Hand-me-downs: A Cautionary Tale

I. Love. Hand-me-downs. We've gotten hand-me-downs (HMDs) from friends, family, even customers at my business brought me HMDs when they saw I was pregnant. Clothes, toys, bottles, spoons, cups, car seats- you name it, we've probably gotten it as a HMD.

We received a new car seat at one of Lily's baby showers that we use in my car. We also have 2 HMD car seats- one that resides in Ms. Deedee's car, and another that's been in the attic for a while that someone gave us before Lily was even a twinkle in our eyes. Since Miss Lori would like a car seat in her car so she can take Lily to the park on her days off, I decided to "dust off" the cobwebs (literally) from the old one in the attic. I brought it in the house yesterday and proceeded to remove all of the fabric so I could wash it. I always assume that what's been given as a HMD will need a wash or wipe down, so I expect to find a stain here or a bit of something there, but I was not prepared for the treasure trove that I found when I took apart this car seat. Here's what I found:

1 melted red crayon (stuck to the underside of the armrest fabric)
2 raisins
1 goldfish cracker
1 french fry
some bits of what I'll call dried pineapple
1 pink hair bow
1 tortoise shell metal hair clip
1 brown plastic hair clip
2 red stretchy hair bands
1 Tigger magnet
1 quarter (I wasn't sure what it was until I flipped it over)
assorted stickers
assorted other "bits" of food, etc.

I was so amazed with what I found, that I found myself getting out of bed at 10:30 last night to write it all down before I forgot. So there's a chance I found even more than what I remembered in my sleep stupor. I share this because, well, it's funny. Also, as a cautionary tale: be sure to wash your HMDs. (-;