Irene is coming! Are you Prepared?

After an Earthquake that still has most of us shaking (us East Coasters don't experience them as frequently as our friends on the West Coast), we are preparing this weekend for a Hurricane. Hurricane 'Irene' is on it's way!

I was shocked to hear on the news today that the 'City that NEVER Sleeps' is actually preparing for this Hurricane by SHUTTING DOWN.

As of Noon on Saturday, all mass transit including: Trains, Buses, Path Trains, Metro North and Long Island Railroad will shut down. I've lived in New York City my entire life, and to hear that the City is actually going to shut down is a very bizarre feeling. There was pandemonium in the Supermarkets with people pushing and shoving and the storm hasn't even arrived yet!

On the news I also saw that the Casinos are even shutting down, and if NYC Mass Transit shutting down entirely wasn't enough of a warning, that sure is!

I pray this storm veers off and no one is affected, but it doesn't hurt to prepare!  Check out the advice on Hurricane Preparedness from the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center.

I haven't even seen bigger disasters shut this City down! New Yorkers are a pretty tough bunch.

I just want to remind you all, that if you live in an area where evacuation is required, please do as advised and get yourself and family to safety!

Be Safe Butterflies!

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My blog is like the flowers in my social media garden -

And I water it with Conferences so it can grow up big and strong! I've not only attended, but managed, several internet industry conferences in the past 10 years, and before there were conferences geared specifically toward bloggers I was running conferences & trade shows, in a wide variety of industries including Finance and Internet, I would attend PC World and Mac World, I ran my own IRL group for the NYC chapter of the Association of Internet Professionals, at it's early stages the discoveries happening in wireless were sometimes out pacing the developments on many desktops. Despite having spent half a lifetime producing conferences myself, staffing busy exhibitor booths or enlisting the absolute cream of the crop in the industry as keynote speakers, I have somehow managed to NOT tire of conferences. I somehow feed off their frenetic and frantic pace.

From the moment we arrive at the airport and are in a sea of fellow conference attendees trying to get through to the gate so we can all just dump our bags and sit for a moment. Then begin light banter back and forth, about sessions and panels we absolutely can't miss, and what time we plan to meet for break and what exhibitor booth we want to check out during the break. It's a flurry of activities from begining to end. Since I started blogging, I've made it my vow to attend at least ONE blogging conference per year. Preferably a different one each time until I've tried them all. Last Year, I attended the Most well known blogging conference in the space, BlogHer. I greatly enjoyed it. So this year when the opportunity presented itself for me to attend the BlogWorld East New Media Conference and Expo, I jumped right on that as a Media Partner and hosted a Twitter Party to draw east coast bloggers to the event.

When it ended, I thought I was done for the summer in terms of conferences and would shift gears to Fashion Week.

I nearly forgot that there is another great conference coming SOON! It's Blogalicious Weekend 2011. A conference that much like BlogWorld earlier this summer, I haven't yet tried out before! And not just any conference, but one geared especially towards bloggers of color,  who want to push their blog and their brand as far as it can go. They are offering practical advice from the standpoint of bloggers who have been there and achieved 'THAT", yes I mean YOU and YOUR specific THAT. Whether your 'that' is learning more engaging writing to keep traffic flowing and steadily growing, or if your THAT is monetization then you can sit in on a panel that will teach you to turn your blog into a revenue stream!

I for one seek out ways to both inspire others and be inspired. Conferences always provide the opportunity to not only learn from the pros, but meet them, ask them questions that pertain to my particular situation and what their advice and suggestions would be. There are times when you learn more listening to the lunchtime break conversation of your fellow bloggers than what you learned in a session you sat it in and that's OK, that's what makes each experience so unique and so valuable. So make friends with fellow bloggers, and later in the day have a poolside mixer at the hotel  where you all can swap out the notes you took from each session and let the other person copy them who missed that session, and you copy notes from a session you missed, and share a bottle of wine and make it fun! or if it's a warm day, how about ice cream instead?

Are any of my Butterflies heading to Blogalicious Weekend this year? if you are, and you are driving up from NYC, please let me know! Would love to arrive with a Bloggie Buddy!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored Post. However it does put me in the running to win a full conference pass to Blogalicious Weekend courtesy of Latina Bloggers Connect. Should I be one of the four lucky winners selected. Writing about the conferences does NOT increase my odds. The winner will be selected at random.

Wordless Wednesday - #LatinaSmart Twitter Party TONIGHT!

As most of you already know, I'm affectionately called the official #TwitterPartyDJ on Twitter because I like to spin tunes during twitter parties to make them more fun!

Tonight I'm attending a special Twitter Party and this graphic above I designed in conjunction with an entry to become a new ambassador for Kmart's new Latina Smart Campaign! They are looking for 5 new brand ambassadors, and tonight's twitter party is to discuss the new iniative. So if you are Latina Smart and interested in becoming one of the 5 new Brand Ambassadors they are seeking, you should attend tonight's twitter party at 9pm EST, the hashtag to join in the fun is #LatinaSmart

Hope all my butterflies are having a wonderful Wordless Wednesday, hope to see you at the party!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored Post, nor does posting about the twitter party improve my odds. I think this is an amazing campaign and should be shared!

Todays Words of Inspiration - Limping Forward

 

Today's Quote:

Tailor your efforts to the continuity of God's plan for your life. If the items before you don't match the call inside, release them and move on!

Success is an intentional result of a focused effort. My prayer is that the many distractions around us will not deter the vision inside us....keep on walking or even limping forward! Any progress defies the defeat of decline!

A mighty victory is beyond these attacks! ~  Bishop T.D. Jakes

While I usually try to keep Ascending Butterfly as religiously 'neutral' as possible, I have many sources of inspiration. They come from thought leaders of various faiths, and when I use a quote here I always attribute it to the source of the quote. I am very much aware that many of us worship and praise in a different way. Some are Non-Denominational, some are Atheist. I am respectful of all here. But when something positive truly resonates with me, even if it's in the form of a prayer, I like to share it!

Last night Bishop T.D. Jakes posted this quote on Facebook, it truly resonated with me personally, and with many others. I let him know I run an inspirational Lifestyle Blog and I'd like to re-post it. I posted it to my personal page as well as Ascending Butterfly on Facebook, and it seemed to resonate with many people.

There are days when it seems impossible to move forward. In fact we all sometimes go through periods in our lives when weeks and even months and sometimes years pass and we find ourselves in the same place. That realization sometimes causes fear, resentment, sadness, bitterness and those feelings lead to despair and that despair can sometimes lessen our resolve as well as our Faith.

It's difficult at the end of a hard day to remember that the fact we had that new day in and of itself is the blessing.

Allow each new day to be something that just having it fills you with hope. At the end of the day, just the fact that you had a new day and got out of bed and tried to do something with it, is the victory! Whether you went as far in that day as you wanted to, is not as important as the fact that you got out of bed that day and TRIED.

By now I'm sure you are aware of the Earthquake in the US that measured 5.9 on the richter scale! For some it was no big deal, and for others it shook them to core. How did it affect you? Where were you when the Earthquake hit this afternoon?

Ultimately success is putting one foot in front of the other. Acknowledging that obstacles are only temporary setbacks that can be overcome. I agree with Bishop Jakes, even if all I could do is limp forward, then I'm going to do just that!

Today's Challenge: Move Forward. In whatever way that you measure progress. Line up what you want to achieve and break the goal down into steps. Today try to tackle just ONE thing from your list. Whether it's the biggest or the smallest.

Today's Breathing Affirmation: Close your eyes, take a deep, slow breath in through your nose, and affirm "I realize that my Success is an intentional result of my focused efforts."

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Active Giveaway:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - August Featured Handbag in the Spotlight - timi & leslie Hannah Handbag Giveaway! - Win the Hannah Bag in your choice of color!

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Remember that attitude determines altitude, go out there and make this your best day ever, bless and be blessed!

Have A Wonderful Day Butterflies!

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Third Annual SUBWAY® Baseball DeSIGNS Tour! - A way for you to give AND get, cool mom or dad (or Auntie/Uncle) points!

SUBWAY^® RESTAURANTS LAUNCHES THIRD ANNUAL ‘BASEBALL DESIGNS’ TOUR WITH NATIONAL LITTLE LEAGUE® BASEBALL APPRECIATION GAME

SUBWAY® restaurants, the world’s largest restaurant chain, today unveiled the third annual SUBWAY® Baseball DeSIGNS Tour with its first exhibit at the 2011 SUBWAY® National Little League® Baseball Appreciation Game at La Cienega Park in Los Angeles.

 SUBWAY® Baseball DeSIGNS: Apolo Ohno Signed Baseball

The SUBWAY® Baseball DeSIGNS Tour includes more than 40 baseballs designed by young artists and signed by celebrities and athletes including: musician Katy Perry, actor Zac Efron, rock band Maroon 5, gold medal-winning swimmer Michael Phelps, pro football’s Drew Brees, baseball star Ryan Howard, basketball Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin, NASCAR driver Carl Edwards, tennis superstars Serena and Venus Williams, celebrity chef, Robert Irvine and Jared Fogle (the “SUBWAY® guy”) among others. The Ball Pictured above was signed by Apolo Ohno! (Did you catch him when he was on Dancing with the Stars?).

While you are rarely going to find posts on Ascending Butterfly touting what dress, or accessory du jour is being sported by the it celeb of the moment, you will find them featured here when they are using their celebrity Klout to help someone in need! So thanks to Katy Perry, Zac Effron, Maroon 5, Michael Phelps, Drew Brees, Ryan Howard, Serena and Venus Williams, Robert Irvine, Jared Fogle, Apolo Ohno and others for taking time to do something so wonderful!

 SUBWAY® Baseball DeSIGNS: Selena Gomez Signed Baseball

The tour will visit four U.S. cities concluding with a final stop at the Little League® Baseball World Series (LLBWS) from Aug. 19-28, where the baseballs will then be auctioned off to the general public with all proceeds benefitting the Little League® Baseball Urban Initiative program which helps fund start-ups, developments, equipment, clinics and field maintenance for inner-city youth leagues and teams.

“The SUBWAY® Baseball DeSIGNS Tour and our national sponsorship of Little League® Baseball continue to provide an opportunity for SUBWAY® to support Little League® with a program that is unique and brings added awareness and exposure while giving back,” said Tony Pace SUBWAY® Franchisee Advertising Fund Chief Marketing Officer. “The level of creativity these young athletes and artists show in designing these baseballs is inspiring. We’re looking forward to kicking off the tour in Los Angeles and highlighting their talent across the country.”

“As the world’s leading youth sports organization for over 70 years, Little League® is focused on providing a community program that includes the opportunity to promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle through participation,” said Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League® Baseball and Softball. “SUBWAY® continues to reach out and embrace the focus of the Little League Urban Initiative and its benefits to Leagues. We’re looking forward to this summer-long event and its culmination in August at the Little League Baseball World Series”

Baseball legends and Famous Fans of SUBWAY® will participate in the tour’s various stops including Cy Young Award winner and ESPN baseball personality Orel Hershiser and former Los Angeles all-star outfielder Shawn Green, who will also serve as honorary coaches in the 2011 National Little League® Baseball Appreciation Game.

In addition to its introductory stop in Los Angeles and its final, 10-day stay in South Williamsport, Pa. at the Little League® Baseball World Series, the SUBWAY® Baseball DeSIGNS Tour will also visit Phoenix during baseball’s All-Star festivities in July and New York in early August.

For more information on the tour, please visit SubwayKids.com and the Official SUBWAY® Facebook page. Online auctions for the celebrity-autographed baseballs are now open to the public and will run through the Little League® Baseball World Series, which concludes Aug. 28th.

SUBWAY® Restaurants have proudly sponsored Little League® Baseball and Softball since 2005 as a way to encourage Little Leaguers and their families to live active lifestyles and eat healthy.

About Subway

For more information about the SUBWAY^® chain, visit www.SUBWAY®.com. Find us on Facebook: Facebook.com/SUBWAY®. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/SUBWAY®freshbuzz. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor's Associates Inc.

About Little League Baseball and Softball

Little League® Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest and most respected youth sports organization. With players in every U.S. state and more than 70 other countries, the program is led by more than 1 million adult volunteers. It serves children ages 5 through 18, including physically and mentally disabled children (Challenger Division) and children in urban areas (Little League Urban Initiative). Little League Baseball, an international, educational, nonprofit organization is designed to install leadership qualities in boys and girls, ages 5-18. Under the direction of principled adult volunteers, the program utilizes the games of baseball and softball as vehicles to teach children the fundamental skills of the games, and the values of teamwork, fair play, respect for authority and the desire to excel.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no better way to wield your spending power than by shopping with a company that gives back, especially a company that is giving back to children in such a meaningful and impactful way. Let's keep sports (and art!) available to our young people. Sports teaches discipline and art expands young minds. Both are equally important to their development! So be sure to visit the Auction and pick up a signed ball! It would make an awesome present for that young person in your life, and it will be a gift that also keeps on giving to such an important organization such as Little League® Baseball and Softball

Ascending Butterflies always live well, because they give well! Share this with your friends, and ask them to share the word too! 

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FTC Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Post in conjunction with Subway and Mom Bloggers Club to help spread the word about an annual fundraising charitable iniative sponsored by Subway that benefits Little League. While a small incentive is being issued for my participation, I do feel It is important to support organizations that give back, especially to children and young people!

Weekly Moment of Gratitude!

This week, I am grateful for:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fun at a recent Style School event in New York City! Yesterday I attended the first annual Style School event hosted by @WhitneyMWS, @classymommy, @AudreyMcClellan, and @VeraSweeney and they had an amazing line up of sponsors and brands that wanted to connect with bloggers, many of the brands were hosting raffles and I won one! I won a 2gb iPod Shuffle from @77Kids - It affirmed what I've always felt about blogging from the start, it's business but it's very much a pleasure too! It was great connecting with so many wonderful fellow bloggers (many who traveled in to New York City on a very humid day for this event!) and great brands.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - For finally nabbing mega swagbucks during mega swagbucks Friday! If you are not already a swagbucks member you should definitely consider joining. I'm saving my digital dollars (ie 'swagbucks') to trade them in for $100 paypal!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - For great customer service! I've already thanked the companies directly, so I won't say too much here, but sometimes customer service really goes above and beyond to make customers feel valued and appreciated, and I'm very grateful for the wonderful customer service that I received this week!

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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).

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

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Active Giveaway

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - August Featured Handbag in the Spotlight - timi & leslie Hannah Handbag Giveaway! - Win the Hannah Bag in your choice of color!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - We are processing entries for the ZIPZ giveaway and will notify winners soon!

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

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

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Pick Your Prize:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Just a reminder that the great folks at Homedics are giving Ascending Butterfly readers the chance to pick what they'd like to see featured AND what they'd like to win! Visit this post to check out what you can select from and leave your choice there as well!

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FTC Disclosure: Journal Recommendation uses an Amazon Affiliate Link. Swagbucks uses a referral link.

Have I got a 'shoportunity' for YOU

Did you know there were 3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions last year?

Are you an athlete? Do you know one? Love one? Are you raising a future or aspiring athlete? If so, there are ways you can help Dick’s Sporting Goods fund concussion testing!

Ways to help: From August 2 to September 12, Dick’s Sporting Goods will donate $1 every time you:

1) Share about the PACE campaign with your friends and Dick’s will donate a $1 to PACE - Like them on Facebook or tweet using  #DSGPACE (you should also be following them on Twitter too @DICKS)

2) Buy athletic shoes in store or online by September 12, and Dick's Sporting Goods will donate a $1 to PACE

3) Use Facebook Places or Foursquare to check in at Dick’s Sporting Goods stores

ABOUT PACE

PACE (Protecting Athletes through Concussion Education), is the nation’s largest baseline concussion screening initiative.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Give schools nationwide access to free educational materials about concussions

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Supply up to 3,335 schools with ImPACT Test Packages (each provides baseline tests for up to 300 athletes)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Aim to screen one million young athletes

Check out Jerome Bettis getting the word out on PACE:

Dick's Sporting Goods has teamed up with ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing), the first, most-widely used and most scientifically validated computerized concussion evaluation system. Eligible schools that are new to the ImPACT program will receive its software free (a $500 value) to test young athletes for one year.

ImPACT is an invaluable tool for neuropsychologists, certified athletic trainers and other licensed healthcare professionals to assist them in determining an athlete’s ability to return to play after suffering a concussion.

I personally witnessed an athlete head injury during a game back in College, and I'm thinking how helpful this would have been then!

Many of us are already shopping for athletic shoes for Back to School, why not purchase them at Dicks Sporting Goods? This way by doing something you were going to do anyway, you can help schools get much needed equipment and support young athletes! Perhaps even your own childs school could benefit by doing something so simple, shopping with a conscious. Making an active decision to have your dollars count for something! By the way if you are ordering online Dick's Sporting Goods is offering Free Shipping in a Back to School promo that includes Footwear, Backpacks and Athletic Apparel! (You're Welcome!)

Remember to use your shopping dollars wisely, and shop corporations with a conscience!

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FTC Disclosure: I was given a free product or sample because I'm a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company. I am a member of @Klout Perks Program, while this is not a sponsored post, I have received an @Klout Perk in conjunction with this campaign. I am a blog with integrity blogger and this post poses no conflict of interest. I really do believe it's important to support corporations with a conscience!

Are you ready for Fright Night 3D?

@2011 Touchstone Pictures

One of my guilty pleasures since childhood has been horror movies. I got into major trouble trying to watch The Excorcist when it first came on TV. My mom forbid me to see it (not just in the theaters, but when it came on TV too as I was way too young), and the night it came on she stayed up to watch it and I snuck into the hallway where I could see the TV and tried to watch it from my sneaky vantage point, but got caught during a commercial when mom went for a bathroom break!

In Junior High School I would sometimes slip Fangoria Magazines into my textbooks! What can I say? When it came to horror movies I was a little rebel! :)

It's my favorite movie genre and as a result, I'm probably a bit more critical than most about horror movies. That coupled with my fascination for all things Vampire makes me the worst girl ever to take to a horror movie. I am never going to be that girl. You know, the one who gets all scared at the horror movie so her date could be all protective and wrap his arms around her. I was never that girl and I'm still not!

Last night I attended a late night special 3D screening of Fright Night, and here I am at a pretty ungodly hour still awake because I still can't resist horror movies! I remember seeing the first Fright Night in theaters when I was in High School, and seeing Fright Night 3D last night, made me feel like a teenager again! Not because they are similar, in actuality they are and they aren't, but somehow I just felt transported and started remembering the original Fright Night, and other horror movies that I watched back in my High School Days like The Lost Boys, Nightmare on Elm Street (part I, the rest just don't count, and yes I have seen them all), and thought back on my high school bedroom, while friends had posters of the Teen Beat hotties of the week, mine was primarily horror movie posters!

The original Fright Night released in 1985, starring Chris Sarandon as sinister next door neighbor, Jerry Dandrige, turned out to be a surprise hit at the box office, making $6,118,543 on opening weekend. It was also the second highest-grossing horror film of 1985, bested only (surprisingly enough) by A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge.

In this remake of the 1985 original, teenager Charley Brewster (played by Anton Yelchin, who if you are a cable tv series fan, might remember him as 'Bird' on the show 'Huff') guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (played by Colin Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows believes him, he enlists Peter Vincent (played by David Tennant, he is awesome, a total scene stealer, the role was played by Roddy McDowal in the original), a self proclaimed vampire killer and Las Vegas magician, to help him take down Jerry.

I have to be honest with you, I set out to hate it for many reasons, including:

(1) The original was so well cast
(2) I usually HATE remakes
(3) I always figure 3D means it will totally rely on special effects
and lastly (4) I'm a total horror movie genre lover, but as a result I'm also a horror movie snob (yes I said it!)

So now I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised because:

(1) They kept the character names (ok, that may be lame to some, but I liked that fact)

(2) Chris Sarandon makes a cameo (no spoilers here so I won't tell you about the scene, but he's in it!)

(3) I decided I wanted to hate whoever was playing Roddy McDowal's role in this remake, and I couldn't! David Tennant is so good in the role, I found myself rooting for him despite myself!

(4) Vegas was an interesting backdrop to the action this time around, I didn't see that coming.

Is this one going to do as well as the original? That remains to be seen. It did sometimes rely a bit on the 3D. Sorry for the corny line but sometimes the 3D was used as an emphasis point, to make something 'pop' out at you. (yes I warned you it would be corny, but there was no other way to say it).

David Tennant portraying Peter Vincent, Fright Night

Anton Yelchin did a great job bringing that certain innocence of youth to the role, which is not easy to do, especially for a version being geared to the youth of today. And David Tennant as Peter Vincent was absolutely well cast. When he first appears on the screen my original thought was 'oh no, is he spoofing Criss Angel?' then I thought 'he's no Roddy' but he turned me around really quickly, he really did do a great job in this role, and him and Sandra Vergara (yes, Sofia Vergara's sister) who plays his girlfriend 'Ginger' are both real scene stealers in the movie. They provide the right comic relief and levity.

Colin Farrell however is another story, he provided comic relief, but I'm not sure that he was always supposed to be doing so. He turned out to be my unpleasant surprise of the movie, his performance is a bit one dimensional, so I'm thinking it's a good thing there was some 3D. I'm not a big Twilight film lover but to date I honestly thought Robert Pattinson was the worst ever film vampire, but now I'm thinking it's Colin Farrell (he's definitely a fail as a Vamp and no flames here Twilight lovers, Vampires should not have 'twinkling' skin!!!). I'm also not a huge Toni Collette fan, so I wasn't super thrilled to see her cast as the mom, but she's 'dealable'.

Check out the Official Trailer for a Teaser:

After seeing this movie, I'm still not convinced that the original really needed to be re-made, but in all fairness, it really wasn't AS bad as I thought, or as bad as some of the early reviews made it seem. If you are a die-hard fan of the original Fright Night, you may not be thrilled with the re-make, but if you go into it with an open mind, you can get some good laughs. And if you never saw the original and are just taking this one at face value, you'll probably enjoy it!

So Butterflies, Are you ready for Fright Night 3D?

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. No monetary compensation has been received. I attended a NYC Press Screening of Fright Night. I am under no obligation to post. However, I am truly a horror movie buff! :-)

Wordless Wednesday - Meeting Cooking Mama!

I thought I'd make my Wordless Wednesday a picture of me meeting Cooking Mama at Majesco Entertainment's Holiday 2011 Preview Event! And yes Butterflies, this does mean some fun gaming surprises are coming your way!

Special Thanks to Patty @ADayinMyNYC who snapped this shot! I personally think Patty should go 'pro' and become a professional photographer, check out her awesome blog!

Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. I attended a Holiday 2011 Preview Event hosted by Majesco Entertainment and am under no obligation to post about it. I just happen to think I take adorable photos with mascots! ;)

Today's Words of Inspiration - Are you seeking happiness in the distance?



Today's Quote:

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet. ~James Openheim

To some degree we are always seeking happiness in the distance. Every day that you actively work to pursue a goal or a dream you are actively pursuing your idea of happiness. Be it personal or professional fulfillment, love or friendship, happiness means different things to different people and even different things to the same person at different points in their lives.

But when we don't take the time to 'smell the roses' and be grateful for what we do have, we won't feel fulfilled with that happiness in the distance either.

Are you so busy seeking happiness in the distance, that the small pockets of daily happiness are eluding you?

Today's Challenge: List three moments of happiness you experienced TODAY

Today's Breathing Affirmation: Close your eyes, take a deep, slow breath in through your nose, and affirm "I am happy in the now."

Active Giveaways:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 2 cool 4 School Back to School Giveaway with ZIPZ Shoes! 2 Winners! Ends 08/19 - You have the chance to select your choice of style (Hi-Top, Low-Top, Slip On etc) and design in the size of your choice as well. You can opt to pick a pair for yourself, or select from a youth/child, toddler or teen shoe and give them to your back to schooler! The choice is YOURS!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - August Featured Handbag in the Spotlight - timi & leslie Hannah Handbag Giveaway! - Win the Hannah Bag in your choice of color!


Remember that attitude determines altitude, go out there and make this your best day ever, bless and be blessed!

Have A Wonderful Day Butterflies!

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Summer Skin and Eye Care On The Go with @Sephora!

By now I'm sure that there are very few of you left that has been able to avoid the against your will 'product dump'. That's when you bring your favorite, must have at ALL times beauty or skincare product with you and the fine folks at the airport either 'confiscate' it, or literally dump it in a big bin right before your eyes!

Not even celebrities have been immune to this outrage, and several famous comedians have even included this horror into standup, garnering big laughs because we all can relate.

And whether your must have is a $10 drugstore beauty item or a $1,000 face cream, the pain is the same when the item is taken from you (and in some cases, ripped from your clutches as you scream 'YOUR DAY WILL COME!!!') ;)

So how do you bring your favorites along with you and get them past the ever watchful eyes of the TSA? Samples of course. Yes that right sample sizes in CLEAR see through TSA regulation cosmetic kit cases!

I know what you are thinking right now, but Ascending Butterfly, what if your local cosmetic counter won't give you any samples, or (*cough*) has run out of them?

Have no fear my butterflies, Sephora is here. They have found a great way to allow you to bring your favorite beauty must haves with you and not even raise a suspicious eye brow from the always vigilant scanner, it's called 'Sephora Favorites'.

In The Glow

Sephora Favorites In The Glow, $35 (retail value $110)

Illuminate your complexion with seven of Sephora’s top-selling radiance boosters! The Sephora Favorites In The Glow kit includes a selection of exfoliators, luminizers and a bronzing cream that will give skin a healthy, glowing finish, including:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Tarte Smooth Operator™ Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Clarins Delicious Self-Tanning Cream
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Kate Sommerville® ExfoliKate®
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Boscia Luminizing Black Mask
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation SPF 30
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Ole Henriksen Truth Serum™
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Josie Maran Argan Oil

My Take:

I love this kit, the only thing I didn't try myself was the Self-Tanning Cream as I'm melanin blessed with a lovely golden glow I was born with. But I did share this one with a 'pale' friend who raved about it. Which didn't surprise me as I use a few Clarins products already myself. Some of the kit I was already familiar with like Tarte's Smooth Operator (LOVE IT) and ExfoliKate by Kate Sommerville (LOVE IT! ExfoliKate is actually my favorite product in Kate's line), and got to discover some new faves which is always fun, like Josie Maran's Argan Oil (I reached out to them a long time ago, but never heard back), so I'm glad I finally got to try it, I never really got why everyone was raving so much about Argan Oil, until I tried for myself! I also like the Perricone No Foundation Foundation and the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum (which my skin really seemed to drink in the day I used it!). These products are best-sellers with good reason. My personal suggestion is to buy 2 kits, one for your luggage, and one for your 'desk kit' at work.

Sephora Favorites All Eye Need, $35

Sephora Favorites All Eye Need, $35 (retail value $164)

They say eyes are the windows to the soul so let yours shine with the Sephora Favorites All Eye Need set. This eight-piece kit includes treatment products to cleanse and revitalize delicate skin and liners and mascaras to define the eyes and enhance lashes.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ –Sephora Collection Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ –Fusion Beauty Lash Fusion XL™ Micro-Technology™ Instant Lash Volumizer

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ –Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift™ Eye Gel

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ –Tarte MultiplEYE Clinically-Proven Lash Enhancing Primer

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ –Sephora Collection Nano Eyeliner in Midnight Black

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ –Peter Thomas Roth Lashes To Die For™ Platinum

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ –Murad Eye Lift Illuminator

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ –Philosophy Eye Hope™ Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Cream

My Take:

Surprisingly except for Tarte's Primer, most of these were new to me, so I really enjoyed testing this kit out! The big standout for me was the Philosophy Eye Hope which I had not tried before this. Definite re-buy. I also love the Sephora Collection Nano Eyeliner in Midnight Black, somehow it doesn't matter how many great colors I try in eyeliners, I always go back to Black. I also liked the Ole Henriksen Eye Gel and Peter Thomas Roth Lashes To Die For Platinum. I also liked the Fusion Beauty Lash Fusion XL™ Micro-Technology™ Instant Lash Volumizer as I have never tried an eyelash curler in my life. Something about those things scare me, they seem like a vice for eyelashes and I always think they are going to pull your lashes out at the roots! What I love about this kit, is that I don't have to neglect my eyes while I'm away. I can put on my eye cream at night while I'm sleeping and let it work it's magic. I'd also recommend buying 2 kits for yourself, one for your luggage, one for your desk at work. And I'd personally recommend both kits as great stocking stuffers! It's never too early to knock out your holiday shopping.

These are two of a variety of great boxed kits that Sephora sells calls 'Sephora Favorites', they are value sets that combine a variety of Sephora Favorites and are a beauty addict's dream come true. Each limited-edition set features deluxe samples of Beauty Editor's latest fixations—all for $40 or less!—and the options are endless. So, whether you're looking to go green, score smudge-proof eyes, hydrate head to toe, or spritz yourself pretty, there's a perfect box for you! The hard part? Deciding which one to test drive first.

And while I'm sure most of you already have it bookmarked by now, you can keep up with all things Sephora on Twitter and Facebook as well!

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FTC Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This is not a paid post. No monetary compensation has been received. I was sent both kits for editorial consideration.