trash to treasure

Austin found a love for yard sales from my mom, or as he called her "Mamaw B". He would come home excited to share his collection of deals from the day's stops. Honestly, the majority of it was junk but as the saying goes.....and he treasure it he did!

Some of his favorite finds were a bowling ball and bag (which he never used), an ice cream factory (still in the box), and a used gumball/vending machine. We didn't have a key to make the vending machine work so instead we filled it with baseball items - one compartment with balls, one with baseball cards, etc. It was a neat collectible for his room.

I think this weekend is the big Hwy 60 yard sale and that brought back memories from last fall. We surprised Austin last year by getting up early on that Saturday and making the drive. At first, he was impressed there were so many yard sales in a row. He thought the neighbors just got together and decided to share the date. When I explained it went for miles and miles, he was ecstactic. Each stop, he was like a kid in a candy store, ready to explore and find great deals. I don't even remember what we bought that day but I do remember what a good time he had.

We ended up heading on into Evansville afterwards and happened upon the large flea market there. This stop was the icing on the cake for him. Rows and rows of miscellaneous items for sale that could have held his attention for hours. Once he found the baseball card booth though, he was fixed and spent every last dollar he had there, including borrowing some from Mom. (As if he needed anymore cards.) He was thrilled though and called his great Aunt Becky on the way home to discuss his finds and figure out if there were any of great value. The next week he checked out a book from the library to help him calculate their worth. Just a simple box of cards to me but hours of entertainment for him.

It is strange how everyday things like a yard sale can bring back so many memories. Even though they often begin with tears, there are special moments to think back on and smile about too.