Thursday, December 31, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

Burning Away 2009

If you have been with us all week this week you will remember making Two Lists as your part of your daily inspiration this week. The first list was your gratitude list where you counted every good thing that happened for you this year. That list of blessings I asked you to keep in a safe place. You will refer to this list each year at the end of the year. For those that are already keeping a gratitude journal, this list is already being taken care of you by you daily. Please keep your journal or list in a safe place. I pray that each year your list (or your journals) get longer, with more good moments, more blessings.

You were asked to make a second list yesterday, your 'negatives', a list of all bad things that occured this year. These things obviously impacted you greatly and stayed ruminating in your mind if they made the list. It is that list I want you to pull out today.

You can do this at any point in the day before midnight that you want, but if you are going out tonight, you may want to do this before you leave.

Your list of negatives is to be burned. Yes I do mean literally! You will burn away 2009, by burning that list of negatives. That list is pain. That pain must be released so you can go into your new year a blank slate.

Please do this carefully and safely! Do this over the sink or over a clear bowl of water. Take the list, fold it. Now light the bottom of the paper with a lighter or a match, say out loud 'I burn away all the pain and negativity of 2009, I release all pains, fears, anger, doubt and misfortune. As this paper burns so do my fears, so does the worst of 2009. I release this old year with forgiveness and thanks for it's lessons' Make sure it burns completely. Particularly what you have written.

This allows you to now burn incense and light candles and welcome the new year as a blank slate. Let this new year become a canvas that you choose how to fill. But the best way to welcome the new is by releasing the old. Do this with a grateful heart, an enthusiastic and loving heart and watch your pains, fears and stress of the old year literally burn away. Hold on to nothing from your negatives list!

What are your traditions today? How do you welcome the New Year? I'd love to hear how you plan to spend this evening.

Please be safe everyone! Make sure you have a designated driver in your group who does not drink! Do not get behind the wheel if you are under the influence.

Safe Cab Ride Info:

New York:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Diddy to offer free cab rides, read more info HERE

Washington:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Local non-profit to offer free cab rides on New Years Eve, read more info HERE

National:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -SafeCall™ is a Heineken USA national partnership with 1-800-TAXICAB, INC that has been effectively utilized with local bars, restaurants and taxi companies.

The program allows bartenders or patrons to arrange taxi rides home to ensure a safe ride to their home or hotel. SafeCall™ is designed to encourage people all across America not to drink and drive by dialing 1-800-TAXICAB®.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Heineken USA's fourth annual Safe Call program, read more info HERE

Ascending Butterfly wishes you all a safe New Year's Eve, and a blessings, prosperity, health and happiness filled 2010!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - We have named January 2010 the begining of our 'New Year/New You!' and we will be celebrating ways to make this New Year the best one possible. We will have new giveaways to celebrate this feature and we will also see the return of Ascending Butterfly's Monthly Club which took a brief hiatus in December!

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I forgive all slights, injustices, places, people and events that have caused me harm be it physically or emotionally. I am thankful for the lessons learned in 2009 and release all negativity so I may begin 2010 on stronger ground'

Spend some time each day enjoying focused breathing AND soul guided meditative visualization, in doing so, you can bring about amazing, profound and powerful changes in your life.

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

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

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly - Today's Words of #Inspiration and Great #Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

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

Don't forget to enter the great giveaways on the upper right hand side of the page! We will be offering multiple giveaways all throughout the season! It's just our way of saying Thank You! for choosing to spend part of your day with us. We are really happy you landed HERE!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

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 NING group 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 have no way of informing you if you win, and we will have to select another winner. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow 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)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Win a BedLounge® valued at $127

This giveaway is now CLOSED

No New Entries Will Be Accepted. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor BedLounge, We look forward to working with you again! The winner has been notified and upon confirmation his/her follower name will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are still some great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Ascending Butterfly Editor's Pick:

I am an avid reader and writer. As we all know inspiration strikes at the strangest times and places. Like many of you, sometimes my greatest ideas come to me when I'm in bed and I bolt upright and begin to write. It's usually on my trusty laptop (which recently died on me! but that is a post for another day!). When I am trying to use my laptop in bed it's sometimes very difficult to sit upright comfortably. Even with a lapdesk, I end up slouching or sitting in awkward positions to balance the laptop and write.

This just won't do as far I'm concerned. I have great pillows, but stacking them up still doesn't allow me to sit upright ergonimically like when I am working at my desk and sitting on a task chair.

That's where the The BedLounge® Adjustable Custom Comfort Reading Pillow comes in! It has literally transformed the way I work and the way I read in bed. Reading in bed has always been a guilty pleasure of mine! Here is a side view of The BedLounge® (No that is not Mr. Butterfly in the photo below!)

The Bed Lounge® is a breakthrough in fully adjustable custom comfort and revolutionizes sitting in bed. Ergonomically designed by leading back specialist Dr. Robert Swezey, MD., the BedLounge® offers a lightweight and highly portable way to have extraordinary comfort and support in bed or...wherever you sit!

The Bedlounge® is adjustable, has moveable head, neck and lumbar supports and allows for a custom fit. The new FLEX ARM or Pivoting Arm Rest Feature has actual hinges allowing the arms of your BedLounge® to effortlessly pivot back and forth or to act as living hinges, moving as needed. They automatically return to their resting place when not in use.

The buttoned side pockets can store magazines, remote controls, baby bottles, reading glasses, pens, pencils, calculator, or even the Sunday Times.

The Bedlounge® is completely portable and folds up for easy storage - take it anywhere, it weighs less than 8 pounds!

Constructed with aircraft grade open cell foam supported by a strong, lightweight internal polypropylene frame. Adjustable neck and lumbar support sections are layered with down feathers and pillowy combed fiber.

There is a fight for this in the house which means I'll probably have to order everyone a Bed Lounge® of their very own! I can attest to quality construction, mine gets heavy rotation and appears no worse for wear. I totally stuff way too much in the side pockets and they have not torn (I can't say that for some jeans I wear!), and the fabric cleans easily!

WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at The BedLounge®, wants to help you work in bed in ergonomic comfort and support! One lucky 'Ascending Butterfly' will have the chance to win a Bed Lounge® of their own!

Can't wait to win? I certainly can't blame you, the great folks at The BedLounge® are offering Ascending Butterfly Readers an EXCLUSIVE code just for us! Entering the code: BUTTERFLY will give you 15% off any Bed Lounge®! But HURRY the code expires Jan 22, 2010.

How to Win: (1) You must be a 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' differ from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit BedLounge.com and pick your color and fabric preferences for your Bed Lounge® and post in your comment what color and fabric you would want if you win. (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). 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 Wednesday, December 30, 2009 until Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 11:59 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: I just entered @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly The BedLounge Giveaway! ($127 Value) Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - http://tinyurl.com/yglz6ok

(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 ONCE A DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

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 Ning 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!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

This is NOT a paid endorsement/insertion. All opinions are expressly my own! The BedLounge or this review should not be considered medical advice or substitutes for recommendations of an attending doctor, nor as specific endorsement of any treatment.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

Letting Go

Yesterday I asked you all to make a list of every good thing that occurred in 2009. This was your gratitude list. Keep it somewhere safe, you will refer to it now each time a new year ends. Each year when you 'Take Stock' I  pray your list grows longer than the year before!

Today we have a different list to make! Write down every 'wrong' that occured this year. Any injustice, slight, or hopeless moment you experienced in this year!

I hope your list of wrongs was shorter than yesterday's 'list of rights'. Hold on to this list, we will talk more tomorrow about what you should do with it.

For now,  look over the list and release every negative emotion that even reading it over now may stir up. Do not replay any of it in your mind. Release every single person, place, slight or experience by forgiving it. This forgivenness will not only heal you emotionally putting you on much stronger ground for the coming New Year, it will also replace the negative energy with something positive!

Remember, for now, hold on to this list. But do not put it with your 2009 Gratitude List!!

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I forgive all slights, injustices, places, people and events that have caused me harm be it physically or emotionally. I am thankful for the lessons learned in 2009 and release all negativity so I may begin 2010 on stronger ground'

Spend some time each day enjoying focused breathing AND soul guided meditative visualization, in doing so, you can bring about amazing, profound and powerful changes in your life.

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

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

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly - Today's Words of #Inspiration and Great #Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

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

Don't forget to enter the great giveaways on the upper right hand side of the page! We will be offering multiple giveaways all throughout the season! It's just our way of saying Thank You! for choosing to spend part of your day with us. We are really happy you landed HERE!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

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 NING group 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 have no way of informing you if you win, and we will have to select another winner. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow 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)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Tuesday, December 29, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

TAKING STOCK

As we count down the days until New Year's Eve and in turn New Years Day, it is time we continue along on our year of gratitude and motivation by taking stock. Let's count our blessings. LITERALLY.

I do mean literally. Get out a piece of paper, and list each good thing that happened to you this year, from the mundane to the sublime. When I say Good Things, I mean ONLY Good Things. How many times did you hear I Love You? Did you get a new house or job this year? a promotion? Did you get married or engaged? Did you fall in love? Did you re-connect with a dear friend? Did you see a great movie? Create, prepare or just plain eat a great meal? I know for sure you had 365 sunrises or you wouldn't be here reading! :-)

Do this every year, keep each list in the same place so you can review them from year to year. If this is your first, have fun with it, go all out, use different color pens, fancy paper, curl up on the sofa with your favorite soothing refreshment and make an evening of it. How can you make room for the new if you haven't taken stock of the beauty you did experience this year?

At Ascending Butterfly we want to help you on a 2010 Journey. An odyssey of the self we are lovingly entitling 'New Year, New You!' our Mantra 'In 2010, I begin again!'

Let's get there with careful planning and preparation. Take stock of the beauty you experienced in 2009. Even if there were hard times, there were also many good times. Just making it to this point, where you get to usher in a New Year and make a new start is a wonderful achievement in itself!

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I will take stock of all the reasons 2009 has given me to be grateful!'

Spend some time each day enjoying focused breathing AND soul guided meditative visualization, in doing so, you can bring about amazing, profound and powerful changes in your life.

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

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

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly - Today's Words of #Inspiration and Great #Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

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

Don't forget to enter the great giveaways on the upper right hand side of the page! We will be offering multiple giveaways all throughout the season! It's just our way of saying Thank You! for choosing to spend part of your day with us. We are really happy you landed HERE!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

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 NING group 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 have no way of informing you if you win, and we will have to select another winner. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow 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)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Win a set of 6 Custom Notecards from Pretty & Personal Papers!

This giveaway is now CLOSED. The winner is Peggy Gorman, Congratulations Peggy! Thanks again to our friends at Pretty & Personal Papers, we look forward to working with you again!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Today's words of inspiration often times remind us about gratitude. This being right after the holidays, you may need to send out special notes of Thanks for all those lovely holiday gifts you received this year.

I like to send out New Years notes to family and friends as well, thanking them for being a big part of what made the year that is ending special and sharing New Year's wishes for the year to come!

I am a stationery addict. I'm sure it stems from having penpals since elementary school. I can't pass a stationery store without going inside. I also love stickers, seals and stampers for this reason!

Finding 'just the right' paper, cards and stationery is sometimes an art, and when you can't find it, you sometimes consider going custom, that is, until you see the prices of custom orders!

Thankfully there is someone out there who loves paper as much as I do. Not only does she love paper, she is incredibly creative and is the tour-de-force behind Pretty & Personal Papers, Tricia Richner! You can find Personalized Greeting Cards, Mommy & Custom Journals as well as Individually designed and hand made monogrammed note cards, special occasion greeting cards and even Home Decor at this welcoming Etsy shop! Custom cards with amazingly affordable pricing, fast turnaround & delivery and excellent customer service. I was very impressed with the custom sample notecard I received from Pretty & Personal Papers, it incorporated my favorite color combo, and pattern with of course, a butterfly!

Tricia has put together an amazing giveaway for us,  and I just can't wait to share.

WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Pretty & Personal Papers, wants to help you send out your next Thank You, Birthday, or New Year's Wish in style! One lucky 'Ascending Butterfly' will have the chance to win a set of 6 custom designed Butterfly Note Cards! These notecards as pictured above, were especially designed for this giveaway!

How to Win: (1) You must be a 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' differ from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit Pretty & Personal Papers and select another item at her shop you like, post the LINK to that item in your 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). 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 Monday, December 28, 2009 until Monday, January 11, 2010 at 11:59 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: I just entered @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly Pretty & Personal Papers Giveaway! Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - http://tinyurl.com/yfujc8l

(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 ONCE A DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

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 Tricia at Pretty & Personal Papers blog, 'I've got my hands full', HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Tricia of Pretty & Personal Paper's Facebook Fan Page HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's Ning 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!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please vote for me on the Downy Simple Pleasures Next Scent Contest. My scent is called 'Ascending Butterfly' of course, LOL. You can scroll down to the bottom of this page, and press 'Vote' on the widget below, it's super fast and super easy! (You can do this daily and get credit for voting daily! Just let me know the vote 'count' in your comment. Ex: I was Downy vote #111)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

This is NOT a paid endorsement/insertion. All opinions are expressly my own!

Monday, December 28, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and a Great Giveaway!

Don't forget to say  'Thank You'

Did Santa treat you nice this year? I certainly hope so! I will admit that Santa was quite nice to me this year! It pays to be a good butterfly!

Did your mom make you write out Thank You notes as a kid? Do you make your kids write them out now? You do know that you don't get to skip them now that you are an adult, right?

No matter who your Santa was this year, write out a Thank You note. A real note. I know I can sometimes be the Queen of all things digital myself, but there is just something extra special about giving and receiving a hand written card or note.

Take time out this week to send out Thank You's for the gifts you received. Remind that person how grateful you are to have them in your life. Add on good wishes for the New Year. If you don't have Thank You cards on hand, use notebook paper. It's the sentiments behind the gratitude that matter most, NOT the paper you use.

As a matter of fact, I'm off to take my own advice and let all my Santa's know just how much I appreciate them!

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I write out notes of Thanks and Gratitude for all the gifts I have received this year!'

Spend some time each day enjoying focused breathing AND soul guided meditative visualization, in doing so, you can bring about amazing, profound and powerful changes in your life.

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

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

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly - Today's Words of #Inspiration and Great #Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

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

Don't forget to enter the great giveaways on the upper right hand side of the page! We will be offering multiple giveaways all throughout the season! It's just our way of saying Thank You! for choosing to spend part of your day with us. We are really happy you landed HERE!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

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 NING group 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 have no way of informing you if you win, and we will have to select another winner. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow 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)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Merry Christmas! - It's the MOST wonderful time of the year!

From all of us at Ascending Butterfly, from our house to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas! Hope Santa treats you especially nice this year! 

We will return on Monday, December 28, 2009 with new words of inspiration/motivation and new giveaways too!

Don't forget to comment to win an HP mini netbook! See entry link on the upper right hand side of the page, or click HERE!

--Ascending Butterfly's Editorial Team

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Simplify My Life Sweepstakes! - Win an HP 110 mini Netbook! - Comment and enter to win!

This giveaway is now CLOSED

No New Entries will be accepted! Please remember, Ascending Butterfly is not selecting the winners, the host is HP via the Mom Bloggers Club. Entries will be judged by an esteemed panel of four judges starting on January 20. The grand prize winner will be announced on Friday, January 29, 2010. I will post a winners list as soon as it is made available to me. Good Luck in the random drawing!
˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Don't you just love Twitter? It's filled with Viral Goodness that you just can't help but get caught up in! Something incredible hit my Twitter Feed today that I just couldn't resist sharing with all of you!

HP is hosting a Simplify My Life Sweepstakes aimed at Busy Moms! The Prize is an HP mini 110 by Studio Tord Boontje with Windows 7 Home Premium. And here is the kicker, There are SIX prizes total, three bloggers will win and three random readers will win. This mean that just by commenting on this thread you will receive a chance to win an HP mini with Windows 7 Home Premium, how cool is that???

I am a member of the Mom Bloggers Club, and recently experienced the most horrible thing that can possibly happen to a blogger, yes that's right, the death of my cherished laptop! Say it isn't so! And right in the heart of the holiday season too when budgets and patience are both stretched thin.

But you know I'm all about finding the silver lining behind my dark clouds, and I figure that's why this giveaway was brought to my attention, it's my silver lining! And best still, the chain of good Karma it comes with. Someone let me know about it, and now by letting you all know about it you can enter to win just by commenting here. Share your busy day with us and let us know how a Netbook would come to the rescue!

My local supermarket has wi-fi, and I plan on taking my netbook with me while shopping, I can print out coupons, tweet out sales info, and sneak in an email or two while I'm online at the grocery store! This would smooth the bumps in my crazy day for sure (I hate standing in long lines with nothing to do but stare at the back of someone's head UGH!)

I'm sure most moms feel the only place in their home where no one will even dream of bothering them is the bathroom (so sneak it in there too and watch funny You Tube videos while getting in a little 'me' time, LOL)

Just don't netbook while driving!

Interesting Specs about this netbook:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  "Green mamas will love the fact that this computer has a 10.1 inch mercury free LED backlit display for increased efficiency" (quote from reviewer: Felicia Carter -GoGrahamGo.com) We love all things green at Ascending Butterfly. We are all about leaving the earth better than we found it!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Feel Good about the packaging made from recycled materials and design matched protective sleeve

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - the first HP Imprint 3D finish - by Studio Tord Boontje

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Connect to the Internet right away with HP Instant Web (bloggers love instant web! :)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Easily sync your files with your primary PC using HP QuickSync (FABULOUS!!!!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Travel Light with an ultra-mobile design at 2.35lbs (does that mean room for more outfits in my carry-on luggage?? Love that!)

You can also hit the button below and learn more details about how you can also put in a blog entry if you are also a blogger:

Note for Readers commenting as an entry: Reader winners will be randomly drawn using Random.org and will be based on the order in which bloggers enter the sweepstakes and post on Twitter. Winners will be announced on Friday, January 29, 2010. Remember, you get an entry just by commenting here (I'd suggest telling the nice folks at HP how you'd use this sweet netbook to smooth the bumps in your crazy day as a super busy mom)

Note for bloggers putting in a direct entry of their own: (bloggers your entries go on your blog, if you are commenting here it counts as an entry for one of the three random giveaways for blog readers! And yes you can do BOTH, just visit HERE and make sure you follow full instructions!)

You must be a member of the Mom Bloggers Club, at least 18 years of age, and a resident of the US or Canada to enter.

Deadline for entries is January 20, 2010 at midnight ET.

Entries will be judged by an esteemed panel of four judges starting on January 20. The grand prize winner will be announced on Friday, January 29, 2010.
˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

By participating in this promotion, I certify that no intellectual property rights were violated, with the exception of verbatim inclusion of  provided messaging, photos, or video. All content is expressly owned by me. This is a NON-Compensated post!

Winner Announcement - $25 Kohl's Holiday Gift Card Giveaway Winner!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Congratulations to 'jellosheriff' (we post our winner's comment/follower names instead of full names, this is why it's in quotes) the winner of Ascending Butterfly's $25 Kohl's Holiday Gift Card Giveaway! We would like to thank our sponsor Kohl's (via Special Ops Media), we look forward to working with you again soon.

Thank You for choosing to spend a part of your day with Ascending Butterfly!


--Ascending Butterfly's Editorial Team

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Winner Announcement - Ascending Butterfly's Mario Badescu Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to 'Kayte71' (we post our winner's comment/follower names instead of full names, this is why it's in quotes) the winner of Ascending Butterfly's Mario Badescu Giveaway! We would like to thank our sponsor Mario Badescu. We would love to work with you again!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ended 12/23 -$25 Kohl's Gift Card Giveaway! <--We have notified our winner, and upon winner confirmation, we will post a winner's announcement on our homepage.

Giveaways will return on 12/26! Thank You for choosing to spend a part of your day with Ascending Butterfly!

--Ascending Butterfly's Editorial Team

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Winner Announcement - Ascending Butterfly's Tyson® Heat ‘N Eat Dinner Meats Giveaway Winners!

In this case, it's 'And The Winners Are' - Congratulations to 'js22',  'Nickolay', and 'Judy' (we post our winner's comment/follower names instead of full names, this is why it's in quotes) the winners of Ascending Butterfly's Tyson® Heat ‘N Eat Dinner Meats Giveaway! Thanks to our friends at Tyson we were able to have THREE winners for this giveaway receiving TWO full product coupons each! We would like to thank our sponsor Tyson. We would love to work with you again!

Wait! There are still other giveaways to enter!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ends 12/22 -Enter to win the Mario Badescu Skin Care Giveaway! (ARV $77) by pressing HERE!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ends 12/23 -Enter to win the $25 Kohl's Gift Card Giveaway! Enter HERE!

Keep checking in daily we will be posting a wide variety of amazing giveaways each week throughout the holiday season! It's just our way of saying Thank You for choosing to spend a part of your day with Ascending Butterfly!

---Ascending Butterfly's Editorial Team

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Winner Announcement - Ascending Butterfly's $25 BJ's Wholesale Club Gift Card Winner!

Congratulations to 'Tamlynn' (we post our winner's comment/follower names instead of full names, this is why it's in quotes) the winner of Ascending Butterfly's $25 BJ's Wholesale Club Gift Card Giveaway!

We would like to thank our sponsor BJ´s Wholesale Club and General Mills via My Blog Spark. We would love to work with you again! Remember BJ's is more than just food, you can even get some of your holiday shopping list crossed off while you are there.

Wait! There are still other giveaways to enter!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Enter to win the Mario Badescu Skin Care Giveaway! (ARV $77) by pressing HERE!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Enter to win the $25 Kohl's Gift Card Giveaway! Enter HERE

Keep checking in daily we will be posting a wide variety of amazing giveaways each week throughout the holiday season! It's just our way of saying Thank You for choosing to spend a part of your day with Ascending Butterfly!

---Ascending Butterfly's Editorial Team

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

BJ´s Wholesale Club and General Mills provided me with the free trial membership, a gift card, coupons and information through MyBlogSpark. This is NOT a paid endorsement, I was only provided with a gift card to shop with. All opinions are expressly my own!

$25 Kohl's Gift Card Giveaway!

Ascending Butterfly Holiday Buying Guide Editor's Pick sponsored by:

This holiday season has been the rare exception to the norm for me. I normally shop for gifts throughout the year and store them away, but this year that didn't happen for a variety of reasons. I am still doing last minute shopping and while I did take advantage of many amazing Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, there were still some folks on my list who were 'nice' and I am still shopping for!

That's where Kohl's comes in. I have been able to knock many people off my list in one place, which makes things so much easier for me! I hate going to a million different stores or over-crowded malls to shop for the variety of people and ages on my list.

Gifts at the Right Price

Kohl’s and Kohls.com make it easy to find this season’s most popular gifts at every price point.
 
Under $100

iHome rotating alarm clock for iPhone ($99.99)
Sharper Image speaker dock ($99.99)
Remote control robot car ($79.99)

Under $50

Leapfrog Tag game ($49.99)
Travel charging valet ($49.99)
Digital photo key chain ($29.99)

Under $25

Assorted Nintendo Wii games ($24.99) <--Hey Santa, I just got a Wii this year, I could use some new games myself!

HoMedics speaker on-the-go ($14.99)
Ghirardelli chocolate gift sets ($8)

For Him:

Urban Pipeline flap hats ($18) – Help him bundle up in style with this trend-right gift, available in a variety of colors and patterns to fit his taste.

Protocol foosball table ($60) –  perfect addition to any rec-room or basement.

 
Kohl’s Gift Cards

Kohl’s gift cards and e-gift cards help finish holiday shopping with ease. From teachers to babysitters and secret Santas to hair stylists, with a Kohl’s gift card, everyone can find a most-wanted item on their list for less.

 
Count on Hassle-Free Returns

Purchases made with a Kohl’s charge card in-store or online can be returned without a receipt for full refunds or even exchanges.

Shoppers with an original receipt are eligible for full refunds or an even exchange.

Customers without receipts and those with gift receipts will be granted an even exchange of Kohl’s merchandise credit for returned items.

Kohls.com purchases can conveniently be returned or exchanged to eitherKohls.com or a local Kohl’s store with a receipt.

 

So to my fellow proscratinators and busy, harried shoppers everywhere, don't worry, our friends at specialopsmedia have just the ticket to help you through!

 

 

 

WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Special Ops Media, wants to help you enjoy some stress free holiday shopping! One lucky 'Ascending Butterfly' will have the chance to win a $25 Kohl's Gift Card. As always, our giveaways are very much open to both men and women!

How to Win: (1) You must be a 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' differ from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit Kohl's and Pick a Kohl's Stocking Stuffer you'd purchase with your gift card and include the link to the product in your comment (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). 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 Saturday, December 19, 2009 until Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 11:59 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: I just entered @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly $25 Kohl's Gift Card Giveaway! Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - http://tinyurl.com/ykd9jrp

(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 ONCE A DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

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 Kohl’s Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Visit Kohl's Holiday Buying Guide HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's Ning 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!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please vote for me on the Downy Simple Pleasures Next Scent Contest. My scent is called 'Ascending Butterfly' of course, LOL. You can scroll down to the bottom of this page, and press 'Vote' on the widget below, it's super fast and super easy! (You can do this daily and get credit for voting daily! Just let me know the vote 'count' in your comment. Ex: I was Downy vote #111)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Kohl's in conjunction with Special Ops Media, provided me with a $25 Gift Card and will award a $25 Gift Card to one winner. This is NOT a paid endorsement/insertion. All opinions are expressly my own!

Thursday, December 17, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

Making A List, Checking it Twice!

You already know who has been 'naughty' or 'nice', but just like it is helpful to plan your meals in advance, so you can shop only for the ingredients you really need and not get side-tracked by tons of 'junk' food, so too should you plan your holiday shopping list.

Shopping with a list keeps you on track, keeps you within budget and allows those of us who wouldn't dream of setting foot in a mall anymore, to get things done, faster and with much less stress!

I know my friends and family likes and dislikes well enough that I can shop throughout the year when I catch something I know someone would love on sale. It's much easier and more often than not, much cheaper!

Don't forget those of service to you! Make sure your list includes those who provide you a service, like your doorman, mail carrier, superintendant (if you live in an apartment) or grounds-keeper for your home, your children's teachers, league coach, your hairdresser etc. If you are part of your office's 'secret santa' be sure that person is also included on your list when you head out.

I remind you again today, you are not 'superwoman', you are not expected to be 'martha stewart', it doesn't have to taste exactly like your mom's recipe, it's virtually impossible to keep everything dust free all the time. Cut yourself some slack, and keep organized, it will help you keep your holidays and your holiday budget on track!

Today I urge you to remember to keep your shopping list organized! (and don't forget to put it directly in your handbag NOW, don't wait, do it NOW, what use is it to make that list and then leave it on the counter?)

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I will keep my shopping list organized AND stay within budget by being prepared.'

Spend some time each day enjoying focused breathing AND soul guided meditative visualization, in doing so, you can bring about amazing, profound and powerful changes in your life.

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

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

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly - Today's Words of #Inspiration and Great #Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

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

Don't forget to enter the great giveaways on the upper right hand side of the page! We will be offering multiple giveaways all throughout the season! It's just our way of saying Thank You! for choosing to spend part of your day with us. We are really happy you landed HERE!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

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 NING group 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 have no way of informing you if you win, and we will have to select another winner. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow 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)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

Don't forget to connect.....

With Yourself! Have you ever been at gathering and found yourself completely on the outside looking in? You can hear people are laughing, talking, and enjoying themselves but somehow you are  not *there*?

It happens to all of us sometimes. It's amazingly easy to *dis-connect* not just with your surroundings, but with yourself this time of year.

It's sometimes as complicated as a yearning deep within your soul you keep ignoring (you know - your soul telling you it's time to change destructive habits, or is it time to break free from a job that robs you emotionally?) and sometimes it's as simple as just not wanting to be where you are at that particular moment.

We *dis-connect* from ourselves, from moments, and even from other people at different times and for reasons very much unique to each of us. But it's nothing to worry about! Sometimes you can feel it coming on, if so, great. Ask yourself why it's happening (are you hungry? tired? bored?), if you can identify what is pulling you away, you can address it. If you have ever found yourself in an incredibly happy moment and somehow found yourself pulling away from it, you need to ask yourself why? Do you have any *defeatist* mind talk in your head? Is something telling you that you shouldn't let yourself be so happy? Even worse, that you don't deserve it?

Everyday we remind you here that attitude really does determine altitude, and we do so just for this very reason. Bad patterns happen over time, and so do the good ones. We need to replace the negative mindset to make forward change in our lives. We are approaching a new year. Do you want everything to be exactly as it is now? Of course you don't! The soul wants..... we always mistake it for wanting *more* or *change* but it really goes way beyond that. Different things make us happy at different times. Your soul wants to move forward, help it along. Put the thought in your soul that you deserve every moment of happiness. Those moments life just hands you and those victories that are earned (and very much hard won). Enjoy them all with the same enthusiasm and you will find life giving you more and more reasons to be happy. To be connected. And best still? To be connected with yourself, with others, with your situation and still keep moving forward!

Today I urge you to remember to connect with YOURSELF!

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I will connect with my soul's yearnings and stay connected to myself and my needs while moving forward today.'

Spend some time each day enjoying focused breathing AND soul guided meditative visualization, in doing so, you can bring about amazing, profound and powerful changes in your life.

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

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

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly - Today's Words of #Inspiration and Great #Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

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

Don't forget to enter the great giveaways on the upper right hand side of the page! We will be offering multiple giveaways all throughout the season! It's just our way of saying Thank You! for choosing to spend part of your day with us. We are really happy you landed HERE!

And congrats again to our two most recent winners, 'Happy Shopr' and 'Carolyn G' who won Ascending Butterfly's Hairfreé™ Brushes Giveaway! They will both be receiving a round and flat brush with ceramic technology!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

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 NING group 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 have no way of informing you if you win, and we will have to select another winner. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow 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)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Winner Announcement - Ascending Butterfly's Hairfreé™ Brushes Giveaway Winners!

Yes, you read that right, we have TWO winners this time around! Congratulations to 'Happi Shopr' and 'Carolyn G' (we post our winner's comment/follower names instead of full names, this is why it's in quotes) the winners of Ascending Butterfly's Hairfreé™ Brushes Giveaway! Our two lucky winners will each receive BOTH the flat and round brushes! I am very excited for our winners because I know they are really going to love these brushes! A salon quality blow out at home, what's not to love?

We would like to thank our sponsor Hairfreé™. We would love to work with you again! Hairfreé™ is one of our Editor's Picks for our Holiday Buying Guide. I can assure you that you can't go wrong getting a Hairfreé™ brush as a stocking stuffer for anyone on your list!

Wait! There are still other giveaways to enter!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Enter to win the Mario Badescu Skin Care Acne Control Giveaway! (ARV $77) by pressing HERE!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Enter to win the Tyson® Heat ‘N Eat Dinner Meats Giveaway! There will be THREE winners who will each receive TWO product coupons, enter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Enter to win the BJ's Wholesale Club $25 Gift Card Giveaway! Enter HERE

Keep checking in daily we will be posting a wide variety of amazing giveaways each week throughout the holiday season! It's just our way of saying Thank You for choosing to spend a part of your day with Ascending Butterfly!

Our Book Club is running a little late this month, but will launch soon, thanks to all followers who have emailed us requesting their book of the month title! There will be a special surprise twist this month, so keep an eye out for it's return!

---Ascending Butterfly's Editorial Team

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Hairfreé™ provided brushes for review and to giveaway, it was not a paid insertion nor was it a compensated post! All opinions about each reviewed item on this website are expressly my own!

Mario Badescu Skin Care Acne Control Kit Review and Giveaway!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Mario Badescu, We look forward to working with you again! The winner has been notified and upon confirmation his/her follower name will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are still some great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!


˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

 

Ascending Butterfly Holiday Buying Guide Editor's Pick sponsored by:

I have struggled with Acne Prone Skin since I was a teenager, and at this point it certainly feels like I've tried everything. I was sure when I was old enough to wear as much makeup as I wanted, that it would be the cure for everything . And I quickly learned that it's not even the 'band-aid'.

The wrong makeup can make acne prone skin flare-ups even WORSE! I sure did learn the hard way that there is no 'magic concealer'! I've learned that Concealer + Favorite Foundation over big, angry, pimple just gets you an even skin tone on top of a big, red, angry pimple!

The only way to treat the problem is to truly care for your skin. And this holds true for anywhere you experience flare ups, whether it's your face, back, neck, or chest you need to care for your skin and you need to be consistent in caring for your skin.

The first step as far as I am concerned, will always be the same, and it's the same for everyone, go to your dermatologist! Be open and honest about your eating habits, and make sure to have your skin checked on a regular basis, particularly for skin cancer. I lost someone very near and dear to me because of skin cancer, and I will continually shout out from the rooftops if I have to the importance of skin exams!

I am not a skin care expert or an MD, I can only share what works for me. The right suite of products, used on a consistent basis in conjunction with getting my 8 + 8 (Eight glasses of water daily and 8 hours of sleep) have helped to show dramatic results in my battle against Acne Prone Skin.

Years ago a colleague recommended I try Mario Badescu, that was all she used to use, and I will say she had lovely skin, very radiant, with a healthy, natural glow to it. The kind of glow that many people end up asking 'are you dating someone special?' or else 'are you pregnant? Your skin is just glowing!'. I didn't take her advice then, and now I am kicking myself for not doing so. Many of Hollywood's pretty 'fresh faces' attribute their healthy skin to Mario Badescu. One of my favorite Hollywood 'faces', Ashley Judd, is a user of Mario's line and I absolutely love her skin!

I have had 30 days to try out Mario Badescu's 'Acne Control Kit' and I have to admit it has worked wonders for my skin! I now understand the almost cult like following! (And I'm sure there is a certain someone reading this and clucking a gleeful 'I told you so!' under her breath)

The kit contains:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 6oz. Acne Facial Cleanser

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 8oz. Special Cucumber Lotion

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 2oz. Drying Mask

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - .5 oz. Drying Cream

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 oz. Drying Lotion

These are the basics to clarify and treat problematic skin, it has everything you need for daily care to keep skin clean, clear and keep your acne eruptions under control.

This kit contains the NEW Acne Facial Cleanser formulated with Salicylic Acid. A deep-cleansing, disinfecting astringent. Mario Badescu's famous acne treatments for pimples and a clarifying, oil-absorbing, pore-tightening mask. (Please note, I highly suggest you use a daily sunscreen with a minimum SPF 15 coverage. This is a MUST daily, but it's particularly important you do this when you are using products to treat your acne! Suggested Badescu product: Oil Free Moisturizer (SPF-17) This has the SPF factor and note it is OIL FREE!)

Now I am nothing if not detail oriented, and there is some other cool stuff that needs to be mentioned. The kit comes in a re-usable tote that is very sturdy and in addition to the tote my beauty frugalistas out there are going to love that it also includes a compact mirror and bath sponge, a $25.00 value! The Mario Badescu 'Acne Control Kit' is an editor's pick for our holiday buying guide, for the results you can expect from the products, the wonderful presentation/packaging, (it is gift-giving ready), and of course the beauty 'extras' are a welcome bonus.

PROS:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -This does NOT over-dry my skin - in the past I have used products for the treatment of acne that have stripped my skin of it's natural oils and left it extremely dry, which would force me to over-compensate with night moisturizers to give my skin back it's hydration. The 'Acne Control Kit' has taken me off this skin-care 'hamster wheel'

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - There's no better way to describe this, but there is a 'clean' feeling with this kit that no other product has been as effective in providing.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Standout: The Cucumber Lotion, it's very soothing, and does not strip my skin. I've always been an astringent fan (my great-grandmother passed down the love of astringents on to me) and this one really hits the mark.

CONS:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Your friends will try to steal it! (And the best way around this is to get your BFF a kit of his/her own!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please don't be offended if your friends, family, co-workers or your better half, asks 'what's different'? or if you're pregnant! I know it's hard to consider glowing, radiant, healthy skin a con, but single gals hate being asked if they are pregnant!

For all of you that have stuck with me this far, I am glad to know you are as serious about skin care as I am! While our daily words of inspiration are 'motivators for your insides', we love to help you find ways to make the outside just as beautiful as the inside too!

Can't wait to find out if you won? Mario Badescu is offering Free Shipping + Free Gift with Purchase for any orders over $50 for domestic ground shipping service. Promo code is: SHIPGIFT (valid thru 12/21/09, 12 am EST Not valid for e-cards or gift certificate only purchases)

For other NY Based Butterflies: (I highly recommend consulting with a specialist there to have your skin profiled and matched for the best products for your skin!)

Mario Badescu Skin Care Salon
320 East 52nd street New York, NY 10022
(800) BADESCU -calling for an appointment is NEVER a bad idea!

WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly wants to help you get off the 'acne prone skin care hamster wheel', and thanks to our friends at Mario Badescu we can! One lucky 'Ascending Butterfly' will have the chance to win a Mario Badescu 'Acne Control Kit' of their own. (This is a $77 retail value!) As always, our giveaways are very much open to both men and women!

How to Win: (1) You must be a 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' differ from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Name one other Mario Badescu product you'd like to try that was not included in the review! (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). 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, December 15, 2009 until Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 11:59 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:

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

* 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!)

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

* Tweet this: I just entered @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly @MarioBadescu Acne Control Kit #Giveaway (ARV $77) Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - http://tinyurl.com/yejkxsx

(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 ONCE A DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

* Follow Mario Badescu on Twitter HERE

* Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

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

* Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

*Follow Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

* Follow Mario Badescu on Facebook HERE

* Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

* Join Ascending Butterfly's Ning Group HERE

* Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures!

* Please vote for me on the Downy Simple Pleasures Next Scent Contest. My scent is called 'Ascending Butterfly' of course, LOL. You can scroll down to the bottom of this page, and press 'Vote' on the widget below, it's super fast and super easy! (You can do this daily and get credit for voting daily! Just let me know the vote 'count' in your comment. Ex: I was Downy vote #111)

* Take the pledge! In the widget right underneath Downy on the bottom of the page, there is a Get eyeSmart - eye committed widget, if you take the pledge, you will get an extra credit entry! (This method of extra credit ends on 12/15/09 at midnight EST!)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Mario Badescu provided me with a kit to review/evaluate and are sponsoring the giveaway and will award a kit to one winner. This is NOT a paid endorsement, I was only provided product to evaluate. All opinions are expressly my own! I remind all readers to consult with a Dermatologist and your MD before trying any new skin care regimen, and I also advise readers to use sunscreen daily to prevent skin cancer.