K & L is for… (challenge)

On April 12, 2014 By AlexaIn Challenges, Events, Home, Landscaping4 Comments

I am playing catch up today with the alphabet challenge doing both the letters K & L combined. For the first letter I decided to feature this green meadow yellow poppy grass from KIDD, one of my favorite places for landscaping stuff. Then featuring these tall and mature oak trees from Lilith Heart, another favorite place for landscaping items.

These horses are a purchase from today’s 30 L Saturday, they are a static herd of four horses at 8 prims. They are no copy, but for 30L a steal in my opinion. I couldn’t resist buying a few in the event I ever decided to get a ranch in-world again.

For my L letter I decided to feature poses from two stores, Label Motion and Lib Descent Poses and also these blue jeans from Lapointe & Bastchild. I could also count my letter as “landscaping”. 🙂

Credits:
Hair – Truth – Jill Black & Whites Pack
Necklace – Flightless – The Stag Necklace {closed}
Top – Alyce – Tied Button Down Shirt w/ Color HUD @ Feeb’s Rascals St. Sales Room
Pants – Lapointe & Bastchild – Jeans (Flats Version) Light Blue Bootcut
Feet – Slink – Womens Natural Barefeet Mesh
Open Mouth Addon – [PXL]

Scene:
Tall & Mature Oak Trees – Lilith Heart
Static Wild Horse Herd – Sweet Revolutions {30L Saturday – today}
Real Grass*Green Meadow*Yellow Poppy – KIDD
Wooden Fence – Anthony Gartner

Poses:
Lib_back – Lib Descent Poses
Lib_thinker – Lib Descent Poses
Fairy Sparkle – Label Motion {head angle modified w/ Animare}

Lesson 43

On March 27, 2014 By AlexaIn Events, Home, Landscaping3 Comments

While I love the suggestion of the collage — this is something that I remember doing when I was in my twenties. In my early forties I much prefer perusing Pinterest on my iPad while I am reclining in bed right before it’s time to switch the lights out and fall asleep. I find it comforting to look at the nice pictures and pin those places that I envision one day visiting or a pair of stilettos that I really love. I even pin those delicious and yummy looking recipes that I fool myself into believing I might one day try.

Personally, I think it’s another great tool for inspiration, motivation and the beautiful scenic pictures of far away places or even pictures of adorable toddlers can lift up your spirits instantly. I also think it can serve as a tool to help clarify your vision and give you somewhat of a road map for goals and establish a vision of what you want to create in your life.

Good luck!

© The Best Year of Your Life by Debbie Ford

Lesson 43: Envision Your Best Life

To live the best year of your life, you first have to identify what you want. You must create a vision. Having a vision will act as a reference point. It will provide a true “north” by which you can navigate your daily choices. Like a good map, having a vision clarifies the steps you need to take in order to arrive at your desired destination.

Once you’ve clarified your vision, you must keep a visual representation of it near you at all times to remind yourself of where you’re going and what you want to create. Then, before you’re about to take an action, you can decide whether the choice you’re about to make will lead you in the direction of your vision, or if it will take you off course.

Your Self-Love Assignment

Your self-love assignment this week is to create a Vision Map for one important area of your life. Here’s how it works:

Buy several of your favorite magazines and go through each of them, cutting out pictures and words that inspire, uplift, and motivate you. Try not to think too much as you make your selections; allow your unconscious to guide you to images and words that excite you.

Take a piece of cardboard or construction paper and put together a collage that’s a visual representation of what you want to create in this area of your life. Your Vision Map shouldn’t look busy or be like a visual to-do list. It should uplift and inspire you, not overwhelm or confuse you.

Hang your Vision Map someplace where you’ll see it daily. Refer to it to determine which choices, actions, and behaviors will move you closer to your best year, and which will not.

Self-Love Points Earned

Give yourself 100 points for creating your Vision Map, and 100 points every time you refer to it before making a choice.

Credits:

Hair – Truth – Perla in Black
Dress – Fame Monster – Gipsy Dress w/ Color HUD @ Designer Circle

Pose: JP-sit-f-01-kneelsit-filt by JPoses

Scene:

Pug – BioBreeds
Fossil Hunter – Maps & Notes – Consignment {Dec. 2013 Arcade}
Mesh Driftwood Bird Bath – Hanaya
Reed Flexi – Annastasia Scofield
Water Lily – Dornroeschen
Bridge Stone Scene – FelixvonKotwitz Alter

Lesson 39

On February 28, 2014 By AlexaIn Events, Home3 Comments

This is a lengthy one, but I believe relevant to each and everyone of us. May you find it helpful.

© The Best Year of Your Life by Debbie Ford

Lesson 39: Question Your Beliefs

The conclusions we form as a result of our life experiences become the beliefs we hold about ourselves, others, and the world. If we were the last person picked on the kickball team, if our high school crush didn’t return our affections, if we flunked math or didn’t have the fashion sense expressed by some of our peers, it’s likely that we picked up some limiting beliefs about ourselves that aren’t serving us, even to this day.

Here are some common examples of limiting beliefs: I’m not good enough. I don’t matter. There’s something wrong with me. I’m unwanted. I don’t belong. I’m unimportant. No one cares about me.

These hidden beliefs shape our thought processes and drive our personalities, telling us what we are and are not capable of. To move beyond them, we must first expose them, and then question their validity. This is your assignment this week.

Your Self-Love Assignment

Look back upon the negative incidents that occurred during your childhood. Did your parents get divorced? Did you move and feel unwelcome in your new environment? Were you rejected by someone you wanted to have as your friend? Once you’ve made a list of the ten most upsetting events of your childhood, ask yourself the following questions about each one and begin to expose some of your core beliefs:

What belief did I form as a result of this experience?
How long have I held this belief?
Does this belief serve me anymore?
What belief could I replace it with that would better reflect who I am today?

Self-Love Points Earned

Give yourself 50 points for every limiting belief you expose and transform.

Credits:

Hair – Truth – Perla Black & Whites Pack
Top – The Secret Store – Lua’s Cropped Shirt Coffee
Pants – Somnia – Bebop Jeans w/ Color HUD @ Theme Park Event
Bracelets – Aisling – GAIA Hand Gold @ Fantasy Gacha Carnival
Shoes – Fri. – Brienne Flats Cocoa w/ Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) Flat

Scene:

Trees by Mitsuko Kytori
Yews by 3D Trees
Swans by Thiery Fleury
Stone Wall by AA Build & Design
Bench by Exquisite Eye Decorations
Water Lily’s by Dornroeschen Creative
Bellis White Flowers by Garden of Dreams
Hammock by Kabuki
Sea Rocks with Waves by Antreas Alter

Lesson 38

On February 15, 2014 By AlexaIn Events5 Comments

A great reminder to include play in our lives. For me, part of my play and relaxation is taking pictures in Second Life. Though I like that this lesson sends me a subtle hint with getting some art supplies as I have been wanting to get back into painting and have not made the time.

© The Best Year of Your Life by Debbie Ford

Lesson 38: Play!

Remember “recess” and “play dates’ when you were a kid? As children, we recognize the value of letting everything go and simply enjoying ourselves. But too often, by the time we hit adulthood, our work-to-play ratio is completely out of balance.

Playing is essential. Not only is it fun, but it also renews and refreshes us, helping us better focus on the more serious aspects of our lives.

Your assignment this week is to play. And if you’re one of those people who grudgingly participates in leisure activities and then spends the whole time thinking about what you “should” be doing, I invite you to engage your whole body, mind, and spirit in the playful activity you choose.

Your Self-Love Assignment

You are hereby ordered to schedule an activity that has no usefulness other than its enjoyment to you. Go bowling with friends, or perhaps get some art supplies and spend an afternoon expressing your creative side.

Playing could also mean picking up a hobby you gave up in honor of being productive in the world. Is there an old instrument somewhere on the shelf of your garage? When’s the last time you rode a bicycle, played jump rope or hopscotch, or put on your favorite music and sang out loud? This is the week to let your playful side out. Notice how your fun-loving attitude translates into other aspects of your life.

Self-Love Points Earned

Give yourself 100 points for every play date you schedule and keep with yourself this week.

Credits:

Hair – Truth – Electra Variety Pack @ Collabor88
Top – Amerie – Tank Short White
Pants – 2Chez – Riva Black Cargo Pants
Boots – Gos – Urban boots Black
Necklace – Max Gossamer – Zodiac Aries Silver
Belly Piercing – Pomposity – Zodiac Belly Piercing Aries
Pose – Sitting Pose by Atooly

Scene:

Heart Painted Door – Seven Emporium
Repurposed Wheel Light Bronze – Junk
Gorean Lavender Grass – Soul Effects @ 30L Saturday
Love me, Love Me Not Tree Trunk w/ Poses – Fabled @ 30L Saturday

Lesson 34

On January 16, 2014 By AlexaIn Events, Home, Landscaping7 Comments

I read this a day ago and I knew exactly how it applied in my real life. Specifically, referring to this past year with choices I made that were really not conducive to keeping the integrity this lesson speaks about and now seeing the outcome basically staring me in the face.

Don’t you hate when life plays that kind of joke on you?

Lesson 34: Integrity

Integrity is the foundation of a successful life. When our behaviors, actions, and choices are consistent with our deepest values, we gain the courage to be ourselves, and the confidence to ask for what we need. To the extent that we haven’t cleaned up the unfinished business from our past, we will unconsciously punish ourselves by withholding the love, success, and abundance we desire.

Resolving our integrity issues makes us feel worthy enough to manifest our dreams.

Your Self-Love Assignment

This week, take some time to look back over the past two years of your life. Make a list of the relationships or situations where you haven’t acted with complete integrity. On a piece of paper, write the person’s name, with a brief description of what you did or didn’t do that left you feeling bad about yourself.

Next, close your eyes; take a couple of slow, deep breathes; and ask yourself, “What could I do to bring this situation back into balance and restore my own sense of integrity?” Could you write a letter, deliver an apology, or contribute in some way to someone in need? This action could involve the person directly, but it doesn’t have to.

Design a plan of action to restore your integrity.

Self-Love Points Earned

Give yourself 100 points for every integrity issue you resolve this week.

Credits:

Hair – Truth – Luella in Black-White Pack
Bikini – Zaara – Naisha in Gold
Closed Lids – Slink – Mesh Eyelids

Scene:

Natural Hot Tub w/ Fire Pit & Towels – Pixel Mode – TLC Garden Event
Wine Bottle – Flecha
Weeping Willow – 3D Trees
Woman Statue – Two Moon Gardens
Grass Patch – TUFF
Wooden Arbor with Ivy – Botanical
Hanging Capiz Lamp – Botanical
Plants – Narenzo Design and part of Scenes from Two Moon Gardens

Lesson 32

On January 2, 2014 By AlexaIn Uncategorized3 Comments

I have been experiencing a little insomnia the last few days and found myself reading to try and wear myself out just before bedtime. I have never really had any problem once my head hits the pillows as it only takes me less than 15 minutes to settle down and drift off. It’s driving me a little stir crazy since I am returning to work next week and I need to get my body realigned to a normal schedule.

One of the books I found myself reading is from one of my favorite all time authors, Dr. Seuss. My appreciation for his works is evident if you ever took a peek into my book case, which hold books that I hold dear and close to my heart for the hours of enjoyment they’ve brought into my life. While I have come to enjoy the lifestyle of being an e-book reader, there are books that I still like to hold in the palm of my hand and turn the pages as the story unfolds.

Dr. Seuss, well known for his children’s stories did write a couple of adult books, and the one that I like to pull out and read for a bit of laughter is the “The Seven Lady Godivas.” A story of seven Godiva sisters that never wear clothes, who as a tribute to their father’s fate (flung from a horse to his death), agree never to marry until they can alert their countrymen all about the dangers of horses. Dr. Seuss writes the story with his well known style of humor unabashedly, as he reveals the origins of horse proverbs most of us have probably heard of.

To that end I decided to do a little horse play, plus I wanted to show off these boots that I absolutely love from the POE6 Hunt, which ends in a few days.

© The Best Year of Your Life by Debbie Ford

Lesson 32: Have Some Fun!

Believe it or not, most adults need to be reminded to take time out for fun. Trained as we are to get things done, we often devalue or neglect this most important aspect of life. But doing things just for the sake of our own enjoyment recharges and rejuvenates us. Having fun is actually a necessary activity that feeds and nourishes us at the deepest level. Have some fun this week, and enjoy the benefits it produces in virtually every other aspect of your life.

Your Self-Love Assignment
This is fun week! Your assignment is to make a list of ten activities that you’d do on a regular basis if your life were dedicated to having fun. Then schedule at least one of those activities into your week.

Enjoy yourself!

Self-Love Points Earned
Give yourself 100 points for every fun-filled activity you participate in.

Credits:

Hair – Truth – Dove in Black & Whites Pack
Dress – Maitreya – Poise Dress Color Pack 2
Socks – Maitreya – Dahlia Socks
Boots – Pelletteria Morrisey – Western Boots {POE6 Hunt Gift}

Scene:
Spruces – 3DTrees
Grass Patch – TUFF
Grass Sculpt by Serenah Raynier

Edited to include Mesh Horses – Laika Amat

1st Picture Pose – Kiss Me Silly by G’Secret Motions {Marketplace}
2nd Picture Pose – Adrienne Set by oOo Studio

Lesson 31

On December 27, 2013 By AlexaIn Events, Landscaping4 Comments

“We are all wonderful, beautiful wrecks. That’s what connects us — that we’re all broken, all beautifully imperfect.” ~ Emilio Estevez

There was a time that I was a bit more of a perfectionist than I am today. I would like to think that I now strive for excellence instead, which is by far much more motivating and gives me greater satisfaction inwardly. Trying to be perfect, in my opinion, is one of those impossible to attain standards that we often burden ourselves with. Being the perfect woman, man, mom, father, brother, sister, co-worker, boss, blogger and countless other perfect ideals. I certainly can recall times when I’ve compared myself with others in an effort to fit in, looking for some kind of validation so that I would feel perfectly alright with myself. It never happened until I let go of those built up expectations that I created in my own mind.

I’m sure you’ve heard countless times the statement made, “…and I thought they lived the perfect life” and it is those individuals that are often seen as perfect and many try to emulate who end up being some of the most messed up people. That’s because there are many people and yes, me included, of looking like we have everything together. I don’t and they don’t either.

Perhaps if people stopped comparing themselves to others and instead were real and encouraged others by sharing themselves and the experiences they go through they would help lift up peoples spirits and really convey the message that they are perfect in being the imperfect human they are. What a happier people we would be.

I leave you with this… would there even be a second life if we were all perfect beings… living in a perfect real world?

Lesson 31: Love Your Imperfections

I‘m sure you’ve noticed by now that humans are imperfect. We make mistakes; we’re works in progress. And while most of us strive endlessly to make ourselves perfect, I’ve yet to meet a human being without flaws.

To the degree that we’re able to love and accept ourselves in spite of our imperfections, we’ll be able to extend this love and acceptance to others. And the more we love ourselves and others, the more easily we’ll manifest the things we desire most in life.

Self-acceptance is the most generous gift we can offer ourselves.

Your Self-Love Assignment

This week, make a list of all the things you’ve disliked, resisted, or judged the most about yourself.

As you read over your list, pause before each item and say to yourself, “I’m worthy of my own love and acceptance, even though I _________.” For example: “I’m worthy of my own love and acceptance even though I’m 25 pounds overweight”; “I’m worthy of my own love and acceptance even though I don’t have a job”; “I ‘m worthy of my own love and acceptance even though I feel lonely.”

Read your list each day, pausing after each statement to breathe in your words, then move to the next item on your list.

Self-Love Points Earned

Give yourself 50 points for every imperfection that you surround in love.

Credits:
Hair – Truth – Hair Dove in Black & Whites Hud
Hat – {HOWL} – Woody & Jessie Trapper Hat (Check Brown) @ Christmas Mini Market
Lipstick – Fiore – Latte Lips #003 in SPF30 – 40
Cardigan – BCC – Catty Cardigan & Thurs Paula Mustard
Glasses – VCO – Party Glasses <Rudolph None> @ Christmas Mini Market
Shorts – Erratic – Jessy Studded Shorts Brown
Boots – Similar – Trieste Knee Boot Length

Scene:
Pose is part of The Old Bridge Winter Edition by Studio Skye/Alex Bader
Conifers by Tobias Novi
Water Reed Mace by Lilith Heart
Winter Spruces and Forest Winter Grass by Nadine Reverie
Deer by Franz Strzelecki

Location: My Home

The mind wanders…

On October 1, 2013 By AlexaIn Home3 Comments

No words today, just sharing a picture as my mind starts to flow with the to do list for the day. Happy Tuesday everyone.

Credits:

Hair – Truth – Audrey Night
Sweater – Drift – Cold Shoulder Top Changing Leaves @ TDR

Scene:

Mansfield Converted Barn {re-textured} – Barnesworth Anubis @ Collabor88

Ivory & Green Distressed Italian Console & Mesh Silver Candle & Candlestick- La Galleria
Native Giraffe Whimsy Brown & Grey Statue – Storax Tree
Roxanne Flower Bowl, Books on Table, Printed Jute Rug & Lola Bowl Teal – The Loft
Wood Chair – Step Inside
Poker Set Rare – Second Spaces {previous arcade, can still grab at store}

The remaining items are all from the Floria Living Room Set – Bazar

Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions – Pablo Picasso

On May 7, 2013 By AlexaIn ExploringLeave a comment

There is a concept known as color psychology, which basically is an explanation of how colors at the conscious and subconscious level affect a person’s emotions, mood and energy as a few examples. In essence the study of how it impacts human behavior.

For instance you might have heard that the color red represents power and passion. It is a very strong vibrant color that elicits a strong emotion. Or yellow representing sunshine and cheerfulness. In this picture I am wearing green, a color that many people associate with money and yet it is also known to be the color of balance, nature and often referred to as the color of healing. Other meanings associated to the color green are growth, fertility and change.

When I was growing up, in one of the houses that we lived in there was a green toilet and sink, so for the longest time I was not too keen on this color. Today I like green in all its variations — dark green, yellow green, olive and aqua to name a few. It is a color that I like to wear often and I just love it on this dress from Zaara. It has fabulous detail and it’s perfect casual wear.

So what colors do you wear and what do they mean? Find out here as it might help you in understanding your behavior.

Credits:

Hair – Truth – Gogo in Night (sale to 10 May)
Dress – Zaara – Chaitra Chiffon Dress Olive @ FaMESHed
Shoes – Bis[k]uit – Flats in Lime
Necklace – MG – Delightful Dahlia Multi-color Hud
Ring – LaGyo – Bonbon

When nothing goes right, Go left.

On April 21, 2013 By AlexaIn ExploringLeave a comment

I have this quirk that when I’m faced with having to make a choice between going right or left and there is no clear directions leading the way. It is almost obligatory for me to go right, because how can you go wrong when you’re always having to do the right thing, make the right choice and so it’s only right to take a right, right?

Now that I am rightly confused I’m off to get a bite to eat in the Small Town of Green.

After satisfying the hunger pains I headed to do a little exploring.

Credits:

Shorts – Mimikri – Leather Shorts Malibu Disco
Top – Tee*fy – Skyla Ruffle Sleeve Tank Antique
Shoes – Gos – Gator Sport Clogs White
Eyeglasses – Ison – Quinton Glasses Amber
Hair – Truth – Cece Night
Bag – Tee*fy – Casual Tote Bag Vintage Flower

Location: Small Town of Green