Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration, a review and great giveaways!

Positive Images of Beauty

When you were little was there someone that looked like you on T.V.? Was there a face or a family that you could relate to?

While there were some positive shows I was allowed to watch as a little kid, I didn't always see images of myself on the screen. (OK with one small exception, I won an art contest in Kindegarten and it landed me a small one time appearance on the television show, Romper Room, if anyone finds that video, please don't post it on You Tube!)

My niece really wanted to see Disney's The Princess and The Frog, and so I thought a trip to the local theatre with her and her BFF, (and of course a big tub of popcorn) was in order! We all greatly enjoyed the movie. I appreciated that it was age appropriate for the girls, but also fun for me! (The movie is a Golden Globe nominee for Best Animated Feature!)

Disney describes the main character, Princess Tiana, (voiced by the amazing Anika Noni Rose) as having a cool quirk: 'Can hold down three jobs and still have time to dream.' - Now that my friends is a 'Princess' of TODAY. This is not the same Princess waiting along for some 'Prince Charming' (no pun intended, no really) to come along and  make her life complete!  This is what I want my niece and all young girls to understand, that you can work hard to achieve your dreams and still enjoy the adventures that life presents to you along the way!

Tiana, is Disney's first African American Princess, and I'm just letting the folks at Disney know that it's time to represent and get us a Latina Princess soon! (I'm inserting a snap my fingers gesture here since you can't see me!) The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Tiana merchandise is outselling other Disney princesses by double-digit percentages! That's right moms, keep Tiana's numbers high! Young girls need to be able to see themselves reflected back to them in positive images! Tiana is the PRINCESS, she is not the side-kick doll and she is no one's roller-skating buddy, she is the star of the show, she is can-do; she is the Princess that should be in the hands of our daughters, nieces etc. We have spent time here discussing how we should be careful and selective with what we watch, and what we hear and how those influences affect us, let's be sure we do the same for our children.

Shortly after taking my niece to see the film (hoping the nice folks at Disney will add Ascending Butterfly to it's screenings list!), I was offered an amazingly timed opportunity! The BlogRollers Media team offered me the chance to sample Carol's Daughter's new line of products for children, The Magical Beauty Collection!

The Magical Beauty Collection:

Beloved for its genuinely natural products, Carol’s Daughter was a natural choice for creating a Princess Tiana-themed hair and body collection. Gentle enough for children and appealing to parents, the fanciful product line delivers the benefits of natural ingredients such as aloe leaf juice, sunflower seed oil, cranberry fruit extract and lemon peel (Notice it's all ingredients you can pronounce!). The Magical Beauty Collection captures Princess Tiana’s unique experience in one universal collection, making every aspiring princess feel like Tiana at bath time. Each product features an inspirational message reflecting the values and lessons that Tiana learns during her journey, making the Magical Beauty Collection a way for girls to connect with Disney’s newest princess.

Now you know how much I love my inspirational messages (so much so that I began this blog to offer words of inspiration daily and how to apply them to your everyday life)! I will say I had a brief pang of jealousy and wanted to keep the collection for myself (hopefully I'll get a chance to host a review and giveaway with Carol's Daughter for some yummy adult bath time treats!), but I'm proud to say that I called my niece and let her know I had a special surprise for her during next sleep over. She came over this weekend and quickly agreed to test the collection, it probably sounded more like 'really? all mine? This is so cool!' (And in my imagination I'm inserting 'You are the best Aunt EVER!' - which of course, I am!)

I wanted to share that my Niece LOVED it, and I think I've created a product snob in training, because she has been dropping hints that she has a birthday coming up! OH! OH! I'm thinking she's going to want the 'A Magical Beauty Gift Set'  which includes:

Shampoo "The Beauty Within" - 8 fl. oz.
Conditioner "Inner Shine" - 8 fl. oz.
Bubble Bath "Sharing Means Caring" - 8 fl. oz.
Loofah

I can officially say that Carol's Daughter's The Magical Beauty Collection, is niece tested, and blogger/Auntie approved! And remember, the products are Pediatrician-tested and Paraben-free!

About Carol's Daughter

In the early 1990’s, Brooklyn native Lisa Price (a.k.a. Carol’s daughter) began experimenting with fragrance, essential oils and natural moisturizers to make gifts for her family and friends. Soon after she packaged her home-spun creations, word spread like wildfire and the demand for her unparalleled hair and body care products led to a highly successful mail-order and web-based business. Within a few years, Carol's Daughter counted celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Brad Pitt and Chaka Khan as loyal fans, or as she refers to them, "friends of the family." Nature, family and love are words that resonate for Carol’s Daughter and as business expands, Lisa makes sure that detailed care and attention is given to each product.

It is truly an inspired partnership! Lisa Price has proven that pursuing your passions and combining it with hard work truly reaps dividends!

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 inspire the young people in my life and encourage and promote positive images of beauty and self-esteem within them!'

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! 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! Don't forget to use the share button below any inspiration to stumble, digg, tweet or share with your friends on facebook and twitter! And if you want to share inspiration with other members, Ascending Butterfly has a NING group with real time chat HERE

ENDING SOON ALERT: Remember readers our BedLounger giveaway (ARV $127) ends TONIGHT at 11:59 EST. Be sure to get in your entries NOW, before it's too late!

˙·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 not accept your entry. 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·˙

This is not a paid insertion, all opinions expressed are my own, and I did NOT receive any compensation for this review.

Monday, January 18, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration and great giveaways!

Be A Change Agent!

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is one of four United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person? (The other three federal holidays honoring individuals are Washington's Birthday (often called President's Day), Columbus Day, and Christmas.).

King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. And while he was assassinated in 1968, his legacy lives on.

January 18, 2010 is officially 'The King Day of Service' this year. In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the King Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a “day on, not a day off.” The King Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, addresses social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.” Learn more about this initative HERE

For those of you that do not have the day off today, you can still be a 'Change Agent' today, just pro-actively decide to do something today to make your neighborhood better, to make your City better, to make your World better! From large scale to individual you can make something better for someone today. Do you have an elderly neighbor who doesn't get out much? Maybe you can add their grocery list to your own, or accompany them on their errands today. Do you have a sick neighbor or co worker who could use some chicken soup? Have you made your donation yet to help those in Haiti?

Hopefully we will all aspire to be 'Change Agents' on a daily basis, but making today the day you begin, couldn't be more profound and couldn't be more perfect!

You can visit Serve.gov to find a volunteer opportunity in your community and for learning more ways to continue to Serve After King Day.

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 aspire to be a 'Change Agent'!'

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! 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! Don't forget to use the share button below any inspiration to stumble, digg, tweet or share with your friends on facebook and twitter! And if you want to share inspiration with other members, Ascending Butterfly has a NING group with real time chat 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 not accept your entry. 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·˙

Sunday, January 17, 2010 - This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and great giveaways!

New Year, New Fruit!

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 - We are 17 days into a new month of a New Year of a New decade! and I am grateful for the new opportunities that this year has presented so far and am looking forward to the many opportunities to come! Did you make resolutions? For those of you who did make resolutions, where do you stand? are you keeping them? Do you need motivation? Ascending Butterfly is happy to be your sounding board, you can post here, or you can visit our NING group, we have real-time chat there and you can reach out to fellow members to help you keep your resolutions and act as a sounding board!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I am grateful for Ascending Butterfly's wonderful sponsors who are helping to ring in this New Year with GREAT giveaways! We have four great giveaways on the upper right hand side of the page!

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 thanks to our readers who share their gratitude list here and on the NING group each week!

What are you grateful for today? I'd love for you to write in and share what you are grateful for this week. The more you say it, the more you speak it, and the more you live in gratitude, the more you will find reasons to be grateful for. 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 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 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·˙

Winner Announcement - 6 Custom Notecards from Pretty & Personal Papers!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Congratulations to Peggy Gorman, the winner of Ascending Butterfly's 6 Custom Notecards from Pretty & Personal Papers Giveaway! We would like to thank our sponsor Pretty & Personal Papers, 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·˙

Friday, January 15, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration and great giveaways!

What's so funny about Peace, Love and Understanding?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - At Ascending Butterfly we are all about Peace (especially inner peace), Love and Understanding! I love finding ways to literally 'wear my message', and fashion accessories are a great way to do it!

Introducing the sakroots Artist Circle Weekender, featuring artwork from artists who share in our hope of cultivating peace and harmony...and the best part? They are eco-friendly (The Exterior is 50% recycled Nylon and the interior is made out of 100% Recycled Cotton). And in keeping with our theme of 'shopping with purpose', proceeds go to support The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees Campaign!

We affirm positive messages everyday, and I love how this bag has words like 'Peace', 'Happy & Free' and 'Nature' written on it.

Nature has a played a very strong role in our threads this week, I hope you have taken some time to get out in  it. This weekender would certainly provide a good reason to indulge your wanderlust, and best still, it's on sale! Originally priced at $99, it is on sale right now for $69.50! And with proceeds going to support The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees Campaign, it is virtually 'Guilt-Free Shopping'.

Continue to let Nature speak to you and inspire you this week! I have, and I've really enjoyed what I've been learning!

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 spend time in Nature this weekend and allow it to both teach and inspire me!'

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! 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! Don't forget to use the share button below any inspiration to stumble, digg, tweet or share with your friends on facebook and twitter! And if you want to share inspiration with other members, Ascending Butterfly has a NING group with real time chat 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 not accept your entry. 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·˙

Comment for a chance to win 1 of 10 Cottonelle gift baskets!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙
This giveaway is now CLOSED. This giveaway was hosted by Cottonelle via the Mom Blogger's Club, not directly by Ascending Butterfly, as soon as a winner's list is made available to us, we will post it here. Remember to check on the upper right hand side of the page where it says 'Win Here - Today's Butterfly Featured Sites of the Day' to enter our current giveaways!
˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

I am a member of the Mom Blogers Club and I just couldn't resist participating in this contest because it's just so much fun. And because I thought you'd enjoy it too, I'm letting you know I'm officially on 'Team Over'.

'Over' reminds me of vacation. It reminds me the bathroom has been cleaned (thankfully by someone other than me, except when I'm at home of course!) And because my  favorite type of vacation includes warm, sandy beaches, 'Over' always brings up happy memories.... (OK boys, we know you are all chuckling like children right now!)

So tell us here, when it comes to Toilet Paper, are you team 'over' or are you team 'under' and why?

This is similar to the HP mini Netbook contest, I am a participant in this contest, (but I am not the administrator of it.) and all people who comment across all the blogs that participate will have a chance to win!

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) when it comes to Toilet Paper, are you team 'over' or are you team 'under' and why? (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. Winners will be randomly chosen on January 29, 2010 from all entries.

Note: Because Ascending Butterfly is NOT the administrator there will be NO extra credit for this contest.

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

This is NOT a Paid Insertion all opinions expressed are solely my own!

Thursday, January 14, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration, a review and great giveaways!

Find Inspiration in Nature

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - We often Seek to find inspiration in Nature in the Spring or the Summer time, while entirely understandable, it doesn't always have to be this way. You can bring the outside in and surround yourself with constant sources of inspiration and wonder.

Butterflies are one of my favorite forms of inspiration found in nature and I bring them indoors or carry them with me year round, in fabrics, jewelry, dinnerware, art, pottery and more.

Another way many people bring their favorites 'right to their lap' is with coffee table books. And at first, I have to say I never understood them. A big book that takes up your entire coffee table, and most of the time everyone is afraid to touch it and mess up the cover so I thought to myself 'what's the point'?

In anticipation of the 2010 return of our Monthly Book Club, I wanted to start with a review of an amazing book titled 'One Hundred Butterflies' By Harold Feinstein, Fred Gagnon. This is the definitive coffee table book for Butterfly lovers. For Spring Lovers. For Nature Lovers.  For ME!!!

One Hundred Butterflies - By Harold Feinstein, Fred Gagnon - Full Description

In One Hundred Butterflies, photographer Harold Feinstein showcases butterfly varieties from around the world, turning exquisite details into mesmerizing works of art. Feinstein's breathtaking photographs capture the color, vibrancy, and infinite variety of patterns that occur on the wings of these ornate insects. One hundred impeccably reproduced, oversized photographs allow viewers to appreciate the Blue Morpho of Central America, the African Birdwing, and the Asian Swallowtail at a scale and depth impossible to experience in nature.

I am in love ♥ with this book, and find I reach for it every time I'm near my coffee table! I don't have a copy to giveaway today but if you want to pick up one for yourself you can find this Hardcover at a great price at Amazon. Try using the link below to order:

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 bring inspirational sources from nature indoors!'

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! 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! Don't forget to use the share button below any inspiration to stumble, digg, tweet or share with your friends on facebook and twitter! And if you want to share inspiration with other members, Ascending Butterfly has a NING group with real time chat 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 not accept your entry. 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, January 13, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration! - Help, Hope and Prayer!

Help, Hope and Prayer!

In the aftermath of the devastation in Haiti, The Red Cross estimated that 3 million people will require aid, ranging from shelter to food and clean water, and said many Haitians could need relief for a full year. The U.S. Department of State has set up a page online where you can go for news, developments and information, as well as up to the minute coverage on MSNBC. Social Media, including Twitter, have constant posts from members about various relief efforts, Huffington Post also has a Twitter page about the Haiti earthquake and crisis, that can be accessed by clicking HERE.

Ascending Butterfly sends our prayers to all the people of Haiti during this difficult time. I ask you all to stop and do the same, in addition to any other relief efforts or initiatives you are participating in, please stop, and take a moment to pray for Haiti, for it's people, for it's mothers, fathers, children, for all the faces behind the actual devastation.

And our prayers go out to all readers and followers of haitian descent and to your friends and families as well.

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 send prayers of healing to the people of Haiti.'

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! 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 not accept your entry. 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·˙

One Meaning Couture Signature Butterfly Pendant Review and Giveaway!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙
This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor One Meaning Couture, 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 brought to you by:

I think it's safe to say that we all know by now I am very much butterfly obsessed. I love them for many reasons. They represent change and growth. They also represent loved ones who have departed. And for me a specific color butterfly sighting has always foretold a major change or a stroke of good luck (sometimes BOTH).

I am blessed to have family and friends who indulge me in my guilty pleasure of collecting 'butterfly stuff', and  jewelry is thankfully included! YAY! :-)

I've begun to amass quite a collection of butterfly pendants and a favorite has emerged from what is a very varied, unique and impressive collection! And that's no easy feat! I have a way of knowing when a new piece of jewelry is 'mine', I can't stop rubbing it! Even if it has no specific gemstone, I find that I can't stop rubbing or pressing it between my fingers!

I have found my latest 'touchstone' pendant, it's One Meaning Couture's Signature Butterfly Pendant!

Unique meaning behind the Signature Butterfly Pendant: It is made inscribed with the numbers 813, which stands for 8 letters, 3 words, 1 meaning..."I love you" -  the numbers were formed into a butterfly so that love can take flight. On the wings of love! It will remind you love is eternal and you can carry it with you always. This beautiful pendant is made by a talented artisan on the West Coast just for One Meaning Couture. It is truly a unique and beautiful necklace that will garner compliments every time you wear it. The dimensions are 1.50” wide by 1.25” high, cast in highly polished 950 Sterling Silver. Comes on a 30” sterling silver curb chain.

And what truly sets One Meaning Couture apart from the rest, is that they donate 8.13% of all sales to a different charitable organization each month! It really is couture with a conscience! Isn't that awesome? How many times do you get to actually make a difference by shopping?

The Charity of the Month for January 2010 is AHRC of Suffolk County, AHRC Suffolk provides programs and services for over 2,500 men, women, and children with intellectual challenges and developmental disabilities. The goal of AHRC is to create a better life for children and adults with developmental disabilities, one with opportunities for independence, integration and productivity. (And as a former Special Education teacher myself, I couldn't be more honored to work with One Meaning Couture THIS month!)

I also wanted to point out that One Meaning Couture also accepts recommendations for which charity to feature! You can send One Meaning Couture the name of the charity you’d like to see featured by sending an email to Barbara@OneMeaningCouture.com.

WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at One Meaning Couture want to help you carry love with you everywhere you go this year! One incredibly lucky 'Ascending Butterfly' follower will have the chance to win One Meaning Couture Signature Butterfly Pendant of their own!

Can't wait to see if you won? You can get your own Signature Butterfly Pendant (or any other design that tickles your fancy) with a special coupon code! Because One Meaning Couture uses Paypal, which does not support coupons, please put in "Ascending Butterfly" in the notes of your order at check out and you will be refunded a 10% discount via rebate. This would make an amazing Valentine's Day gift for your special someone, your BFF, your mom, your sister, your niece, your daughter, (or your favorite butterfly loving blogger!) With a super discount AND a charitable donation on top of it all,  now folks THIS is truly POWER shopping!

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 One Meaning Couture and pick another piece you like and post the direct link to your selection here (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, January 12, 2010 until Tuesday, February 02, 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: Follow and RT: @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly & @OneMeaning Signature Butterfly Pendant Review and Giveaway!! Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - http://tinyurl.com/yk47dpw

(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 - Follow One Meaning Couture on Twitter HERE

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

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow One Meaning - Couture with a Conscience on Facebook HERE (Don't forget to leave a comment on their facebook page and tell them Ascending Butterfly sent you!)

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 - NEW METHOD OF EXTRA CREDIT: Enter One Meaning's Valentines Day Poetry Contest!

First prize is a custom piece of couture glass jewelry made of the winning poem.  The runner up will receive a gift certificate for $31.80. You can enter as many poems as you like. Just follow these rules:

Send your entry to Mia@OneMeaningCouture.com by midnight on February 14, 2010. To get your extra credit on Ascending Butterfly you must CC us in your entry tiglesias625 (AT) gmail (DOT) com (this is formatted for security purposes please fix before you submit your actual poem. Remember to comment here that you have submitted a poem, in addition to your CC to us on the email.

Poem MUST be cut and pasted into an email - NO ATTACHMENTS please.

There is no limit to length of poem, but keep in mind that if your poem is long, only a portion will fit on the jewelry being given in first prize.

All submissions will be treated with respect to the author; however by submitting your poem, you give One Meaning permission to print and distribute via our website, blog and social networks

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

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

One Meaning Couture provided a Signature Butterfly Pendant for Review and will be providing a pendant for the Giveaway.

Monday, January 11, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

Feed your soul, Feed your life!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I was watching 'Celebration of Gospel 2010' on the BET television network last night, and it just filled me with positive energy, it was so uplifting! The music, the faith, the praise, the outpouring of emotion just fueled my enthusiasm for 'the greatness of 2010' and what I want for it, even more!

We all need food for the soul, find what feeds your spirit! To say we are in troubled economic times is an under-statement, and when people feel hopeless and lost and their spirits are just plain hungry, it is easy to want to run, to escape, to not face it all head on. But ultimately, the problems are still there, the fears, the emptiness. And when you return to reality, you have many times compounded upon your problems by trying to escape them.

Feed your soul, feed your life! Sometimes 're-fueling' comes with mixing things up a bit, attend some conferences on spirituality, attend some concerts, visit a different church (especially when traveling!), make a  concerted effort to fuel your spirit in new, exciting and ever-changing ways!

What are you watching? Fill your TV time with 'positive' viewing, especially right before bed. Listen to your preferred 'up-lifting' music while taking a shower or in the car. I bet the positive energy will begin to carry over in other areas of your life.

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 actively feed my soul 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! 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! ENDING SOON ALERT: Win a set of 6 Custom Notecards from Pretty & Personal Papers! Ends Tonight at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time, enter NOW!

˙·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 not accept your entry. 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·˙

Sunday, January 10, 2010 - This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and great giveaways!

On Sunday's, 'Today's Moment of Inspiration' becomes the weekly 'Moment of Gratitude'. While I do still live in Gratitude each and everyday, I decided to change this feature to a weekly to allow a full week of Inspirational messages and focused breathing meditations. 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 - We are 10 days into a new month of a New Year of a new decade and I am grateful to say my enthusiam hasn't waned one bit for my expectations of this year! I don't make resolutions, I haven't really done that in years. But I do make life goals for myself that I re-visit periodically. I let those change, grow, and evolve as I do. For those of you who did make resolutions, where do you stand? are you keeping them? Do you need motivation? Ascending Butterfly is happy to be your sounding board, you can post here, or you can visit our NING group, we have real-time chat there and you can reach out to fellow members to help you keep your resolutions and act as a sounding board!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I am grateful for Ascending Butterfly's wonderful sponsors who are helping to ring in this New Year with GREAT giveaways! We have four great giveaways on the upper right hand side of the page, and there will be 8 winners in total! Ending soon Alert: Our giveaway for 6 custom notecards by Etsy Artist, Tricia Richner of  Pretty & Personal Papers ends on 1/11, act fast and get your entries in today HERE

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! I also wanted to personally thank each and every reader who has taken the time to vote for Ascending Butterfly in the Downy contest (the widget to vote with just one click is located at the bottom of this page). Thank You!

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 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 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·˙

Friday, January 08, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

Who Can it Be Knocking at my Door?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - New Year/New You continues! I've often heard that 'Opportunities multiply as they are seized', but I think opportunity can't be seized if it can't be embraced. If you are not ready for change, it will not come. Think of change like a job interview, you need to prepare. You need to put yourself in 'that' place physically, emotionally and mentally.

Change can be scary on a good day. Change can be scary even if you know it's coming (which albeit doesn't happen often). But it doesn't have to be. Each year offers up new opportunities, but how many of them do you actually seize? Why? Why Not?

The change that leads to growth often times comes from seizing new opportunity. This year we just can't let old fears take hold.

Seize opportunities as they arise. What's the worse that can happen? That it won't be right for you? That's OK, it's a chance at learning. It's just as important to learn what we are not capable of sometimes.

Any opportunity you seize changes you, it will help you grow, it will help you discover new facets of your personality, of your capabilities,  it is to be embraced, enjoyed and appreciated, never feared!

Sometimes Opportunity doesn't always knock and allow itself to be seized, sometimes opportunity needs to be pursed or created. You are more than capable of doing so!

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 actively seek out new opportunities. I appreciate all chances the Universe sends me to grow and change.'

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!  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·˙

Pür Perfection Starter Kit Review and Giveaway - 5 WINNERS!

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

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Pur Minerals, We look forward to working with you again! The winners have been notified and upon confirmation all follower names 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 brought to you by:

In keeping with our January 2010 'New Year/New You' theme, today I would like to introduce the Pür Perfection Starter Kit!

One of the many ways I like to start the New Year is to toss out old Makeup and start anew! This is the perfect way to do it!

Here is an idea of when to toss what:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Concealer -  Up to 12 months

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Powder - 2 years

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Cream & gel cleansers - 1 year

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Pencil eye liner Should be sharpened regularly. Will last up to 3 years

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Eyeshadow Will also last up to 3 years. Extra tip: A dark eyeshadow can double as eyeliner, in fact, most makeup artists swear by eyeshadow used as eyeliner. You'll need a super-flat eyeliner brush for this. Get the brush a little damp and dab in dark eyeshadow (black, brown or deep jewel-tones work great). Wiggle the brush into your lash line focusing on the space between your lashes, then sweep the color just above your lash line.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Brushes - Wash every 2-3 months in a mild detergent

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Sponges Wash weekly and discard monthly

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Foundation Check the ingredients: A water-based foundation will last up to 12 months, oil-based will last up to 18 months. You may find you need two different shades of foundation each year: One for summer when your skin is naturally darker and one for winter when you're lighter. Extra tip: If your water-based foundation dries out before it's expiration date, simply add a few drops of alcohol-free toner and shake to mix it in. No need to do this to oil-based foundations. Because they contain oil, they will tend to separate. You have to shake anyway

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Lip liner Up to 3 years

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Lipstick Some experts say 1-2 years. Others say up to 4 years. What everyone agrees on is that if it smells rancid, throw it out, it's spoiled. Extra tip: If you store lipstick in the refrigerator, it will last longer. Bonus tip: Want your lipstick to last longer during the day? Shade in lips with lip liner before applying lipstick

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Mascara This product expires the fastest: Throw out after 4 months. Extra tip: If you don't want your mascara to expire faster than its fresh date, don't pump the wand in and out -- you're only exposing the product to drying air

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Nail Polish Up to 12 months, depending on the quality and how many times you take it on a plane

I have always been a big fan of liquid foundations as well as tinted mouisturizers, and didn't immediately jump on the 'mineral bandwagon'. But I'd say being slow to adopt turned out to be a very good thing! Over the holidays I tried out the Pür Perfection Starter Kit and I can now say with confidence 'I get it'. The convenience, the fact that it is so much more light-weight, and that mineral makeup is actually good for your skin!

This kit was my staple as I travelled during the holidays, it was portable enough to keep in my purse and have handy to go from day to night. I was pleasantly surprised that I rarely felt any additional 'touch-ups' were necessary!

Pür Perfection Starter Kit Highlights:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup: The cornerstone of Pür Minerals, this one-minute mineral makeup miracle is your mineral foundation, powder, concealer and SPF protection all in one neat makeup compact. Completely free of oil, alcohol, talc, fragrances, preservatives and chemical dyes, this mineral foundation is actually good for your skin!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Mineral Glow: A touch of sun in a makeup compact, this mineral powder will impart a natural, sun-kissed glow to your skin.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Universal Marble Powder in Pink: Give your skin back that rosy glow you were born with. Universal Marble Powder corrects, brightens and imparts antioxidants into the skin. This multi-purpose mineral makeup can be worn on your eyes, lips and cheeks.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Chisel Makeup Brush: The magic behind the mineral makeup look! The only makeup brush to use for application of your 4-in-1 Mineral Makeup, it provides maximum coverage and an amazingly smooth finish.

I absolutely love that Pür Minerals does NOT test its products on animals!

WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Pür Minerals wants to help you enjoy a 'New Year/New You'! FIVE lucky 'Ascending Butterfly' followers will have the chance to win a Pür Minerals Pür Perfection Starter Kit of their own!

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 Pür Minerals and pick your kit color preference for your Pür Perfection Starter Kit and post in your comment what color you would want if you win, please choose carefully,  this will be the kit you receive 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 Thursday, January 07, 2010 until Thursday, January 28, 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: Follow and RT: @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly Pür Perfection Starter Kit #Giveaways! FIVE winners! Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - http://tinyurl.com/yfz8lm5

(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! Pür Minerals provided the kits for review and for the giveaway.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010 - Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways!

Feed the 'Inner Beastie'!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - New Year/New You continues! Whether or not you have chosen to set resolutions or New Years 'Intentions' for yourself, Ascending Butterfly wants to help you get AND stay on track!

Today I thought we should confront head on the resolution of many, to shed pounds! Like any bad habit, weight gain has a source. It is as individual as we are. There is nervous eating, blind grazing (picking throughout the day without even thinking about it), and mommy eating (eating a little of everything or eating what the kids leave behind). There are various types of emotional eating and nervous eating or eating to fill a void or for boredom fall into this category.

Now we should always check in with our doctor before starting any diet, and we should also rule out  medical reasons for weight gain, including thyroid issues on the physical side and of course depression on the emotional side (depression symptoms include lethargy, weight loss/gain etc). Let's be sure we are clearly identifying our own unique reason for weight gain.

A healthy LIFESTYLE both physically and emotionally is preferable to being on a perpetual New Year's Diet. Start with what you can control. If you are a nervous eater, replace the habit. If you are heading off to the fridge to graze between meals, ask yourself why? Am I bored? Am I angry? Am I Lonely? Stop yourself, call a friend, take a walk, do something else. Remember that 8 glasses of water per day, keep you well hydrated, and our bodies sometimes mistake de-hydration for hunger. Your body also really needs it's 8 hours of rest, and some people actually require way more than 8 hours.

Un-met emotional desires manifest in the strangest ways. Sometimes giving the soul what it wants can also help you avoid temptations. So feed your inner 'beastie' (within reason!) and your outer 'beastie' will take care of itself!

There is no magic diet or magic cure! Treat your body with respect, it is the only way it can continue to serve you well. 2010 should be the year you actively choose to live well, honor your body and spirit by eating well and by taking time to enjoy stillness in the ways that resonate best with you (meditation, prayer, journaling, walking in nature, creative pursuits, etc)

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 actively seek ways to be more respectful of my body and how I care for it.'

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·˙