make a quick stop near a farm we rent. Jamison had spotted a "treasure" on the side of the road. Then Kenton thought he spotted another one from the combine window. They both thought it was worth a quick (that'll be the day!) stop to check it out.

In town you call this dumpster diving. In the country you're just combing the unauthorized landfill for something that might still have a little life left in it. This brought to mind our friend Perry Helmuth . His son once said something along the lines of "it was a good trip to the dump when you could bring home more than you went with."

Kenton found this perfectly good doll crib. It's a perfect find for the treehouse. The side still flips up and down.


The real find of the day was Lightning McQueen.


Poor Lightning must have had a run-in with a bigger vehicle. One handlebar (with throttle) was broken off and one tire was sadly misshapen with a bent axle. However, the men of the family were sure that with a little help from Lightning's new pit crew(them) he might be worth salvaging. Then they discovered that the throttle, though severed from its handlebar, was still operational. They had hit the dumpster diving jackpot! Lightning went home in the back of the van.

This morning Lightning was up and running. Davis, for the first time in three years, has quit asking for his own John Deere gator for Christmas. Unfortunately, Lightning's previous owners didn't see fit to dump his battery charger along with him. The pit crew is hastily sorting through options to extend Lightning's stay. :P

I bet you can't wait to see what we found for YOU! :D