Tuesday, January 05, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

Love What You Do, Do What You Love!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - New Year/New You continues today. But first some more good news!  Ascending Butterfly was featured in Tiki Tiki's 'New For the Blogroll: Latinas You Should Meet in 2010' - it is such an honor being featured among such creative blogs! And it is also an honor to be considered a Latina to watch in 2010! Congratulations to all the blogs nominated. Please take a moment to read the entire article HERE

Yesterday's 'Bloggy Angel Award' and the news of being featured as a 'Latina Blogger to watch in 2010' has made me all the more connected to the power of 'doing what I love, and loving what I do'. I LOVE to write. I always have. Poems, stories, even my essays while in school. The pen (or now the keyboard) is my paintbrush. I can spend hours writing and get completely absorbed in it. What do you connect with so fully, so deeply, that you don't even notice the passing of time? What do you LOVE? And are you being paid to do what you truly LOVE? If not, why not? You should be!

I also love to travel, but still haven't figured out how to get paid to do it! (Do you think Samantha Brown or Anthony Bourdain are ready to retire??? LOL)

We feel 'robbed' and depleted on a daily basis when we do work we don't enjoy. When our efforts are 'under-appreciated' or appear to go entirely un-noticed, minutes can feel like an eternity. We are not destined to feel this way! Enjoy the journey! Vow to do what you love this year! Do the research and take the steps necessary to be fully aligned to a 'career' and not just a 'job'. You absolutely owe it to yourself to do what you love and love what you do!

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 'Today I will do what I Love and Love what I do'

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·˙

I'm not just a butterfy, I'm an Angel too!

I'm not just a butterfly, I'm an Angel  too!

I have had the honor of being nominated for my second bloggy award today. (The first was the Lemonade Stand in October 2009). This is my first blog award of 2010, I am absolutely honored! Somehow all things 'winged' are very much a strong influence in my life!

I have always made it a point to 'pay it forward' in life; and as I've had some amazing bloggers help me when I've been stuck with something I've always tried to do the same.

I was nominated for this award by Richele from Under the Golden Apple Tree, not only is her blog amazing, she truly puts the super in 'super mom'. She is the administrator of Friends following Friends at the Mom Bloggers Club, and she also, in her 'spare time', whenever that is, hosts a weekly round up of articles from various blogs that span what you would call a 'best of' or 'must read' posts from various blogs each week. It's called the "Mom Link Round Up", the direct link to the 5th Edition can be found HERE.

As far as I'm concerned her endless patience and generosity of spirit makes her an angel in my book!

The Rules:

1. Thank the one who gave it to you by linking back to her blog.

2. Pass it out to five bloggy angels.

3. Let your angels know they have been selected for the award.

My five Cyber Angels: (in no particular order!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Richele from Under the Golden Apple Tree. Her tremendous dedication to other bloggers is a constant source of  inspiration to me. And she truly has time management down to a science!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Aly from A Little Bit of AlyTude, while most see her love of fashion and all things fab, I also see her patience with my endless questions, particularly when I first started, which makes her my 'cyber angel'.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Krissy from Barefoot Mommies is one of the most welcoming people I  met when I started off on this crazy rollercoaster ride of blogging!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tricia from I've Got My Hands Full - not only do we share a love of paper, all things crafty, family and blogging but Tricia is also very open to helping other bloggers and moms succeed. She is also an etsy artist and everyone should check out her shop HERE Tricia is also hosting a giveaway on Ascending Butterfly for custom notecards, you can enter directly HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Last but certainly not least, I also nominate Lisa from New York Chica for an Angel Award!  We are both sassy NYC based Latinas with something to say, and Lisa always delivers with the humor that can only come from being a part of the city that never sleeps! I'm also happy to say we have met in person, she's an on and offline Angel in my book!

Being recognized by other bloggers in such a HUGE space is incredibly inspiring to me, and I am just proud to share in this space with such savvy, creative, helpful and joy filled women!

Today I ask YOU, who is your Angel? Who is that person in your life who makes it a better place to be? Have you thanked them yet today?

While she is not a blogger, my Mom is my Angel! (And she deserves an award too!)

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

Sunday, January 03, 2010 - This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and THREE 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 focused breathing meditations. New Year/New Gratitude! Can't wait for all the new opportunities that 2010 will present to me to be grateful for!

This week, I am grateful for:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - For being blessed with the health to usher in a New Year with the ones I love by my side! Casa de Butterfly was filled with gratitude to be able to ring in 2010 with hope, laughter, music and optimism! I hope you all had a safe New Years Eve, a happy New Year's Day and that each and every one of you are blessed with the best that 2010 has to offer! How did you ring in the New Year? What, if any, are your resolutions this year?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I am grateful for Ascending Butterfly's wonderful sponsors who are helping to ring in this New Year with GREAT giveaways!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I'm also grateful for Ascending Butterfly's wonderful readers. Many readers missed the gratitude feature, and we are happy to say it's back! And even more tickled that you all noticed! :-)

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 THREE 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 2010! 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!

 

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

 

˙·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·˙

Saturday, January 02, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

Not a 'Resolution' but an 'Evolution'

I wanted  to make yesterday an easy one so those who 'over-celebrated' could get back in the swing of things!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - This is the second day of our 'New Year/New You!' feature. Our focus is a bit different than most. I don't specifically want us to get hung up in 'New Year's Resolutions', let's focus on evolution, on transformation, on gaining control of our thoughts, our emotions and our behaviors so we can then go on to create the goals that most people call resolutions. You can write a list of intentions for yourself until the cows come home, but if you are not vibrationally aligned with those intentions emotionally you cannot make them manifest physically.

How do we 'align' ourselves with our intentions? We have already started along that path with our daily inspirations, these focused breathing excercises you participate in daily are a strong start! Many of you are also keeping gratitude journals, I keep one myself. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude will manifest major change in your life, both emotionally, spiritually and in turn physically! Starting your day with focused breathing and meditations and then affirming a positive intention out loud helps to set the stage for your day. Words are powerful tools. They are the first tool you should reach for in your arsenal of change for 2010. They can also be weapons. Devious ones if you are not careful. Sometimes you can easily ignore the hurtful words that others direct toward you, but your internal dialogue with yourself can be even worse than the insults hurled at you by someone else. Do your words set you up for failure? Do you say things to yourself that you would never even dream of saying to family or friends? We all do it sometimes in the heat of a moment. But some of us do it daily, and that needs to be nipped in the bud.

When you find negative 'self-speak' thoughts creeping in, don't give them power! Never speak them out loud (ex. I am just so stupid,  I can never get things right etc) Instantly speak positive words over yourself. We remember to praise our spouses, our children, our family, our friends, our co-workers, employees, but often-times we forget to give ourselves some of that much needed praise.

You can't be more orgaanized this year if your dialogue about yourself always says I'm so disorganized. You won't lose weight this year if you put yourself down in the mirror each morning. I know this seems laughingly obvious reading it. But it's in the not applying it that most people end up giving up on these goals before the month is over.

Ascending Butterfly won't let you do that! You will find affirmations here and moments of focused breathing meditations to both start and close your day. We want you to recommend affirmations to US! We all want to manifest something uniquely meaningful to us! So write in an affirmation for us to include in the focused breathing section of the daily inspirations and  why that affirmation is so important to you.

Today lets focus on our inner voice, let's respect it's power and learn to hone it. Let's make it work FOR us. If words appear from  deep within today like 'stupid', 'clumsy', 'lazy', 'disorganized', 'ugly', 'fat',  or words like 'Never',  'Can't' or 'won't' you must instantly change them.  I Can, I am Capable, I am creative, etc...

Once you master the inner voice, you will already see major changes in yourself. And you can run with that new found confidence and self esteem and turn your energy to doing it again in another area,  your patterns of behavior. The marriage of the two, changing your internal dialogue to reflect an 'I Can' or an 'I Will' thought set coupled with changing defeatist habits and patterns of behaviors is the start. Mastery in these two  areas allow you the freedom  of extra energy that can NOW be used to work on that list of intentions/resolutions/goals.

A friend recently reminded me that 'The universe doesn't know the difference between a fear and a wish, when you focus on your fears, you make them come true...Change your mindset and not only will 2010 be better, your life on the whole in every area will be better!

Share your resolutions with us. When Resolutions and goal setting takes place in a group, it easier to find others who will become your 'resolution buddy', a source of additional information and motivation who will encourage you  to stay  on track. (The Ascending Butterfly NING Group is a great place to open up these discussions - http://ascendingbutterfly.ning.com/)

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 speak well over myself! My internal dialogue reflects the person I  wish  to put forward today and everyday, I am smart, savvy, organized, and kind; I make powerful decisions for myself'

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·˙

Friday, January 01, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

On The Good Year Lollipop

I can only hope that this new year does not find you in a position you do not already regret! I hope you had a safe New Year's Eve and am wishing you a happy, healthy, and safe New Year's Day!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - This is the first of our 'New Year/New You!' Feature! Let's start it with 'no regrets.'!

And we are going to keep it as easy and low key as possible!

Because New Year's Eve might have been a bit 'excessive' I'm going to make today as stress free as possible!

No matter where you found yourself yesterday, know that on the first day of the New Year you are exactly where you need to be to propel yourself forward.

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 am exactly where I need to be. From here, I can propel myself forward!'

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·˙

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!

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NOTE: Readers have asked us to make entering the contests and giveaways, faster and easier. Your wish is our command! We have moved our 'Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the day, which is where we host our giveaways, to the upper right hand side of the page. It will be located here from now on to make entering the giveaways faster and easier. Keep the suggestions coming, remember we also have a 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)

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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

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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!
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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.
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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!