E.V. Goes Antiquing

Dad teaching Emma Vance how to hunt down a deal!
(And, yes, they have the same haircut apparently...)

We've been trying to schedule a time to get down to Scott's with Ryan's brother and his girlfriend (my common-law-sister-in-law), Lisa for what seems like forever. Put a new baby, a couple of untimely colds, and the fact that market only happens once a month together, and you can see why it's taken so long for us to actually get something on the calendar. This weekend, though, the fates finally aligned at the last minute!

If you've been to Scott's, you know the deal: Two warehouses full of junk (both priceless and worthless), oddball dealers and the nauseating smell of Southern-fried food. It's amazing. Since we're now in house limbo, we weren't looking to actually buy anything, but we knew that the people watching and unusual merchandise would be worth the drive anyway. 

The bad news about having a baby is that their lives don't stop just because you're doing something special. That being said, as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, it was Emma Vance's mealtime. Bad planning on our part. I tried using the ErgoBaby to carry and feed her a bottle, but it was really awkward and I kept getting distracted by all the interesting stuff for sale. Good thing that Ryan's one amazing dad, because he jumped in and multitasked--walking, shopping and feeding all at once--so that I could be free to explore. What a good guy!

Bad ass dad.

Lisa and I were quick to walk and window shop, but the Shove boys were a bit more interested in hunting and taking their time. The most interesting part of Scott's to me is when you run across items that are a total mystery--like the one Ryan's looking at in the picture below. I voted "ray gun." Ryan rolled his eyes at my half-joking guess and inquired with the booth owner. It turned out to be an eye exam projector. Ah. (Close enough.) Ryan made fun of me, then turned mid-tease and very seriously asked if ray guns really exist. I have no clue if they're fact or fiction, but I put on my condescending face and responded, "Of course they do." (Confidence makes all the difference.)

(Totally a ray gun.)

We didn't buy much, but the highlight was a booth full of junk where we bought $11 worth of stuff off the "$1 Table" and got about a dozen awesome, tarnished antique silver vessels and trays from the "All You Can Carry for $20" section. Score! Lisa's deal of the day was a HUGE mercury glass apothecary jar for $5 from the same dealer; clearly he wanted to get rid of his junk, and we were happy to oblige!

We took a break between buildings, stopping for lunch at The Oakwood Cafe where Shane is quite a regular. My thoughts are as follows: Sketchy looking place, amazing down-home food. Yum. Emma Vance ordered the pot roast and sweet potato...

"Bring on the food! Bring on the food!" 

...but then changed her mind and decided to have the lamb.

Mmmm...

Then it was on to Building #2! Lisa and I were running out of energy by this time, so we did a lot of looking and no buying this time around. E.V. was exhausted too, so we decided not to carry her and to let her pass out in the bassinet. Everyone took turns taking care of the baby, but Shane and Lisa were gracious enough to stroll E.V. around for most of the day, which she loved of course.

Could the be any cuter?

Shopping always seems to wear this little lady out! 

The bad side of Babywise is the "We had a deal!" aspect, and so when we weren't home on time to feed her, she was a bit cranky. Not a big deal though, because once she was fat and happy, she was eager to pass out from such a full day of excitement with Uncle Shane and Aunt Lisa...and so was I! :)