Win Your Christmas Tree with a $100 Gift Certificate to Hayneedle.com

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Hayneedle.com! We look forward to working with you again! The winner is 'mamawj' (we post winner usernames for privacy) Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

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Ascending Butterfly Holidays Buying Guide 2010, First Giveaway sponsored by:

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas! Santa's little butterfly elves have been in the workshop working feverishly to bring you an amazing buying guide this year! I'm sure some of you caught the not so subtle hint on Saturday and figured out that we'd be starting off our Annual Holidays Buying Guide with a Christmas Tree!

While I love 'Live' Trees, they don't quite fit into my urban dwelling lifestyle. I'm on a Fifth Floor Walkup with no elevator, so there is no way I'm lugging a Live Christmas Tree up here! I stick with the artificial ones, delivered by an express mail carrier (we won't name any specific one, they can pay to advertise!)

My former artificial tree was truly on it's last legs and it was time for a replacement. Another great reason for using artificial trees for me, is that I store them well and hold onto them usually well past their warranty, which makes them the greener option.

I also knew that I wanted to be true to my preferences about making sure I was working with someone who gives back, you know I simply can't resist 'shopping with a conscience'. I always try to find ways to give back with every purchase I make. I love finding ways to shop smarter not harder, stay on budget and still manage to give back.

While I did receive the opportunity to review an Artificial Christmas Tree that truly suited my needs and my preferences, I was also delighted to find out that when you purchase your Christmas Tree from Hayneedle, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant a live tree in one of our nation's needy forests. Their goal is to help plant up to 15,000 trees! I would definitely love to see them achieve that goal! Learn more about Hayneedle's goal to plant 15,000 trees. (Not only can you help but at minimal cost to you, READ ON!)

I didn't get a chance to take pictures every single step of the way, but here is a picture of the tree just after assembly, since it's a pre-lit, after I assembled the base, attached the bottom, middle and top tier, I plugged it in, and this is what it looked like:

It was a little weird working with a new tree after having had my old one for so long, it took a bit to get the shape the way I wanted to, and ultimately I did end up adding a bit more lights of my own to it. (I love alot of lights on the tree!)

Then I went on to the fun stuff, Decorating! After me and the butterfly elves got to working our magic and decorating the tree it looked like this:

For my fellow travel lovers with an observant eye, yes that is a picture of 'El Morro' (San Juan, Puerto Rico) in the background, taken by yours truly and blown up and framed!

Now don't get me wrong, Hayneedle is WAY more than just Christmas Trees! Hayneedle.com includes 220 stores and counting, each devoted to a single product category. Best of all, you can shop all of them with one global shopping cart! Who needs 'Brick and Mortar' when you can get it all done in your PJ's in your ahem 'Spare Time'.

Here is a sponsor image of the tree (you know I love the hi-res!)

Technical Tree Stats:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Shape: Full
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Base Width: 64-inches
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Number of Bulbs: 800
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Number of Tips: 2176
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Material: PVC
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Style: Pine Trees

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - When one light goes out, the rest will stay lit as long as the bulb remains in the circuit

Pros:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Pre-lit is super convenient, no more fighting with those 'string balls' of lights that are all tangled

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Base worked the first time! (for anyone who has had to fight with their Christmas Base - you know what I mean!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The branches are long! This gives you room to play with, you can tilt them up if you have a narrow space, and spread them out full if you want a really wide look to it!

Cons:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - If you are putting this up solo, the base piece is pretty heavy

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - It doesn't come in something to keep it safe, so be careful if using a box cutter to open the outer box, there is nothing in there to protect the pieces but bubble wrap. (My box arrived pretty banged up) I really wished the tree would have come inside a storage box or bag to keep it safe during transit.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - It does require time to get the 'shape'
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Would have loved more lights, but you can easily add your own, which I did

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The instructions are a bit vague so make sure you line it up well so that when you connect each tier the plugs line up for the lights, you want each tier to have it's plugs in the back.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Hayneedle.com would like to provide 1 Ascending Butterfly Follower with a $100 Gift Card! - You can use the gift card to get a Christmas Tree, or on any item in their 220 stores!

Don't you just ♥ Hayneedle? (I know I Do!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and Mandatory Entry: (2) Visit Hayneedle.com and link me to what you would use your $100 Gift Card for. Remember you cannot link to the reviewed tree! (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older. No PO Boxes.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Monday, November 15, 2010 until Monday, November 22, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

EXTRA CREDIT:

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - In the spirit of Christmas fun, how about an extra credit for sharing your favorite holiday movie?

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ #ascendingbutterfly + @hayneedle Holiday Buying Guide #Giveaways $100 Gift Certificate - http://tinyurl.com/2arpd9n

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @hayneedle on Twitter

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

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Hayneedle on Facebook (and remember to tell them 'Ascending Butterfly sent me') HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

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

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I could use your vote (please leave me your voting number in the comment field for an extra credit) - http://www.itsthoughtful.com/gift-idea/2758/

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

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

Guess Who is Coming to Town?

The holiday elves are busy preparing things at 'butterfly's workshop' for our Annual Holidays Buying Guide! We've got some great surprises and prezzies in store! The guide will go live, Monday, November 15th. We are opening with something super fun. (There may even be a hint to it in this picture, just sayin').

We got great feedback from you about the Halloween promo with 1800baskets.com and have decided to repeat the format with some of our holiday buying guide giveaways. Look for giveaways with multiple winners, those giveaways will have winners from multiple channels, google followers, email subscribers, Facebook Fans and Twitter Followers! So make sure you are following us across the board! In case you missed the winner's announcements for our three winners, you can see it HERE.

AND THE WINNER IS:

And we are super happy to announce that we selected an alternate winner in our Energizer giveaway, and that winner has confirmed, the winner is: *'naynays1' - Congratulations to our winner who will receive a First Alert Smoke Alarm and Energizer 9 Volt Batteries to go with it. Thanks for sponsoring Energizer, we look forward to working with you again! Remember to check your spam filters to be sure that winning email notifications aren't going into your spam folder by your email host!

I don't know about your house, but at 'Casa de Butterfly' it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!







** We post our winner usernames instead of full names to protect privacy, except of course if their username is their full name! **

Official Winner's Announcement - 1800baskets.com Halloween Giveaway Winners!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - * 'Alisa' is our Facebook Winner, she will receive the Cornucopia Basket from 1800baskets.com
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - * '@JessieNuez' is our Twitter Winner, she will receive one dozen Chocolate Covered Strawberries from 1800baskets.com

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - * ‘bdiane34’ is our google follower winner, she will receive a Vintage Pressed Glass Jar with Jumbo Cashews  from 1800baskets.com

Congratulations to our Lucky Winners!

We want to thank 1800baskets.com for hosting 3 winners this time around and we look forward to working with you again SOON!

The Energizer First Alert Smoke Alarm and two 9 Volt Batteries winner never confirmed their prize, so a new winner was drawn and notified, when the alternate winner confirms, we will post a winner's announcement here on the home page!

COMING SOON: Don't forget the Ascending Butterfly Annual Holiday Buying Guide will be launching November 15th and it's going to be BIG! The first giveaway in the guide will go live on Monday! Santa's little 'butterfly elves' will be very busy this weekend getting ready for the launch!

ROCK THE VOTE:  Please vote for me (You may even want to enter this one yourself!) - http://tinyurl.com/2asnccm

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** We post our winner usernames instead of full names to protect privacy, except of course if their username is their full name! **

Today's Words of Inspiration - Veteran's Day 2010

My Maternal Great-Grandfater was a decorated vet, he fought for this nation's freedom, and was proud to have done so. My mother was a war time volunteer in a local Army Navy Hospital when she was younger, and told me some amazing stories of the brave men she helped care for. My Maternal Grandmother was a nurse.

Every year on Veteran's Day I like to take time to pray for my Great-Grandfather, all heros of war, our military as a whole and of course for the un-known soldiers. While I can't make the trip out to Arlington, I do send my prayers to them and their families.

I make sure not to get wrapped up in debates today about War. To me, that's not the point of this day, (and the energy of the debate is just negative and counter-productive), it's to honor the men and women who sacrificed their time, and their lives so America could be free.

Va.Gov expressed it best:

The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held each year on November 11th at Arlington National Cemetery . The ceremony commences precisely at 11:00 a.m. with a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns and continues inside the Memorial Amphitheater with a parade of colors by veterans’ organizations and remarks from dignitaries. The ceremony is intended to honor and thank all who served in the United States Armed Forces.

The Veterans Day National Committee also selects a number of regional sites for Veterans Day observances throughout the country. From stirring parades and ceremonies to military exhibits and tributes to distinguished veterans, these events serve as models for other communities to follow in planning their own observances.

There are various regional observances you may not be aware of, and can see a link to them at The Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Whether you went to work, or even if you have the day off, I hope you will take a moment to remember those who have fallen fighting for our freedom. If you haven't already done so, take a moment of silence, and make your affirmation for today 'I honor those who have fought to defend my freedom'.

Did any of my fellow New Yorkers attend the Parade today?
 

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Wordless Wednesday - Nurture Your Mind!

What's going on in your head today? Can you see the Forest for the Trees?

Attitude Really Does Determine Altitude!

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Today's Words of Inspiration - True Happiness!

credit @bing

Do you have true happiness?

Million Dollar Question, Right?

I know readers have been missing the daily words of inspiration, in fact, so have I, and I am happy to be sharing a little inspiration today and an important affirmation! I'd make this one a daily for sure! So let's get back to our roots today, nothing but affirmation and inspiration today, I promise!

Happiness is considered fleeting, mostly because our wants and needs tend to dominate our thoughts. Those wants and needs tend to over-shadow a sense of gratitude for what we DO have. And of course when your thoughts constantly turn themselves back to 'wants' and 'needs', it brings us to a 'lack' mindset. In a 'lack' mindset, you do not experience happiness. That is why I started my gratitude journey daily many years ago. Once a week I stop and read all my entries for the week. That journal is just pure gratitude, when I need to filter my thoughts and vent I use a completely different book. Seeing nothing but what I'm grateful for during that weekly recap of re-reading my entries, puts me back in a state of gratitude where happiness grows.

Is it easy? - NO! Certainly NOT!

Do I have days where I reach for the 'vent' journal before the 'gratitude' journal? - YES, definitely! (I have triggers, when I am feeling over-whelmed, used by people, betrayed or just plain on the receiving end of negative energy I will find myself reaching for the vent journal first. What are YOUR triggers? What changes your mood and thoughts from happiness to despair?)

But striking that balance between shifting my thoughts from lack, which leads to despair, hopelessness and faithlessness and back to gratitude which leads to true happiness is very much a pro-active process.

I strongly recommend starting your day in meditation, in daily affirmational messages and ending it in gratitude with a gratitude journal if at all possible, it helps to re-focus your perspective. That moment of centering helps you start your day off great and end it in tranquility and harmony.

Where does 'True Happiness' Reside?

Within You. It really is that simple. Circumstances will throw you for a loop on occassion, but they can't change your core. When you are in harmony, in gratitude and in an actively upbeat state of being you learn to quiet those sneaky thoughts of lack before they creep in and lead you to despair.

Today's Challenge: Drop Kick 'Lack'!

There is truly nothing in this world that you lack. You have the inner resources to make tremendous change, not only to your world, but the world at large.

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 'I affirm today that I will only allow thoughts that bring me to happiness, there is NOTHING I lack!'

Spend some time each day enjoying focused breathing AND soul guided meditative visualization, in doing so, you can bring about 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:

@Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly - Today's Words of #Inspiration - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed

Today is a giveaway free day. Our holiday buying guide launches 11/15.

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Official Winner's Announcement - Dunkin Donuts Flavored Coffee Giveaway Winner!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - *'Mel4Him' is our Dunkin Donuts Flavored Coffee Giveaway Winner! We know you are going to stay warm while on the go this winter! :-)

Congratulations to our Lucky Winner!

The Energizer First Alert Smoke Alarm and two 9 Volt Batteries winner has been notified, look for an official winner's announcement on that giveaway as soon as the winner confirms!

Last Call for Entries!

1) Ends TODAY (11/08) @ 3pm Eastern Standard Time - 3 Baskets for 3 Winners Giveaway with 1800baskets.com! Enter HERE (That Cornucopia Basket filled to the brim with goodies, would be perfect on your Thanksgiving or Holidays table!)

2) Coming Soon: Don't forget the Holiday Buying Guide will be launching in November (11/15), and our Book Club returns too!

3) ROCK THE VOTE:

Please remember to vote for me daily in my NatureMade contest, it's super easy, one click, no registration, no captcha code, just press the word 'vote' here: http://www.sam-e.com/job/entries/645

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** We post our winner usernames instead of full names to protect privacy **

Sunday Moment of Gratitude and a Great Giveaway too!

Photo Reads: 'Beleive in Gratitude Big' Credit: @Bing

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.

This week, I am grateful for:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - An 'EventFUL' weekend! I told you I was on the field yesterday with an upcoming story for Ascending Butterfly, and I will do a full post during the week, but I just wanted to say my Saturday Night ended with dinner and fireworks under the stars in Central Park, it reminded me of all the reasons I do LOVE this city! And I prefer to think of what I am grateful for than worry about things I cannot change. (A big Thanks to our new friends Nissan Leaf, I promise to share more SOON) - Sending love to all the runners in Sunday's ING sponsored New York City Marathon!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Casa de Butterfly is truly starting to resemble Santa's Workshop, I am road testing a ton of incredible products and have an amazing Holidays Buying Guide in store for you! This month has made me feel like a kid at Christmas EVERY single day! Can't share more...not just yet! So keep checking, the guide launches soon and you won't want to miss a day once it does! ;-)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - For a major 'First' - My first YOGA class! I must admit since I stopped doing Martial Arts, I hadn't been working out as intensely as I used to, but this weekend I put my body through it's paces, and while I'm still a bit tired and sore, it did put me in a better frame of mind! Thanks Strala Yoga, you truly ROCK! Special thanks to our instructor Mike Taylor (who many of you know as husband to Nissan Master, Tara Stiles!), he is very patient with us Yoga NEWBS! :-)

What are you grateful for today? I'd love for you to write in and share what you are grateful for this week. The more you say it, the more you speak it, and the more you live in gratitude, the more you will find reasons to be grateful for, and the more reasons that the universe will send you to be grateful for. So join me on this journey of gratitude and inspiration. And you can post here daily (even though my list will be posted weekly).

I wasn't here yesterday and I have been working on closing out the Energizer contest and processing entries for the 1800baskets giveaway which closes tomorrow, so I got this email a bit late, but I wanted to make you aware of a sale that our friends at Satya Jewelry are having in honor of Daylight Savings Time this weekend, 15% off the Sun and Moon Collection, (I have this thing for Sun and Moons, long story, but I'm sending a wink to my friends in the know about why ;) - At Checkout, enter the code 'Daylight' - without the quotes of course! - Please post here if you buy anything, I'm sure Satya would love to know Ascending Butterfly sent you! 

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

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

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

Active Giveaways:

1) Ends 11/-08 - 3 Baskets for 3 Winners! Review and Giveaway with 1800Baskets.com! Enter HERE

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

Make this Your Best Day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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FTC Disclosure: This is not a compensated post nor is this a paid insertion. Nissan hosted a series of events in conjunction with the NYC Marathon in promotion of it's newest vehicle, the Nissan Leaf in conjunction with the Zocalo Group. We were not asked to post about these events nor were we compensated. We attended a series of events including the Health & Fitness Expo, A Yoga Session, a Dinner, and passes to the bleachers at the NYC Marathon as well as a Tshirt. Satya is a long time friend of our blog and we regularly post sales information of our former giveaway sponsors, we were not compensated to do so.

Happy Saturday +

 Photo Credit @ Funscrape 

Ascending Butterfly is on the field today in New York City, and will have a post about what I'm up to soon, so this will be our first 'wordless' Saturday!

Don't forget our Energizer First Alert Smoke Alarm and extra Batteries giveaway as a reminder to set your clocks back on Sunday! This one ends THIS Sunday at 3pm Eastern Standard Time! Enter to win HERE

We are also giving away three prizes from 1800baskets.com including a way cool Cornucopia Basket - perfect centerpiece for your holiday table. This one ends MONDAY at 3pm Eastern Standard Time! Enter to win HERE

And I forgot to say Happy Diwali yesterday for all of our Hindu Friends, hope you had a fantastic festival of lights! :)

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. . . Featuring Norah Jones CD Review

I am already in holidays mode, and 'Casa de Butterfly' which doubles as my office literally looks like Santa's Workshop. And yes, I know that's a good thing. While my heart is certainly filled with gratitude, being in 'Super ON' mode all the time, has taken its toll.

I've been in 'go, go, go' mode, attending events, juggling consulting work and writing and trying to get some major repairs done at home and get things ready for the holidays. It's been a bit stressful lately....to say the least.

For me, one of my favorite ways to de-stress has always been a long hot bath, accompanied by some mellow tunes. (OK, and maybe a relaxing beverage of some sort and my favorite lavendar scented bath products and candles!)

Our Friends at One2OneNetwork must have sensed my stress levels were on high this week, because one of the packages I opened in the mail included Norah Jones ...Featuring, the album will be in stores Tuesday, November 16th, and it arrived at just the right time! One of the songs on my 'Mellow' Playlist that I like to play while de-stressing in the tub is 'Come Away with Me' by Norah Jones, so she is already on heavy rotation in my iPod!

This album was recorded from 2001 to 2010. It features Duets and Collaborations, spanning a musical spectrum that truly does contain a little something for everyone! And incredibly timely there is even a holiday themed track with Norah and Willie Nelson, their take on 'Baby It's Cold Outside'.

I'd heard most of them, but there were a few surprises on this CD for me including 'Soon the New Day' with Talib Kweli and her duet with Q-Tip called 'Life is Better'.  Definitely pleasant surprises! On the duet with Q-Tip I honestly wouldn't have known it was her if I were hearing it on the radio. It had a really strong Erykah Badu vibe to it, and I honestly wonder if it was written with Erykah originally in mind. This track really showed a great range in Norah's voice and her 'vibe'. I love it when artists step out of the box, and stretch a bit.

One of my favorite tracks on this album has to be the first one, 'Love Me' her collaboration with The Little Willies, while I'd heard it, hearing it again, reminded me just how much I like it, and I've been singing along to it all week! (Don't you just love the repeat button?)

I like the idea of having the duets all in one place!

Interesting fact: Norah is the daughter of Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar and concert producer Sue Jones.

TRACK LISTING:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1. Love Me – The Little Willies

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 2. Virginia Moon – The Foo Fighters featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 3. Turn Them – Sean Bones featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 4. Baby It's Cold Outside – Willie Nelson featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 5. Bull Rider – Norah Jones and Sasha Dobson
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 6. Ruler Of My Heart – Dirty Dozen Brass Band featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 7. The Best Part – El Madmo
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 8. Take Off Your Cool – OutKast featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 9. Life Is Better – Q-Tip featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 10. Soon The New Day – Talib Kweli featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 11. Little Lou, Prophet Jack, Ugly John – Belle & Sebastian featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 12. Here We Go Again – Ray Charles featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 13. Loretta – Norah Jones featuring Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 14. Dear John – Ryan Adams featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 15. Creepin' In – Norah Jones featuring Dolly Parton
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 16. Court & Spark – Herbie Hancock featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 17. More Than This – Charlie Hunter featuring Norah Jones
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 18. Blue Bayou – Norah Jones featuring M. Ward

I usually tend to purchase singles on iTunes instead of the whole album (insuring I get the exact tracks I like best), but I can honestly say that I would have purchased this album and not been disappointed!

Can't get enough Norah?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Website: http://bit.ly/norahsite

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Facebook: http://on.fb.me/norahFB

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  YouTube: http://bit.ly/norahYT

 Want to Pre-order on Amazon? See Button Below

My apologies butterflies, I wasn't able to nab a copy for giveaway this time. But I can assure you our upcoming holiday buying guide, will be chock full of prezzies for you!

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FTC Disclosure Info: This review is my personal opinion and I am entered to win a gift card through One2One Network for participating.

Change Your Clock Change Your Battery - Energizer Smoke Alarm and Battery Giveaway

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Energizer! We look forward to working with you again! The winner has been notified and upon confirmation, follower name will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page Where it reads “Today’s Butterfly! Win Here’!

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I am very grateful that our dear friends at Energizer sent me a very important reminder, that Daylight-saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 7th! I will admit I had completely forgot about it, and probably would have freaked out Monday morning when I got up at the wrong time and cheated myself out of that sweet hour of extra sleep when we 'fall back'. (I still use the 'fall back' and the 'spring ahead' rhyme to remember which way I'm turning the clock, and sadly I can't even cite 'mommy brain' as an excuse!)

What will you be doing with that extra hour? More Sleep? Meditation Maybe?

Sunday, Nov. 7, also marks the 23rd anniversary of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program, created by Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), which reminds people to check and change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors during the fall time change. This message is simple, and the habit can be lifesaving. Forty percent of fatal fire injuries occur in homes without working smoke alarms, while 23 percent occur in homes in which at least one smoke alarm is present but fails to operate.*

Secondly, you can spend your extra hour spreading good in your neighborhood. More than 80 percent of local fire departments are staffed by volunteers. Energizer and the IAFC are encouraging people to use their extra hour volunteering to make a change in their community.

A few years ago there was a fire in our apartment complex and it was the quick thinking of a neighbor who made sure he banged on everyone's door after calling the fire department that helped to alert everyone. Unfortunately being on the upper floor, by the time I got downstairs the smoke was brutal, and a firefighter had to actually put me inside his jacket and help me out of the building which was already dark and extremely smoky!

 

I think to myself often that the whole nightmare evening could have been prevented if that apartment had a working smoke alarm.

 

The after effects of that night included all doors and locks having to be repaired, water and fire damage and countless other damage that was preventable!

 

So needless to say when I learned about this campaign, I felt it was incredibly important to remind readers that you really should use Daylight Savings as a reminder to change the batteries in your alarm and most importantly TEST it, make sure it is working properly. What you may think is a battery change, might be a need to replace it, so just don't change the batteries in the alarm without actually testing it!

 

Each year, Energizer donates 200,000 batteries to help local fire departments nationwide. This year everyone has the chance to help double the donations, up to 400,000 batteries. Visit the CYCCYB tab on the Energizer Bunny Facebook page, and pledge to change your smoke alarm batteries, share the life-saving Change Your Clock Change Your Battery message with others and create your family’s home escape plan so you have an exit plan in place. Each action will trigger a donation of batteries!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Energizer would like to provide 1 Ascending Butterfly Follower with (1) First Alert Smoke Alarm, along with a 2-pack of 9 volt Energizer Max batteries.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - HOW TO WIN: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and Mandatory Comment Entry: (2) Have you ever experienced  fire in your home? (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older. No PO Boxes.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Thursday, November 04, 2010 until Sunday, November 07, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

EXTRA CREDIT:

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

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Pls RT Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ #ascendingbutterfly First Alert Smoke Alarm and @energizerbunny batteries #Giveaway  http://tinyurl.com/2fxwzuk

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @EnergizerBunny on Twitter

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

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Energizer on Facebook (and remember to tell them 'Ascending Butterfly sent me) HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

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

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Ascending Butterfly needs your votes! I really want to be NatureMade's Good Mood Blogger, please rock the vote for me daily here (voting for me daily nets you daily extra credit, talk about quid pro quo! I thank you in advance for your support!):

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

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



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



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

*Statistics provided by the National Fire Prevention Association

Wordless Wednesday - Inner Sanctum

Photo Credit: @Nostalgic Radio

I just couldn't resist making this one a Wordless Wednesday, have you visited your inner sanctum lately? Is the door closed shut, partially open, or wide open? and most importantly WHY?

Active Giveaway!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ends 11/08 - 3 Baskets + 3 Winners! Review and Giveaway with 1800baskets.com! Enter HERE

Remember we are doing this one a bit different, just for fun we are opting to select one winner from our google followers, one winner from Facebook, and one winner from our Twitter Followers, so be sure you are following us in ALL three places, you never know which one will get you picked! See contest rules on the giveaway page in the link above.

Rock The Vote:

Please remember to vote for me daily in my NatureMade contest, it's a super easy, one click, no registration, no captcha code, just press the word vote here: http://www.sam-e.com/job/entries/645 (or you can hop over by pressing the big yellow button on the right hand side that reads 'the good mood gig2 Job Search'. And just to reiterate as some folks have asked me, this does NOT mean I'm leaving Ascending Butterfly! This would be structured in such a way that I could swing both roles with ease!

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Official Winner's Announcements PLUS . . .ROCK THE VOTE!

**We have two winners!**

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - *'racergirl1313' is our Satya Jewelry Breast Cancer Awareness Giveaway Winner, she will receive the Cherry Quartz 'Om' Bracelet (ARV $48) Congrats!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - *'Kimberly W' is our Plenty of Dresses Giveaway Winner, she will receive any item of her choice from Plenty of Dresses, (ARV is based on which item she chooses!) Congrats!

Congratulations to our lucky winners!

Ascending Butterfly would like to thank our friends at Satya Jewelry and at Plenty of Dresses for sponsoring such amazing giveaways! We hope to work with you again soon!

Active Giveaways! Hurry Enter NOW!

1) Ends 11/02 (Hurry this one ends at 3pm EST TODAY!) - Dunkin Donuts Flavored Coffee - Review and Giveaway! Enter HERE

2) Ends 11/08 - 3 Baskets for 3 Winners! Review and Giveaway with 1800baskets.com! Enter HERE

3) Coming Soon: Don't forget the Holiday Buying Guide will be launching in November (11/15), and our Book Club returns too!

ROCK THE VOTE:

Today is Election Day! It is very important you get out to the polls and vote today! And for women even more so, we had to fight very hard to get the right to vote, now that we have it, let's be sure to take full advantage by electing the candidates that will truly make changes that will benefit our families! Change is in YOUR hands today!

And while we are all in the voting spirit, please remember to vote for me daily in my NatureMade contest, it's a super easy, one click, no registration, no captcha code, just press the word vote here: http://www.sam-e.com/job/entries/645

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** We post our winner usernames instead of full names to protect privacy

Today's Words of Inspiration - Only 60 Days Left!

Photo Credit: @funscrape

Are You Ready?

Did you know that there are only 60 days left to the end of the year? We are slowly approaching a time of year that should signal slowing down, spending time with loved ones, yet many of us find ourselves even busier ever! There is always so much to be done, and it seems like the stores usher us straight from one holiday to the next with no pause in between.

How was your Halloween weekend? Did you dress up? (If you have a link to your pictures, please share them!) I hope you remembered to take a moment and enter our fun Halloween giveaway with 1800Baskets.com, if you didn't there is still time, Enter by clicking HERE!

Today's Challenge: Get Your Spirit Ready for this new season!

Remember to give yourself your some time to get your spirit ready for the new season ahead. You need to make your inner house just as ready as your physical house! I know many people cut back on 'me-time', on meditation, yoga, workouts or spiritual walks because of the extra demands of the season, increased work hours, extra shopping, do it yourself projects in the home, and then feel over-worked and over-wraught during the holidays. That frazzled feeling takes away from the fun!

So don't cut back on those things that do your heart and your emotional well-being so much good! It is during this season that you need those things more than ever!

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 'I affirm today that I will ready my inner house before my outer one to ready myself for an exciting new season ahead!'

"Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower." ~ Albert Camus

Spend some time each day enjoying focused breathing AND soul guided meditative visualization, in doing so, you can bring about 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!

Twitter ♥ : re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

@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

Active Giveaways! Hurry Enter NOW!

1) Ends 11/02 - Dunkin Donuts Flavored Coffee - Review and Giveaway! Enter HERE

2) Ends 11/08 - 3 Baskets for 3 Winners! Review and Giveaway with 1800baskets.com! Enter HERE

3) Coming Soon: Don't forget the Holiday Buying Guide will be launching in November (11/15), and our book club returns too!

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