Showing posts with label Soda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soda. Show all posts

Thursday, June 16, 2011

{CLOSED} Tickle Dads Tastebuds with the SodaStream Genesis Giveaway! Ends 06/24

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor SodaStream! We look forward to working with you again! The winner has been notified and upon confirmation, follower name 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's Annual Dads N Grads Buying Guide Giveaway, brought to you by:


Does your Dad derive tremendous satisfaction from Do-It-Yourself projects? Does he like Gadgets? Does he just love making his family happy? If your Dad (uncle or Grandpa) still calls Soda 'Pop', or remembers the 'Soda Fountain' then I've got the perfect gift idea for him!

SodaStream - www.sodastream.com

SodaStream Genesis - The Gift That Pays For Itself

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - SodaStream offers a wide variety of styles and colors to match any kitchen decor.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Prepare great-tasting, fresh, fizzy beverages precisely to your taste - with no bottles, cans, electricity...and no clean-up. Over 30 flavors at the touch of a button!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 30-day money-back guarantee.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - two-year manufacturer's warranty on all new soda makers.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Automatic access gas release mechanism. It is as easy to use as making a cup of coffee!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Customized carbonation level.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Easy to clean drip tray.


My Take

You might remember that in 2009 we reviewed the Sodastream Penguin Soda Maker and it was love at first Soda! I still have my penguin and 2 years later it works like new! I only mention this because for me durability is very important, when I spend money I expect that item to last. Most of us want quality and value at a good price, and Sodastream truly delivers! So you wonder? Why did you review the Genesis? While I love my Penguin and it's not going anywhere, I actually wanted the ability to make more soda per use and the Genesis has a bigger batch per use capacity than the Penguin does. But just like the Penguin, it is SUPER easy to set up, use, and maintain! I love being able to make bigger batches per use, I love the drip tray, and I love the slimmer profile as I do have a small kitchen.

This year I've been making small Lifestyle changes that have added up to yield major results. Without drastic changes I have dropped 26 pounds, and Sodastream is one of the tools in my arsenal. I am never going to become a fanatic, I love life, I love food and I love my Soda! I'm NOT giving it up entirely, but Sodastream allows me to still enjoy my soda with reduced levels of sodium, carbs and caffeine. The comparison between popular brand sodas and sodastream are really dramatic, please refer to this chart for more info HERE.

Based on my level of Soda Consumption I can't even begin to explain just how much I've saved using Sodastream, not to mention the mix is lighter to carry than standard 2 liters and as I live in an Apartment, it's definitely helping my back not carrying those heavy bottles anymore. I love being able to customize the intensity of the flavor as well as the level of carbonation and variety of flavors! My personal fave flavors include (it's truly like having a soda aisle in your pantry) : Cream, Cranberry Raspberry, Dr. Pete, Lemon Lime, Orange, and the traditional Cola flavor!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at SodaStream have a very special surprise for 1 lucky winner! 1 winner will win a SodaStream Genesis for their Dad, or to keep for themself!

Don't you just ♥ SodaStream? 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)MANDATORY entry- Tell us who this will be for, Will you give it to Dad, your Hubby, Brother, Uncle, (or will you keep the SodaStream for yourself)? (And while we never make social media follows mandatory, I'd love it if you followed SodaStream via Facebook or Twitter, see Extra Credit Section for more info and direct links). (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 PO Boxes. One entry per Household, see Ascending Butterfly Giveaway Rules and Disclosure Policy HERE.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 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 Thursday, June 16, 2011 until Friday, June 24, 2011 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 - Rock the VOTE - it's super easy and a ONE time only, Please vote for me, Tracy Iglesias, (in red jacket)  - http://www.yourbestpose.com/competition/?id=1#6

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - You know how much I love finding us both win/wins right? Here's another one: Visit the Degree Women MotionSENSE App on Facebook and enter GetMoving031 in 'Enter Codes' HERE (you'll get an extra 5 MotionSENSE Miles which you can trade in for great prizes including trips!) Enter, share on your wall, and let me know you entered by linking me to where you shared it on your wall, by the way sharing also buys you extra MotionSENSE miles, win/win right? :)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment. (If your blog post contains more than just a pic and link you'll get 5 extra credit entries! Leave five entries.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - In the spirit of Father's Day Fun share with us your favorite advice that your dad has given you! (and yes, if you were not raised by your dad, you can share with us the best wisdom received by the person who did raise you! Uncles and Grandpas count too!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our NEW Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you have our old one, please swap it out, our URL address has changed!)

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @SodaStream on Twitter

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @Ascending1 on Twitter (this is Ascending Butterfly's new account, we will soon be hosting twitter parties which necessitates having a second account so we can make updates throughout the entire party!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - @Ascending1 + @SodaStreamUSA SodaStream Genesis #Giveaway! Ends 06/24 Pls RT- http://tinyurl.com/3zqqptv

(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 - 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 - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow SodaStream and tell them Ascending Butterfly Sent You (I'm sure they'd love for you to tell them who you'd give this to and why also!) on Facebook HERE (Please post the link to your facebook comment, you can get that link the same way you get your link to your tweets!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - One time only, NOT a daily: Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you entered another active giveaway on Ascending Butterfly? Let me know which one and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you commented on a non-giveaway entry? Let me know which one here and you’ll get more extra credit!

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

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Sunday, September 20, 2009 - This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and TWO giveaways!




Living in Gratitude


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 breathing meditations.

This week, I am grateful for:


1) Ascending Butterfly has been nominated for the Divine Caroline's Love! This Site Awards '09 For the 'Body and Soul' category! I am absolutely floored. I have been a long time reader of The Divine Caroline Website and consider them one of my daily sources of inspiration. My heart was certainly filled with gratitude to find out we were nominated. And more meaningful still, to find out it was an Ascending Butterfly reader who nominated us! Thank You! If you would like to vote for us, please click HERE!

2) I am grateful for Ascending Butterfly sponsors who have this made this whole summer special, and there is certainly more great stuff to come! We moved the 'Today's Butterfly' feature to the very upper right hand side of the page, making it easier and faster to enter our giveaways. And bringing our great and generous sponsors to the spotlight!

3) I'm also grateful for Ascending Butterfly's wonderful readers. This week many of you shared your gratitude list and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to peek into everyone's world. Many readers missed the gratitude last week, and we are happy to say it's back! :-)

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. 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 (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! 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 TWO giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

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

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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 feature, 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.

NOTE: To our Twitter Followers, you must join Ascending Butterfly via Google Friends connect and then follow the contest instructions regarding your entry comment to be entered. You are NOT automatically entered into the giveaways solely by following on twitter. Please follow ALL contest/giveaway instructions CAREFULLY.
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Saturday, September 12, 2009

SodaStream USA Penguin Starter Kit Review and Giveaway!

NOTE: This Giveaway is now CLOSED. The Winner has been notified. Once the winner has confirmed, this page and the homepage will both include a full winner's announcement. Ascending Butterfly would like to thank our sponsor Soda Stream USA for this amazing giveaway. The penguin has become an integral part of our family game night, I'm quite sure the winner of this giveaway will feel the same way! We would also like to thank our readers for the tremendous response. Remember, there are three other current giveaways! Look to the upper right hand of the page where it reads 'WIN HERE' and enter to win our Select Comfort Mattress Topper Giveaway, an autographed copy of our book club of the month title America Libre (please note this is an English Title!, and a copy of Harry Connick Jr's newest CD release 'Your Songs'! And if you thought the summer was good, and this month was great, just wait until you see what November has in store!
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My Favorite Penguin is not from Antartica Anymore!

Yes that's right I have a new favorite Penguin! 'The Penguin' is the first and only soda maker with a glass carafe. Its eye catching design will turn heads in any kitchen, dining room or bar (it most certainly attracts attention in my kitchen!). The stylish Penguin combines form and functionality to prepare and serve your sparkling beverages in elegant, dishwasher-safe glass carafes. Turn water into sparkling water in seconds!

When my penguin arrived earlier this summer, I will admit I tore into the box pretty much like a kid at Christmas. I've always loved all things 'gadget' and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep until I had used it at least once. I wanted to get the hang of using it before Family Game Night. (A night that involves the Wii, playing games, eating snacks and definitely enjoying the carbonated beverage or two!)

Once I followed the very easy set up instructions, the moment of truth arrived, and I pressed down on the penguin's beak. The sound of the carbonation was a bit intimidating at first and then I will admit I forgot about the pressure release and almost freaked out! Once I hit the pressure relase the unit opened easily and I was able to check whether or not the carbonation was to my satisfaction. It took several attempts to get the level of carbonation and flavor mixed to my complete soda satisfaction. Everyone's taste buds are different so you'll have to play with it to get the balance of carbonation and flavor that works for you and your family.

Flavors

There are an amazing variety of mixes to choose from including: Cola (customer’s favorite - mine too!) , Energy (Compare to Red Bull®), Ginger Ale (Crisp, light ginger flavor) , Lemon-Lime (Compare to Sprite® & Seven Up), Orange (Great taste for the whole family) , Pete’s Choice (Compare to Dr Pepper - I also like this one a lot!), Root Beer, Tonic Soda Mix (Contains Quinine. Great for cocktails), Cranberry-Raspberry (Fresh fruity flavor - I really enjoyed this one as well!), Cream Soda (I love Cream Soda!), Fountain Mist (Compare to Mountain Dew®) and you can of course get these selections in Diet if you prefer. SodaStream also offers 'MyWater' in Berry, Lemon-Lime, Orange, and a very smart variety pack!

Enjoy a wide range of over 25 regular, diet, energy and caffeine-free flavors. Each 500ml soda mix bottle makes the equivalent of 12 liters (about 33 cans!) of soda. Regular soda mix contains no high fructose corn syrup and diet soda mix contains no aspartame. All-natural MyWater flavor essences are unsweetened and calorie-free.

I find it easier to make both carafes at a time and I like to give them a chance to get really cold, so I tend to make them while I'm prepping dinner so by the time dinner is done, the soda has had a chance to get really, really cold before serving.

And yes you can 'over carbonate', so please be careful! Let the carbonation settle down just a bit before you begin mixing in the flavoring, and remember mix it in very SLOWLY so you don't end up covered in soda!

I couldn't possibly be happier with my SodaStream Penguin! And I could go on and on about how amazing the crew at SodaStream are. The Penguin would make an amazing Family Christmas Gift and an awesome gift to a newly married couple. I am sure they will find it to be the gift they end up reaching for again and again, and will think of you each and every time!

Environment

Did you know that SodaStream is eco-friendly? No more bottles or cans to recycle or dispose of, thanks to reusable BPA-free carbonating bottles.
 
Nutrition
 
View SodaStream nutritional information HERE and compare to national brands. Regular SodaStream sodamix flavors contain 2/3 less sugar and calories than national soft drink brands.

RV & Boating

No batteries, no electricity, SodaStream is the perfect accessory for your home-away-from-home.
 
WIN IT! - We like to save the best for last! Thanks to our friends at SodaStream, you have the opportunity to win a Penguin Starter Kit of your own! (This is a $199 value!!!!)

How to Win: You must be a follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (this will be checked if you are selected as a winner) and please visit SodaStream and tell me something you learned about the product and which mix you'd like to try first. Please leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com), or if your blogger profile has your email you can just indicate this in your entry.

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away. You have from Saturday, September 12, 2009 until Monday, October 12, 2009 at 11:59 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. Winner will be announced shortly after Wednesday, October 14th!

EXTRA CREDIT:

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

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

* Tweet about this giveaway and leave the URL in a comment.

* 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 SodaStream USA on Facebook HERE

* Follow SodaStream USA on MySpace HERE

* Follow SodaStream USA on Twitter HERE

* Please vote for Ascending Butterfly on Divine Caroline's Love This Site Award '09 for the Body and Soul category, you can press into the badge on the upper right hand site of the page or click through here, there is a Vote button right under the description.

SodaStream USA is also on Flickr HERE

**Use the promo code TWEETS for $5 off orders of $50+ at sodastream.com!**

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Got Dropps?


Our friends over at Alice (see the cute button on the upper right of our site?) are hosting a great giveaway that I thought I should bring to the attention of Ascending Butterfly readers. It's very much in line with our mission statement 'to seek out and provide sources of inspiration'.


Let me tell you why this giveaway has inspired a special blog post for today. I am a city butterfly, and in my urban jungle which includes a building sans elevator, I dread lugging jugs of laundry detergent from the market back home and up five flights of steps. I also hate lugging soda bottles, so if those nice folks who have soda making machines are reading this, I'd love to review your fine product! :)


ah, but I digress! About the size of a C battery, each "dropp" contains super-concentrated detergent. In addition to being phosphate and NPE free, the unscented and dye-free version is also free of harsh enzymes. A lack of enzymes also keeps colors looking brighter longer. The pods are septic-friendly, completely biodegrade, compatible with energy-efficient washers, safe to use on delicates and easy to use. Throw one or two pods in the machine (depending on the size of the load) and your clothes will come out fresh and clean!


Unfortunately I haven't yet been sent any of these to review (would love to though!), but our Friends at Alice are having a giveaway where FIVE, yes five readers stand a shot at winning Dropps! I have already entered for my chance at winning, and hope you will do the same!


First join Alice, by pressing HERE!
Then come back and just press on the Graphic above of Dropps to be linked straight to the giveaway, or press HERE!