Saturday, July 17, 2010

Is 2010 the summer of ‘Not-Busters’ or are there any ‘BlockBusters’ still left?


I don’t know about you, but I don’t consider the summer to start earlier than June. Every year I notice movie companies scrambling to start earlier in the season to get a jump on our summer dollar, and this trend has left the actual summer season itself virtually ‘blockbuster-less’ or Blockbuster ‘Lite’ if you will.

Do you remember what last summer’s ‘big hit’ was? I sure don’t!


And I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who is sick of a movie sequel being coupled with the term ‘blockbuster’. Enough! Let’s break some NEW ground.


Now don’t get me wrong, there are releases coming up this summer I’m looking forward to going to see, but I really miss the true ‘Summer Blockbuster’ and I’m not happy with the way the term seems to have been re-defined and diluted throughout the years.


The summer season that begun for me May 7th when the next movie in the series was released for A Nightmare on Elm Street. I’m a horror movie genre buff and rarely miss a horror release (it’s always so hard to find a movie buddy when you love horror films!). The movie just wasn’t as ‘Freddy’tastic’ as I’d hoped. The role of Freddy Krueger was re-cast and was portrayed by Jackie Earle Haley. All I can say is I lost that loving feeling. Where is Robert Englund anyway? Even Pee Wee is back in the Playhouse, can’t we get our ‘real’ Freddy back?


The Summer of 2010 big screen re-makes continues with The A-Team, The Karate Kid and of course more sequels with the release of Toy Story 3, Twilight Eclipse, Sex & The City 2 and even Predators (who thought they’d come back?). One of the more creative of the bunch is Disney’s ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ which is based on the movie ‘Fantasia’. This time around, they ditch the mouse and tell the tale of a Sorcerer (played by Nicolas Cage) searching for the ‘Prime-Merlinian’, his successor (very believably portrayed by Jay Baruchel).


Here is a clip, ‘Sorcery 101’ from Disney’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice coming to a Theater near you on July 14, 2010





I greatly enjoyed this movie and even had the opportunity to walk the red carpet at the movie World Premiere held in New York City’s iconic Times Square! You can read more about my red carpet coverage here. So what will be the ‘Summer 2010 Blockbuster’? While it does remain to be seen, we do know who decides! Promise me you will think about this when you go out and buy a ticket this weekend!

REMINDER: Don't forget the Carolina Pad Giveaway of the 'Road Trip' Collection ends TODAY at 3 pm EST. This is a great jump start on Back to School needs, so hurry up and get your entry in HERE (Your child/teen will Thank You! Especially if they love butterflies!). You can enter to pamper your face with LancerRX products (ARV $100)  HERE. You can win a Turquoise Hamsa Necklace (perfect for summer! ARV $118) HERE. And our most recent posted giveaway is the newest item being featured in our 'Slip Into Summer' Special Feature 2010 series of giveaways (which has included handbags, jewelry, footwear and fashion), enter to win the pair of your choice with OkaB Shoes That Love You  (there will be THREE winners! and one winner will be selected at random from Ascending Butterfly's Facebook Page HERE, so make sure you are already following!) also don't forget to double your chances to win by posting a comment HERE!
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Friday, July 16, 2010

'Slip Into Summer' Special Feature - 3 winners will win their choice of Oka B shoes

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Oka B! We look forward to working with you again! The winners have been notified and upon confirmation, follower names will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!
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Ascending Butterfly Special Feature sponsored by:



Do your shoes love you? And better still, do you love your shoes? When it comes to shoes I'm super hard to please, picky and not very easily impressed. Although I think it's safe to say when a person is having a 'bad-shoe-day', not only do they become cranky, but in many cases down-right snarky!

I'm not an easy fit foot wise, my feet are flat with minimum help from what appears to be my non-existent arches coupled with a high instep. I hope that you CAN'T relate to my feet!

Even with the age old advice of trying shoes on in the late afternoon to ensure a more accurate fit when your feet are at their worst, I have often bought shoes that felt comfortable in the store, and then put them on a few days later only to find out much to my dismay they no longer fit!

For this reason, I don't often solicit footwear companies, and I definitely read other blogger reviews and customer ratings on shoes for those rare occasions I order online. I usually have to do brick & mortar and actually try my shoes on.

And I have also been known to stop and buy a new pair of shoes if the ones I am wearing begin to hurt. I just can't function if my feet hurt!

I also prefer flats to heels, I agree with many women that high heels were designed by men for men, and not once did someone put thought to our comfort! If any high heel companies out there wan't to prove me wrong, feel free to try me, I'm open to new experiences, but I'm a foot skeptic when it comes to those torture devices known as stilettos, spikes, (and I am sure there are a bunch of other synonyms I can insert here).

Slip into Summer is finally presenting you with it's first Sandal! We started with an athletic shoe and I figured with record high temperatures in New York City this week it was time we switched gears and tried out a sandal, oh the things I do for you! :-) (remind me to get a cute smiley graphic to insert, for future smiley needs!)

Being that I'm a New York City gal, Oka B sent me a review shoe they describe as 'a stunning design for sophisticated shoppers', her name, (why I'm glad you asked) is Lucy! Lucy is embellished with a Large Natural Wood Beaded Chysanthemum, Tres Sex & The City!



I'm not exactly the 'Carrie' Type personality, when she brought the big flower phase into popularity I didn't exactly jump on that band or is it 'flower' wagon. I love real flowers, but I don't like oversized flower pins stuck on my shirts, jackets, sweaters, or handbags, so not my style at all. So when I took Lucy out of the box, I was a bit perplexed by her. I thought hmmmm.....she's a frou frou gal isn't she?

I will say I love everything about Oka B. What's not to love about:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – American Made Shoes and Sandals (in this economy we need jobs kept HERE!)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Two-year guarantee (A shoe with a guarantee, cool right?)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Durable one-piece construction (these shoes are definitely durable!)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Antimicrobial and waterproof for clean, fresh feet (OK, I know this is going to sound weird, but they arrived with a smell that is vaguely reminiscent of chocolate!)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Built-in massage beads based on principles of reflexology (it's kind of like a spa on your feet that comforts you each step of the way)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Wipe clean - (And my public transportation commuters will empathize with just how valuable this feature really is, doesn't it seem like EVERYONE steps on your foot when you are wearing light colored shoes?)

While I do have high praise for Oka B there are some warnings about my personal experience with 'Lucy' I feel I need to share, she felt a bit 'narrow' on my foot, so if you are wide width, I would highly suggest sizing up with this particular pair. (you'll see why I say that later). I am not normally prone to advising anyone to size up if I didn't feel it was necessary. Those with a normally 'medium' or 'narrow' foot will find these comfortable. I am also not a lover of the 'thong' shoe. I always feel that pressure between the toe of the thong itself, and these were no different, I did feel the thong, ideally you shouldn't be so aware of them. And like some other reviews I've seen, Lucy is 'Slippery When Wet' (ok so I admit I'm a Bon Jovi fan and was secretly hoping I'd find a way to work one of his songs into my reviews, LOL). If you are wearing 'Lucy' pool or beach side, or just out of the shower, make sure your feet are totally dry, and while I know this is true of most footwear, this is especially true with 'Lucy', not to mention that in summer even with open shoes or sandals if your feet sweat, be careful walking in this shoe, they get very slippery. For now, me and Lucy are still feeling each other out.

Before you think uh-oh (or if you're a scooby doo fan RUH ROH!), the Oka B tale does have a very happy ending (hmmmm no massage parlor references intended here so please stop giggling).

Just because I am a blogger doesn't mean I don't like cool stuff just like everybody else, I happened to enter a fellow blogger giveaway for Oka B and WON! (Special thanks to Maricris @ Zensible Mama - definitely check out her blog, I love the way her personality shines through her posts, she makes me smile. Oh by the way, I was comment number 66, not sure why I felt that was significant enough to share, but there it is!). I was super stoked to find out I won the pair of my choice! And then a bit nervous since me and 'Lucy' did not quite have a love at first site thing going on.....

Lucy did serve her purpose though, when Maricris asked me to pick a pair of my choice, I poured over the site and decided to avoid a thong style, and went with a shoe named 'Gabby', when I pulled Gabby out of the box, I immediately knew she was more my style, she looks like leather croc but she's NOT, I'll have you know she is Vegan and incredibly eco friendly and super stylish. She has bamboo bead embellishments and all the great features I pointed out in the butterfly bullet points, ah those built in massage beads!



And it gets better, when I tried 'Gabby' on, it was then that I truly understood that Oka B shoes really do love you! and I don't get the difference, but Gabby is not slippery when wet like Lucy, and there is no need for wide width shoe gals to size up with this shoe. Gabby felt much more true to size, she was not as narrow and unlike Lucy was a hit comfort wise. Gabby will not require a long break in period.....Lucy however is another story. But I am incredibly grateful that I won 'Gabby' or I would have had the wrong idea about Oka B shoes altogether!

So the moral of this story, enter more blog giveaways, LOL I couldn't resist! Everyone has different feet, different posture and we all don't walk exactly the same either, some people over-pronate and we all have different foot requirements, so I can only speak to my particular experience, but I'm glad in this instance I had two shots at trying out different pairs. They are from the same company but they are as different as night and day. I even walk differently in both based on their fit.

The Skinny: I love Gabby, we can be besties, but Lucy, not so much!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ –  WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Oka B 'shoes that love you' would like to provide THREE lucky Ascending Butterfly Followers the shoes of their choice! (Winners will select a pair from the new Winter 2010 catalogue, you will be asked to provide us with your top three choices from the catalogue just in case your first choice is not in stock!) Oka B has styles for BOTH Men and Women, so gentlemen feel free to enter too!

Don't you just ♥ Oka B?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit Oka B at shoesthatloveyou.com and pick the shoe that you like best (remember you cannot select 'gabby' or 'lucy' because they were featured here already and leave the LINK to the shoes in your comment entry! Let's see if you are really paying attention, if you make a separate about comment why you picked that shoe you will get an extra credit for that too, just remember to put in your required entry with the link first! (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older. No P.O. Boxes!

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Friday, June 16, 2010 until Friday, July 30, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

EXTRA CREDIT:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you already have our button, just let us know, you will still get extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascendingbutterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet This:

Ok to RT: Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - #ascendingbutterfly + @OKAb - 3 winners will #win shoes of Choice #Giveaways - http://tinyurl.com/26lby6j

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Follow, now called ‘Like’ (and don't forget to write on their wall that Ascending Butterfly sent you!) OkaB/Shoes That Love You on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @OKAb on Twitter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Oka B Shoes That Love You on YouTube HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Oka B on Linked In HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow the Oka B Blog HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Review this blog on Alexa HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ascending Butterfly is a nominee for the Bloggers Choice ’10 Awards in the ‘Best Blog About Stuff’ Category - http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/ You can press the button below to go straight to the page where Ascending Butterfly has been nominated!

My site was nominated for Best Blog About Stuff!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)



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NOTE: Readers have asked us to make entering the contests and giveaways, faster and easier. Your wish is our command! We have moved our 'Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the day, which is where we host our giveaways, to the upper right hand side of the page. It will be located here from now on to make entering the giveaways faster and easier. Keep the suggestions coming, remember we also have a community group page with real time chat, you can give us your comments and suggestions in REAL time, how cool is that?

NOTE 2: Twitter followers: please remember you must also follow Ascending Butterfly using Google friends connect on the upper right hand side of the page for your entries to be processed. And remember if your profile does not have an email and you don't leave your email in your entry, we will not accept your entry. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow A Blog Publicly Using Google Friends Connect:

Please look to the upper right hand side, where the follower pictures are. (Note the number of followers before you start this process)

1) press the follow button - the google pop up wizard will open, this is not an ad and your pop up blocker will not block it

2) tick the option that reads 'follow this blog publicly' once that button is selected, hit follow again - it should now read 'you are now following'

3) if the follower count went up you know you did it succesfully, if your profile has a picture, that picture will be the first one on the left side. If your profile doesn't have one, it should still be searchable on the members list. (Remember, following a blog, does NOT subscribe you to receive emails, you have to subscribe separately to do that, you will not receive emails for following)

Are you getting the dreaded 'Your Entry Can't Be Processed' message when leaving an entry or comment? Before hitting enter, highlight your comment and COPY it. If you get that message after hitting enter and your comment is still there, just ignore the message and hit enter again, then you will get a screen with a captcha code, enter the captcha code, then submit and VOILA. If after you hit the submit button the first time, you get the dreaded message and the comment 'disappeared' no worries, that's why I asked you to copy it in the first step. Paste it back in and submit again. This has worked for me when comment boxes have glitched on me, and I hope it helps you too!


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FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided product to facilitate my review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Typing as fast as I can!

Butterflies, sorry for the delay today, but trust me it will be worth the wait, our 'Slip Into Summer Feature' has something really fantastic coming up SOON! (and there will be THREE winners for this one!) In the meantime, don't forget we have three active giveaways posted and the Carolina Pad giveaway ends THIS saturday, don't forget to enter!

For those with Kids, the Carolina Pad giveaway is a perfect way to get a heads up on your back to school shopping!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wordless Wednesday! Be A Butterfly!


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                     Be A Butterfly

 Spread Your Wings,
 and whatever life brings,
 be true to you - be YOU-nique!
 Let the Lord Guide You,
 to the beauty inside you,
and you'll find the Joy that you seek
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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Win a turquoise hamsa pendant necklace from Satya Jewelry! (ARV $118.00)

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Satya Jewelry! We look forward to working with you again! The winner is singermagic1. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page! Watch for the next bag in the ‘Spring Into Bags’ series to launch SOON.
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Ascending Butterfly Editor Pick Sponsored By:


The demand for our Mother's Day Buying Guide exceeded what one person could possibly post, so I want to open by expressing my gratitude to Satya Jewelry for their patience!  I have been on Satya Jewelry's mailing list for quite awhile now, and admired their pieces from afar for sometime.

As you may know by now, I have a strong affinity for shopping with a purpose and prefer to give my time and hard earned dollars to a company who cares. To a company that gives back, and Satya Jewelry fits the bill perfectly!

Beautiful, Abundant, Graceful Yoga-Inspired Jewelry is what Satya is known for. I could probably spend an entire day highlighting their vast collection of treasures, but we all know I must begin with the Butterflies!



Co-designed by husband and wife partners Courteney Cox and David Arquette along with Satya Jewelry, the butterfly is the symbol of hope and freedom. This bracelet was created to benefit the EB Medical Research Foundation, a charity that is close to both of their hearts. EB is a rare skin disease affecting someone near and dear to both David & Courteney. “We are committed to raising awareness and money to help find a cure for EB so these wonderful children can live a healthy and normal life.”  The Satya Foundation donates 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this necklace to the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation, aiming to find a cure for a rare childhood skin disease. For More information please visit http://www.ebkids.org/ (There is a butterfly in their logo!)



There is another piece I want to bring to your attention, The Satya Jewelry Hope, Love, and Healing Necklace was designed with to raise money for the children and families of Haiti. With the help of Patricia Arquette, GiveLove and you, we can all be a part of the healing.

“The Hope, Love & Healing necklace is the perfect embodiment of what we are trying to bring to Haiti through safe and sustainable housing, sanitation solutions, and water filtration devices.”


-Patricia Arquette
The Satya Foundation donates 100% of the proceeds from this necklace to GiveLove. Please help them reach their goal to donate $10,000 each month. Together we can help rebuild Haiti. Satya Jewelry and Patricia Arquette are excited to offer this sterling silver necklace, an $88 value, for only $38. Find out more at http://www.givelove.org/

While you all know I absolutely adore butterflies, there is a lot more to me! But alas many companies want to sadly put me in a butterfly box and not allow me to 'stretch my wings' no pun intended. Really, no pun intended! LOL

I am very grateful to Satya Jewelry for NOT putting me in the butterfly only box and allowing me to select a piece that truly spoke to ME. I have always wanted but have never owned a Hamsa. Hamsa, (the open hand symbol) is a sacred gesture symbolizing receipt of blessings from the universe. I have oddly enough always been attracted to them, but somehow never acquired one.

I am very much a Turquoise person and while I probably could have spent an eternity browsing (or what I call virtual window shopping); I found a piece that truly spoke to me very quickly, the turquoise hamsa pendant necklace from Satya Jewelry!


A piece for protection and health. Long known for its healing and spiritual qualities, turquoise uplifts, heals and cleanses the spiritual energy center and the physical body. The protector against negative energies, Hamsa, is a sacred gesture symbolizing receipt of blessings from the universe.

I have studied the benefits of crystals and their healing effects for many years now. And I find it interesting that Native Americans consider turquoise to be sacred and scatter chips or the powdered stone during special prayers and about their shrines.

Navajo Turquoise

The ones with the black lines in them are called Navajo turquoise and helps you to stay in a place of love and connectedness with others. By doing this it can make you feel at "home" no matter where you are. It is a combination of turquoise and sard (sard being the lines). turquoise by itself keeps one in the feeling of unconditional love and connection to all that is while sard by itself keeps one in the state of emotional attachments to family, home, their roots (the good memories of childhood) it also assists in digestion of proteins both animal and vegetable.
 
Draws out Negativity

One of the main compounds of the Turquoise stone is copper. This is what gives it the blue, green, blueish-green colors. It also is often combined with the Azurite stone as well. Turquoise is wonderful for drawing out negative vibrations from a person. It is best to place it at the feet or worn inside the sock for this. It dissipates negativity as it draws from the body. It allows the negativity to go back into the ground. A good stone for helping one to bond with the spiritual. It offers much uplifting. Also helps open the heart chakra for giving and receiving.
 
The Skinny: I don't think it's possible for me to have selected a more meaningful or perfectly aligned piece to my spirit, I love that it allows you to feel connected to unconditional spirtual love via the Turquoise and at the same time via the Hamsa receive 'blessings from the universe'. To say I absolutely cherish this necklace on so many levels is an understatement, and I have received numerous compliments on it!
 
 
 
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Satya Jewelry would like 1 Ascending Butterfly Follower to win a turquoise hamsa pendant necklace of your very own!
 
Don't you just ♥ Satya Jewelry? I know I do!
 
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit SatyaJewelry.com and pick a piece that speaks to you and leave the URL LINK to that product in your comment entry! If you'd like to share the reason that piece speaks to you, you'll get an extra entry (leave two comments, one with the URL of the product and a second with the reason why you chose it!) (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older.
 
Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Tuesday, July 13, 2010 until Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)
 
Extra Credit:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you already have our button, just let us know, you will still get extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascending butterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ #ascendingbutterfly + @SatyaJewelry #Win a turquoise hamsa pendant necklace ARV $118.00! #Giveaways http://tinyurl.com/2auk4xx

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Follow, now called ‘Like’ (and don't forget to write on their wall that Ascending Butterfly sent you!) Satya Jewelry on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @SatyaJewelry on Twitter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow/Like Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Review this blog on Alexa HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ascending Butterfly is a nominee for the Bloggers Choice ’10 Awards in the ‘Best Blog About Stuff’ Category - http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/ You can press the button below to go straight to the page where Ascending Butterfly has been nominated!

My site was nominated for Best Blog About Stuff!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)



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NOTE: Readers have asked us to make entering the contests and giveaways, faster and easier. Your wish is our command! We have moved our 'Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the day, which is where we host our giveaways, to the upper right hand side of the page. It will be located here from now on to make entering the giveaways faster and easier. Keep the suggestions coming, remember we also have a community group page with real time chat, you can give us your comments and suggestions in REAL time, how cool is that?

NOTE 2: Twitter followers: please remember you must also follow Ascending Butterfly using Google friends connect on the upper right hand side of the page for your entries to be processed. And remember if your profile does not have an email and you don't leave your email in your entry, we will not accept your entry. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow A Blog Publicly Using Google Friends Connect:

Please look to the upper right hand side, where the follower pictures are. (Note the number of followers before you start this process)

1) press the follow button - the google pop up wizard will open, this is not an ad and your pop up blocker will not block it

2) tick the option that reads 'follow this blog publicly' once that button is selected, hit follow again - it should now read 'you are now following'

3) if the follower count went up you know you did it succesfully, if your profile has a picture, that picture will be the first one on the left side. If your profile doesn't have one, it should still be searchable on the members list. (Remember, following a blog, does NOT subscribe you to receive emails, you have to subscribe separately to do that, you will not receive emails for following)

Are you getting the dreaded 'Your Entry Can't Be Processed' message when leaving an entry or comment? Before hitting enter, highlight your comment and COPY it. If you get that message after hitting enter and your comment is still there, just ignore the message and hit enter again, then you will get a screen with a captcha code, enter the captcha code, then submit and VOILA. If after you hit the submit button the first time, you get the dreaded message and the comment 'disappeared' no worries, that's why I asked you to copy it in the first step. Paste it back in and submit again. This has worked for me when comment boxes have glitched on me, and I hope it helps you too!

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FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided product to facilitate my review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Energizer: Recharge Smart™ Please Re-Charge Ascending Butterfly at BlogHer '10 - HELP, I NEED YOU!



Energizer® Recharge Smart™ is offering (2) $2,000 BlogHer’10 sponsorship opportunities through An Island Life and Barefoot Mommies blogs and I really want the job! That's where YOU come in dear reader, I need YOUR help!

Keeping it Green! - I love living greener and cleaner each and everyday and I love finding new ways to keep things OUT of our landfills. What we throw in landfills leaches in to the ground, into the water and ultimately into our bodies. A great way to reduce landfill waste is with re-chargeable batteries. But you don't just want any rechargeable battery, you want the new and improved Energizer® Recharge NiMH AA batteries. These 2300 mAh batteries can now be charged up to 250 MORE** times, and will last up to 4X longer* in digital cameras. Meaning LESS waste in our landfills! Which = greener! The ENERGY STAR®-certified Energizer® Recharge Smart™ Charger also features a slow charge rate, which extends the number of battery life cycles, and a bad battery alert that automatically indicates if the batteries are no longer useful or if a disposable battery has been inserted by mistake. I have been trying over the course of the past two years to change all appliances and gadgets to Energy Star certified ones, so I'm super excited about this new Charger! Making sure all our appliances are Energy Star Certified is a goal I set out for myself in terms of living green and making a positive environmental impact.

As many of you already know I am registered for BlogHer 2010, it will be held this year in New York City which I am incrediby excited about! I live in New York City, and I can't wait to show everyone that it's radically different than those scary and negative stereotypes! New Yorkers are helpful by nature! There is no better city than the 'City that Never Sleeps' for BlogHer 2010, and partnered with the Battery that keeps going, and going, and going, it's a win/win all around!

One of the things I really want to be able to do at BlogHer 2010 is live blog and live tweet about the event so that the bloggers and readers who can't be there will really feel like they are there, but that's going to be a bit difficult to do with a desktop computer that weighs more than a toddler! I'd love to use a portion of this Energizer Smart ChargHER sponsorship to purchase a laptop (one with a powerful battery life of course!) so I can live blog and live tweet! I've become a master at relaying pertinent information in 140 characters or less! And I'm sure BlogHer will really put that expertise to the test!

The job in a nutshell entails handing out USB drives that contain information about the Energizer® Recharge Smart™ Charger and better still on ONE of the chargers is a $500 gift certificate to Target! As you all know Ascending Butterfly is a Social Butterfly by nature and I will get a kick out of having so many people trying to find me at BlogHer! I have a funny feeling this would give me the chance to meet absolutely everyone in attendance!

Now you know Ascending Butterfly always wants to be sure there is something cool and unique in everything I propose to my readers, anyone who writes a blog post about the Energizer Smart Charger between Aug. 6 – Aug. 27,  will receive a $10 gift card to Target and an Energizer Smart Charger of their very own! There will be contact info on the USB drive for you to submit the link to Your post!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How YOU can help - Tell BareFootMomma 'Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ascending Butterfly should be the Smart ChargHer at BlogHer 2010 in NYC' by posting it on her Facebook wall HERE (if you are not already liking her, you need to 'Like' her first, then you can post your vote!). You can also send a shout out on Twitter by copying and pasting @BarefootMomma + @kailani Ascending Butterfly aka @Tracy_Iglesias should be the Smart ChargeHer at #BlogHer 2010 in NYC #energizer' into your twitter feed! I can't begin to express what your vote would mean to me. And know that by voting for me you are helping me to find a way to virtually 'take you with me' so you won't miss a thing at BlogHer 2010!

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Disclaimer: This post is my entry into Energizer’s Smart ChargHer contest. I am in no way being compensated for this post and have shared my honest opinion about their product(s).

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Sunday, July 11, 2010 - This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and Great Giveaways!





On Sunday's, 'Today's Moment of Inspiration' becomes the weekly 'Moment of Gratitude'. While I do still live in Gratitude each and everyday, I decided to change this feature to a weekly to allow a full week of Inspirational messages and focused breathing meditations.

Oh My! It's been a quite a few Sundays where this feature has gone missing, and no one has missed it more than me. My heart is literally filled to over-flowing this weekend with Gratitude and Joy, and I just can't wait to share!

This week, I am grateful for:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - To Disney for inviting Ascending Butterfly (and fam) to the World Premiere of The Sorcerer's Apprentice, if you missed our red carpet coverage you can read it HERE. I also greatly enjoyed the free concert in Bryant Park after the Premiere where Alpha Rev took the stage and so did some of the cast  and the director of Sorcerer's Apprentice. The city just felt especially alive that night, and I'm grateful to have been part of it! I got to see the stars up close as they walked the carpet and was genuinely touched to see just how many times Nicolas Gage stopped to sign posters for his fans, he was down to earth and very generous of spirit. I never imagined being that close! (One of my early jobs was a film critic and I've interviewed a few celebs during Press Junkets, but this was my first actual Red Carpet World Premiere, being held in the city that is a backdrop to the film, and it really blew my mind! And the details were just fantastic from assigned seating at the Theater (the Theater turning into a character of it's own with so much for the eyes to take in at once.), choice of beverages water, cola, diet and big white tubs of popcorn were just many of the details that made the movie experience an especially fun one!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - For being able to re-connect and fall in love with my city all over again! I've been taking advantage of all New York has to offer in the summertime including Central Park (where I spent a very relaxing, lazy afternoon) and the Summertime Concert Series at El Musel Del Barrio where I caught a rooftop concert and got to see Pacha Massive and King Chango (who are back strong after a seven year hiatus from the scene) and it was awesome. I even got a picture with Pacha Massive. I have to find the cord that connects my phone to my computer so I can post it! They will be hosting live concerts at the museum every Thursday night. For more information (concerts are free, but you have to RSVP and print your ticket and bring it with you) you can visit their website HERE Arrive a little early so you can enjoy the exhibits while you are there too! And if you visit the exhibits and find yourself hungry afterwards, then hit the 'Cafe' and grab a quick bite before the concert.The next concert in the series is 'YeraSon Charanga Orquestra' A New York-based Cuban charanga orchestra that plays old-school Cuban music with a distinctly modern New York twist. YeraSon's sound is reminiscent of the great Cuban charanga orchestras of the 1950’s. The group features musicians from Africa, Cuba, England, Japan, Puerto Rico, and U.S.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
El Teatro
Admission: Free
RSVP required. A printed RSVP confirmation is required to check-in

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - It's been a very busy, but also a very blessed week, one that I am very grateful for. Thanks to all my friends both old and new who gave me encouragement and support this week!
 
What are you grateful for today? I'd love for you to write in and share what you are grateful for this week. The more you say it, the more you speak it, and the more you live in gratitude, the more you will find reasons to be grateful for, and the more reasons that the universe will send you to be grateful for. So join me on this journey of gratitude and inspiration. And you can post here daily (even though my list will be posted weekly).

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me on Twitter here (@Tracy_Iglesias) Twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field at Twitter:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and Great giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Active Giveaways:

1) Take a “Road Trip” and win with Carolina Pad! Enter to win lovely butterfly adorned products from Carolina Pad HERE

2) Make the Lancer Method YOUR Method - Win the LancerRX daily 3-step program! Spoil your Face and enter to win HERE

Keep your eyes on the homepage's 'Win Here - Today's Butterfly' section we have some great giveaways still to come! (ahem.....bling lovers may really want to pay attention this week!)

For those of you who are interested in keeping a gratitude journal this year, here is my recommendation and a direct link to purchase it:















Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Saturday, July 10, 2010

Help America Scores and The Sak Brand Group Prevent Childhood Obesity!


For the 8th year in a row, The Sak Brand Group is working in partnership with America Scores, using the power of soccer and poetry to help urban youth learn valuable skills on and off the field. A cause that is an important one to Mark Talucci, co-founder, who at a very young age growing up overseas in places like Brazil, began his charitable work helping the underprivileged kids in his neighborhood.

In light of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative, childhood obesity has become a national priority. Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution” is also helping shine a spotlight on the epidemic. Scores coaches take it one step further teaching participants and their families about nutrition and healthy living while inspiring youth to lead healthy lifestyles, be engaged students, and to give back to their communities. Scores reaches over 6,000 children in underprivileged schools all over the country, including San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago and New York.

On July 11th, The Sak Brand Group and Bay Area Scores will team up to host The Bolinas World Cup Party at the Jefferson Airplane House in Bolinas, CA (outside of San Francisco). The Bay Area Scores organization has a goal of raising more than 100K for its programs nationwide from the event, live auction and online auction to add 200 kids to the program next year.

Here’s how you can help support upcoming America Scores programs:

The Bolinas World Cup Party kicks off with an online auction (LIVE NOW) allowing supporters nationwide to bid on featured items such as:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - A week at the Desa Seni resort

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - A stylist session with Jess Neff of the NBC today show

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Sak and Elliott Lucca handbags

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Jewelry

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Original art work inspired by the poems of SCORES poet-athletes

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Best Selling Products from Bliss Spa (Bliss San Francisco)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Private Tour of the California Academy of Science

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Photographs from Thomson Reuters of World Cup soccer action

For more information on the event and to bid you can log on to www.bolinasworldcupparty.com/ and click on Auction.

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Friday, July 9, 2010

Make the Lancer Method YOUR Method - Win the LancerRX daily 3-step program!

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Lancer RX! We look forward to working with you again! The winner has been notified and upon confirmation, follower name will be posted here. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page! Watch for the next bag in the ‘Slip Into Summer' series to launch SOON.
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Ascending Butterfly Editor's Pick, Sponsored By:


This summer has been hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, and it has just begun. I don't know about you, but the heat and the excessive sweating it produces, leaves my skin particularly my face, feeling less than pretty. The sweat causes product to run and tends to clog my pores. And while I don't suffer from sensitive skin in any way, I do find that my skin is more reactive in summer than any other season. I try to combat it every year with the 'less is more theory' of summer product usage, but let's face it, life usually speeds up in the summer, it certainly does NOT slow down.

I have been attending MORE events this summer than ever somehow, which means that tinted mouisturizer alone was NOT going to cut it for me. I've had to constantly put my best 'skin forward' from day into night all week long (and quite a few concurrent weekends) and in doing so, it's required more effort on my part.

There are one of two types of ladies out there, the ones that HAVE to wash off every last trace of makeup before bed and the ones whose heads hit the pillow even if they have make up on. I am lady number one. I can't go straight to bed without getting the make up off. And when I clean my face, I want it to feel clean and not every product leaves me with that feeling after I use it. And my litmus test with facial products has always been the same. If I feel the need to use an astringent after I've cleansed my face, that product did NOT do the job in my book.

I'm happy to say that I found my 'squeaky clean feeling' solution! And it's as easy as 1, 2, and 3! I have been using the Lancer Method and will admit my face is becoming quite spoiled! I've had the opportunity to try quite a few products since I've started on this roller-coaster ride called 'blogging', but I very rarely get nervous about what is going to happen about when I run out. This time, I am.

With a simple, daily 3-step program, the LancerRX products bring improvements in fine lines, texture, discoloration and pore size in about a week. I want to be sure that I relay  'The Method' completely and in it's entirety, so the following is from the website and I will follow with my opinions of each product:


Step 1: Polish/Exfoliate

The Lancer RX Polish is an advanced exfoliator, removing dull, dead skin cells and leaving the skin noticeably smoother and more radiant. The Natural Sea Minerals immediately energize the skin without causing redness (even for people with roacea) and prepare it for effective cleansing.


Step 2: Cleanse

Once the skin is rid of debris, it is ready to be cleansed. The Lancer RX Cleanser washes away impurities & environmental toxins while bringing a uniform freshness to the skin.



Step 3: Repair

After the skin has been polished and prepped it is time for repair. The Lancer RX AM/PM Nourishing Treatment increases firmness, diminishes the appearance of lines and wrinkles and nourishes the skin with essential botanical extracts and powerful antioxidants.

For acne prone/oily skin types like me, I just wanted to pointed out that I also tried the Polish - Blemish Control, it is a gentle resurfacing polish containing natural exfoliating minerals from the Dead Sea and antibacterial Tea Tree Oil. This product removes surface skin cells while natural tea tree oil provides antibacterial action.  This product preps skin for the Repair Treatments (the third step). It leaves skin smoother, refined and with improved clarity. I am a long time believer in the power of tea tree oil for acne prone skin, and was delighted to know that Dr. Lancer's Polish Blemish Control contains this ingredient already, because I have been adding tea tree oil to other products for years!

The Skinny: I really love this system, Step 1 is by far my favorite, it gives me instant gratification, I can literally feel a huge difference in my skin after using it. My face just feels truly clean there is no other way to describe it. It's a deep clean feeling, that does NOT strip my skin of it's own mouisture or leave it dry. Most products, especially for acne/oily prone skin has a tendency to dry out my face even when I follow the instructions to the letter, these products don't do that. I have certainly noticed the improved clarity that is promised as well. I find my skin is clearer, and more radiant and I'm not going to be a happy camper when I run out, which as far as I'm concerned, says it all! When I tell you I would buy it even though I have access to a variety of skin care products, trust me, it's high praise indeed.

These products are paraben and cruelty-free! And please don't think this is Ladies only, I will have you know that a November 2008 issue of People declared that the 'Sexiest Man Alive, Hugh Jackman, swears by Lancer RX Repair' - now guys if that's not a ringing endorsement of being serious about your skincare, and about trying out these products, I don't know what is!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Lancer Dermatology and ID-PR would like 1 Ascending Butterfly Follower to put their best skin forward this summer by winning a Lancer RX Method of their very own!

Don't you just ♥ Lancer Dermatology? I know I do!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit lancerdermatology.com and pick a product you like and leave the URL LINK to that product in your comment entry! (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older.

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Friday, July 09, 2010 until Monday, July 19, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

Extra Credit:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you already have our button, just let us know, you will still get extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascending butterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ #ascendingbutterfly + @LancerRx #Win The Lancer RX Method, Spoil your skin! #Giveaways http://tinyurl.com/23ytlhj

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Follow, now called ‘Like’ (and don't forget to write on their wall that Ascending Butterfly sent you!) Carolina Pad on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @LancerRx on Twitter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow/Like Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Review this blog on Alexa HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ascending Butterfly is a nominee for the Bloggers Choice ’10 Awards in the ‘Best Blog About Stuff’ Category - http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/ You can press the button below to go straight to the page where Ascending Butterfly has been nominated!

My site was nominated for Best Blog About Stuff!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)



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NOTE: Readers have asked us to make entering the contests and giveaways, faster and easier. Your wish is our command! We have moved our 'Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the day, which is where we host our giveaways, to the upper right hand side of the page. It will be located here from now on to make entering the giveaways faster and easier. Keep the suggestions coming, remember we also have a community group page with real time chat, you can give us your comments and suggestions in REAL time, how cool is that?

NOTE 2: Twitter followers: please remember you must also follow Ascending Butterfly using Google friends connect on the upper right hand side of the page for your entries to be processed. And remember if your profile does not have an email and you don't leave your email in your entry, we will not accept your entry. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow A Blog Publicly Using Google Friends Connect:

Please look to the upper right hand side, where the follower pictures are. (Note the number of followers before you start this process)

1) press the follow button - the google pop up wizard will open, this is not an ad and your pop up blocker will not block it

2) tick the option that reads 'follow this blog publicly' once that button is selected, hit follow again - it should now read 'you are now following'

3) if the follower count went up you know you did it succesfully, if your profile has a picture, that picture will be the first one on the left side. If your profile doesn't have one, it should still be searchable on the members list. (Remember, following a blog, does NOT subscribe you to receive emails, you have to subscribe separately to do that, you will not receive emails for following)

Are you getting the dreaded 'Your Entry Can't Be Processed' message when leaving an entry or comment? Before hitting enter, highlight your comment and COPY it. If you get that message after hitting enter and your comment is still there, just ignore the message and hit enter again, then you will get a screen with a captcha code, enter the captcha code, then submit and VOILA. If after you hit the submit button the first time, you get the dreaded message and the comment 'disappeared' no worries, that's why I asked you to copy it in the first step. Paste it back in and submit again. This has worked for me when comment boxes have glitched on me, and I hope it helps you too!

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FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided product to facilitate my review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Ascending Butterfly walks the Red Carpet at The World Premiere of The Sorcerer's Apprentice!


Ascending Butterfly was blessed to be invited to THE Red Carpet World Premiere of Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice! On what has to be one of the hottest days of the month, we set out to the Red Carpet Premiere of what will no doubt be one of the hottest releases of summer!

The World Premiere was held in the New Amsterdam Theater in the heart of Times Square in Manhattan. And no detail was left out, they even included popcorn and beverages! Most appreciated!

While we were watching the Red Carpet Arrivals up close, a butterfly actually flew right past us, and no spoilers here, but there is a great butterfly sighting in this movie! And you all know I love my butterflies!

The Premiere was followed by a concert in Bryant Park, emceed by Z100’s JJ, with Alpha Rev taking the stage! Their song "Phoenix Burn" was featured in the film. One Republic was on the bill as their song "Secrets" is featured prominently in the film also, but the lead singer had laryngitis and they were unable to perform. There were also appearances and a Question & Answers session with  the movie’s stars and filmmakers, including Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Toby Kebbell, Teresa Palmer, director Jon Turteltaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. And oddly enough another butterfly flew past us while in Bryant Park, how cool is that?

The mayor even declared July 6th as ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice Day’ in New York City!

I can't discuss it too much yet, but I thought I'd leave you all with a trailer to enjoy!





Thanks Disney, I had an amazing night, and the swagbags on the way out was a very nice touch! I even walked out alongside Helen Mirren! It took so much restraint not to ask her for an autograph! And my pass and ticket stub is so going in my scrapbook!

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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Take My Breath Away!




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Life is Not Measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the number of moments that take our breath away!
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I have always loved this quote! How many moments have actually taken your breath away? Is your answer something like 'not nearly enough'?

Then make the changes required to change your answer.

Then look deeper.

Then change your perspective.

There are daily occurences that can and still should take your breath away. An amazing sunrise or sunset.

A really good hug. Saying 'I Love You' (& meaning it!) or having someone say it to you.

Ascending Butterfly is off to have an amazing adventure today that I will share more details about later on this month!

But in the meantime, I wish you all a day that takes your breath away!
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