things i love: new additions

there are some new additions to the rex household as of late that i am pretty excited about. i thought i would share them with you. some were repurposed, some were gifted, some were thrifted and some were purchased. i got some  killer deals shopping at ikea and getting things on sale that i've had my eyes on for quite some time. sometimes you just need a few new additions and some organizing to lift your spirits and make your space a little more homey.

• my new velvet pillows from urban outfitters that i got on sale. love the colors. love the fabric. love the style. mr. rex isn't crazy about pillows, but we played rock paper scissors to decide whether to keep them or not. guess who won? didn't you know that fire always wins? don't worry, he didn't either. 
• next, my thrifted ball jar and my ikea napkin holder. i love finding good deals. the ball jar was $4 as was the napkin holder. 
• i can't really decide which item is my favorite. but i must say seeing my scarves and beanies out every day just gets me so excited about the fall season. before they were all on a hanger in my closet. they weren't out on display so i often forgot about them. i'm sure now that they are handy i will be accessorizing more often. i found the hooks at goodwill for $7 i think, the basket holding my gloves and beanies i already had and repurposed and the trunk was the best find of all. it was FREE! tyler and i found it by the dumpster just outside our apartment. total. score. 
• my cook books were on the ledge by the kitchen and would fall over all the time. there were just too many books so anytime i took one out to use it they would all topple over. so when i found this basket at the thrift store for $3 i was stoked. it fits perfectly, looks tidy and displays all the books nicely. i also can use it for picnics if i want to strap it to my bike rack. so handy. 
• my milk glass vases and the gold framed mirror were also thrifted. i was wanting a change on the book shelf for a while so these were the perfect fix. for just a couple bucks each they brighten up what used to be a boring shelf. now i can check my hair and make up before i leave the house! 
• my bathroom counter was SO cluttered before i repurposed my cake stand. i found it on clearance at a little store in the mall that was closing earlier this year. i decided that when i wasn't using it for displaying desserts (which has only been once by the way), that i would use it in the bathroom. it has been so much easier to store my toiletries & jewelry that i use everyday. 
• and last, but definitely not least is our lovely new desk chair. it was gifted to us from patrick and mary and we love it! our other chair was from ikea and while the seat itself was comfortable it didn't provide much back support. it also reclined very easily so a lot of our friends would innocently recline back expecting it to eventually stop, which it didn't. luckily no one ever fell, but some definitely came close. we are so in love with our new chair. thanks to our good friends. if you love thrifting head over to their blog. it's awesome. 

sometimes i get tired of our set up and i feel the need to change things up. sometimes it's hanging up some new art or photos. sometimes it's repurposing things i already have. sometimes it's painting a piece of furniture. thrift stores and discounts are always a good option too if you are on a budget. i mean, who isn't? just because you can't shop at pottery barn doesn't mean you can't have a home that is decorated to your taste and style. it just takes a little more creativity.

the religious test

i saw this here and loved it. i thought you might like it too. maybe you aren't a mormon, but i am. i am very interested to see how this all turns out, the presidential election and all. in my opinion it would be a shame if someones religious beliefs kept them from their goal. no matter what that goal is. that is after all, what america is all about. freedom. freedom to worship as we choose. i for one am very grateful for that privilege and i am also grateful to be a mormon.



i also really enjoyed ann romney's speech and nearly cried many times throughout. i sincerely hope that mitt gets elected and that he will bring a much needed change to our country. i'm definitely not claiming to be an expert in politics. in fact, i quite regularly avoid the subject at all costs. i don't like debating with friends and family about things that i feel i have little power over. but i sure do believe that we could use a new outlook and a fresh set of values. this really is a wonderful country, but i feel like we have lost sight of things the last few years. it's time to get back on track.

okay, i'm done being all political now. have a nice day.

a birthday party

brylee turned one a couple weeks ago and i kept forgetting to post about it. so here it is.

her mom did a great job planning a very cute tinkerbell party for her. sadly brylee was a little bit sick for her party, but she enjoyed herself. she even hit the pinata! grandma & aunt danielle helped make the delicious (and adorable might i add) cake and cupcakes. a friend came dressed as tinkerbell. brylee was decked out from head to toe. how about her adorable tinkerbell outfit? made with love by her mama. so much fun.

oh brylee you are so loved. here's to lots more birthdays & happy moments with the ones you love!

bus ride to the county fair

we went to the county fair with our good friends patrick and mary. there is a great deal that we found out about where you park at the bus station, ride for $3 round trip and get a coupon for $2 entry to the fair. so instead of wasting our gas and paying for parking and a $10 entrance fee we opted for the "oc fair express". now i am not proud of this, but this was my first EVER public bus ride. i have taken the metro in dc & trax in salt lake, but never a city bus. i will admit, it was totally awesome. plus we had a/c, great company & we didn't have to fight traffic or find a parking spot. we got dropped off right at the entrance. it's safe to say that we will never be going to the fair any other way!

we had so much fun. we ate fried food. we drank lemonade. we did hick-ish things like watch a demolition derby & gawk at farm animals. mary and i somehow coordinated our outfits... even our toe polish matched! we saw a hypnotist. we ate funnel cakes & ice cream cones. we walked around the photography exhibit. we people watched. we ate even when we weren't hungry. we saw a creative home exhibit. thanks to patrick and mary for inviting us. we had a blast. we might just have to make this a mulroney/rex family tradition!