Finials and feedsacks

When I first moved to DC several years ago, I got a job working at a little vintage shop called Finials Antiques a few weekends a month; it was the perfect part-time job for me as I was able to put the knowledge I was gaining in school to actual real-life use.  Plus it was great having access to so many awesome vintage finds--I often joked with Barb, the owner, that it would probably make more sense for her to just pay me with merchandise since most of my paycheck wound up going right back into the store's cash register.

After Sammy was born, I was sure I was going to have to give up my weekends at Finials simply due to the fact that I didn't have anyone at home to watch him while I worked.  But Barb went out of her way to assure me that she would be happy to have Sammy in the shop with me so I decided to give it a try.  I'll be honest--the first time that I brought Sammy to work with me was a debacle; he refused to nap and was completely thrown off of his regular routine, which meant that I had to deal with a very cranky, fussy baby while also assisting customers.  Fortunately, though, Sammy's second time at the shop went much, much better so I didn't have to call the whole thing off and am now working there two Sundays a month.

I was scheduled to work at Finials yesterday, so I decided to try a different set-up this time around; normally, I would set Sammy up in the pack-n-play and a bunch of toys but the last time I did that, he got bored quickly so I had to spend way more time than I had expected entertaining him.  My friend, Erin, had just given me her son's old exersaucer so I loaded it into the car; I also brought my new Pikkolo carrier so I could wear Sammy if he started to get bored in the exersaucer, and then we headed off to DC.  (Sorry for the crappy photos, but all I had on me was my cell phone.)

The new set-up worked even better than I had hoped.  Sammy had a great time playing in the exersaucer and smiling at the customers.  Then, when he started to get tired later in the afternoon, I loaded him into the Pikkolo carrier, attached the sleep hood, and then walked around a little bit to get him good and comfy.  Much to my surprise, he napped on my back for almost an hour and a half--way longer than he had ever slept in the pack-n-play.

And because it's practically impossible for me to go home from Finials empty-handed, here's the awesome 1930s feedsack quilt that Barb gave me in exchange for some Art Deco stemware that I no longer had room for in my house.  I kind of have a thing for quilts, especially ones made from the humble feedsack; who could say no to these happy and cheerful colors?

Today I'm linking up with the Chic Homeschool Mama in her Monday Rewind; you can link up, too, by clicking below!