Winner Announcement! - ZIPZ winners!

We have 2 WINNERS!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - '1955nurse' and 'Danelle Johnson' are our ZIPZ shoes winners, congrats and enjoy your new sneakers! Hope you'll share a picture wearing your new kicks!

Today and most of the week, I have tons of events in conjunction with Fashion Night Out, so you'll see shorter posts, but hopefully more frequent! (There will be a slight delay with entries appearing for the giveaways, but no worries your entries are coming through, we just moderate all entries before they appear on the site! I can see a lot of you were busy entering for the shoes last night!)

Our Zippity Doo's Winner will be notified by tomorrow and posted shortly!

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**We post winner site user/member names for privacy (except of course if their real name is their username!)**

{CLOSED} Step into Fall With Earthies Talera Shoes - Review and Giveaway! Ends 09/18

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Earthies Footwear! We look forward to working with you again! The winner is Vicki S. - Congrats! Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

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With the countdown clock ticking and Fashion Night Out rapidly approaching, most of us are thinking Fashion and Beauty, and here in New York City I'm prepping for a full week of event hopping, Spring 2012 Fashion Shows and unfortunately rainy weather.

Despite the gloomy weather, I will have a pep in my step and that's thanks to Earthies Footwear! I am 'stepping into Fall' in style this season in a Fashion Forward Pump that's as trendy as it is comfortable. I have to start by admitting that 'Talera' is a bit higher than my normal pump, so the height took getting used to but these sleek, classic pumps are so me, leather, minimalist and yes black!

I had to 'borrow' this quote from Talera's page, because honestly I couldn't have said it better myself:

Unerring sophistication. Indisputable elegance. Meet the Talera, a silhouette of exquisite character, defined by its tailored lines and contours that mask a uniquely functional wellness footbed. If it is in fact possible to live well without needing to flaunt it, the Talera proves it so. 

About The Talera:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - A cupped heel that sets the foot into a proper supported position unlike ordinary high heels which leave the heel unsupported and create forward slip

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - An anatomic arch that increases touchpoints in the transition area from the heel to the forefoot unlike many ordinary high heels without arch contour that force weight-bearing onto the underside of the toes

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - A cradle toe area with a gentle curl to evenly distribute weight away from the toes unlike many ordinary high heels that create foot

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Platform Height:  0.18”, Heel Height: 3.39”, MSRP: $169.00 (USD)

These heels pair perfectly with suits, slacks, denim, dresses, I can't think of one outfit that they wouldn't pair with. These are that classic black shoe that you must have in your wardrobe, they are the shoe equivalent of the little black dress.

For the next few weeks we will feature a different style shoe from Earthies/Kalso Footwear, a heel (The Talera Shoe), a flat (TBA), a bootie (TBA), and boots (TBA) and you have the chance to nab each pair reviewed!

My Take:

This is my second pair of Earthies and much like the first time around I needed to size up, with this pair I had to size up a whole size (with the last pair I sized up a half size). I found that the thicker heel offers better stability and much like my Earthies Verias (you can check out my review for the Verias HERE), the Talera is proof that the word comfort and heels really can go together! While sizing up may or may not be necessary for you, you will find you can't go wrong with the Talera. It's offered in Black, Mahogany (a rich, deep chocolate color), and Merlot, and much like with my Verias experience, I definitely want this one in more than one color.

You didn't think I'd forget about you right? Who loves you butterfly?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Earthies have a very special surprise for 1 lucky winner! 1 winner will win 'The Talera' Shoe in their choice of color!

Don't you just ♥ Earthies? I know I do!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2)MANDATORY entry- Visit Earthies and then Link us to any other pair in the collection you like other than The Talera Shoe! (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older. No PO Boxes. One entry per Household, see Ascending Butterfly Giveaway Rules and Disclosure Policy HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Tuesday, September 06, 2011 until Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

EXTRA CREDIT:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 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 Fall Fun share with us the outfit you'd pair these shoes with!

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

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @earthiesusa on Twitter

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Pls RT Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ @Ascending1 and @earthiesusa The Talera #shoe #Giveaway! Ends 09/18! http://tinyurl.com/3eg9lxk

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

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

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Earthies and tell them Ascending Butterfly Sent You on Facebook HERE - You should also share which pair is your favorite, I'm sure they'd LOVE to know! (Please post the link to your facebook comment, you can get that link the same way you get your link to your tweets!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

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

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

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

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

Oikos Greek Yogurt Review and Recipe too!

I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls on behalf of Dannon. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program but my opinions are my own.

For more information and recipe ideas, visit www.oikosyogurt.com or www.Facebook.com/oikos  I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I didn't grow up eating Yogurt, and as a result hadn't really developed a taste for it. That was until BlogHer 2010 last year where I tried one that I really liked, and after that it created a monster! Earlier this  year I had the opportunity to attend a cooking class at the International Culinary Council in New York City where I learned to incorporate Yogurt into my favorite recipes, substituting more fattening items from the recipes with Yogurt instead. (You can read more about that experience HERE and you can also read the recipes I've posted under the 'healthify your summer with Fage' summer series).

Because I'm a bit of a 'late comer' to the joys of Yogurt, I find myself always trying new ones when I see them at the Supermarket. Especially now that I've begun incorporating them into recipes, I like trying out different yogurt brands in the same recipes to figure out which ones work best in which recipes.

I have lost 26 pounds so far this year by making small lifestyle changes including recipe substitutions. I've actually always been pretty good about NOT skipping breakfast before running out the door, but I have also included more Yogurt in the morning instead of those popular fast food egg, ham, and cheese biscuits and have noticed that I have more energy through the mornings with a much healthier and better for me way to get my protein!

I had a chance to try Stonyfield yogurt earlier this year when I took a Zumba Fitness Class with Degree for women and really liked it, so when I was recently was offered the opportunity to try out Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt I jumped at the chance. But was a bit disappointed that John Stamos was not hand delivering it! (I think it would have tasted better if he delivered it to me directly! wink, wink) I thought I'd try using it in a recipe and was delighted to find a recipe for Tandoori Chicken under their Dannon Smart Swap Recipes page.

Tandoori Chicken Recipe:

Ingredients

• 16 chicken tenderloins
• 6 dried red chilis
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 4 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
• Juice of 4 limes
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground clove
• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cups Stonyfield® Oikos® Greek Plain Yogurt
• 2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Make 2-3 slashes in chicken pieces and place in a nonmetallic dish. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, mix the red chilies, salt, pepper, lime juice, garlic, ginger, clove and chili powder.
3. Transfer to a small skillet and heat over low heat until aromatic.
4. Add the onion and cook over low heat. Stir in the yogurt and remove skillet from heat.
5. Pour the mixture over the chicken.
6. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or over night.
7. Arrange the chicken on a broiler tray and cook under a preheated broiler or over a barbecue for 20 to 30 minutes, turning just once.
8. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Yields: 8 Servings

I forgot to snap a picture of this when it was done, although I may not have had a chance even if I had remembered because as soon as this came out the oven, everyone congregated in the kitchen quicker than ever! There was NONE of this left over!

And if the recipe above didn't sell  you, then I'm sure this will:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Dannon® Oikos® Plain and Fruit on the Bottom contains 0% fat, while the Dannon® Oikos® traditional blended varieties contains about 3% fat. Both are an excellent source of protein, twice that of most regular lowfat yogurts.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Dannon® Oikos® 0% varieties contain active yogurt cultures and range from 80 calories (Plain) to 130 calories (Fruit on the Bottom) per 5.3 oz. cup.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ- Oikos is proud to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and by liking their page on Facebook they will donate funds for every like, they also offer other ways to help once you get there. You know how much Ascending Butterfly loves brands that give back!

I tried out the plain Dannon Oikos in the Tandoori Chicken recipe above and purchased the Key Lime flavor as well to try out the 'Greek Key Lime Pie Cake' recipe, but I haven't had a chance to make it yet, I will let you know how it comes out when I make it later in the week!

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FTC Disclosure: I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls on behalf of Dannon. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program but my opinions are my own. And I really have lost 26 pounds via lifestyle changes this year!

Happy Labor Day Weekend Butterflies!

Today I spent a wonderful Friday visiting Times Square in New York City and enjoying the Discovery Times Square Women of Pompeii Exhibit with my Mom and my Aunt, followed by lunch which was followed by Juniors Cheesecake, my labor day weekend is off to a great start, and I'm wishing you a weekend filled with great memories as well! (If you haven't seen the exhibit, this is the LAST weekend to do so, and because it's the last wekend, they are offering extended hours! Don't miss it, especially if you are not traveling and you are staying in the city, and if you are here visiting, you should definitely check it out!)

What are your plans for the labor day weekend?

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This is the FINAL Weekend! Go See: POMPEII THE EXHIBIT

Being born and raised in New York City can make you a bit of a museum snob, and I'll admit to not being very easily impressed. Most museums have had to up their game to compete for the attentions of busy New Yorkers in an economy still very much in flux. In the city of 'pop-up restaurants', there are even 'pop-up museums'.

When Bodies The Exhibition hit NYC I was eager to see it, and it lived up to my expectations and then some. (As many of you might remember, I was pre-med, an aspiring cardiologist, and the show is truly a must see for any aspiring Doctor), this year I am catching Pompeii The Exhibit, and I'm urging you to do the same!

About Pompeii The Exhibit: Life and Death in the Shadow of Vesuvius

Experience Pompeii before and after the epic eruption 2,000 years ago. Imagine the moment their world vanished and discover the miraculous artifacts unearthed since. Witness the life and death of those frozen in time by ash.

• Over 250 artifacts - includes some never-before-seen objects and the largest collection of body casts ever on display including a dramatic skeleton collection (OK so perhaps me being a horror movie buff helps here, but I never tire of skeletons, are you thinking Halloween right now? I am!I'm thinking this should have ran until Halloween!)

• Exhibit highlights include a collection of body casts (human impressions created from cavities found in the volcanic matter) and several hundred unearthed artifacts– all of which capture the essence of daily life in Pompeii, from gold coins, jewelry and home furniture to everyday utensils, burial urns and gladiator armor, as well as a perfectly preserved loaf of bread. In addition, the exhibit features Pompeian frescos that survived the epic explosion. (I'm a bit intrigued by this well preserved loaf of bread, bagels sometimes go moldy in my Fridge BEFORE their expiration date!)

• A brand-new, immersive movie experience depicting a timelapsed representation starting from the moment of Vesuvius' massive explosion

DiscoveryTimes Square (226 West 44th Street) is open seven days a week. Last tickets are sold 90 minutes prior to closing. For individual tickets and venue hours, visit www.DiscoveryTS.com, call 866.9.TSXNYC (212-987-9692) or visit the Discovery Times Square box office. Tickets are available for $19.50 (child 4-12), $26.00 (adult) and $23.50 (senior = 65). Special savings for groups of 15 or more with advanced reservations.

Extended Hours:

September 2nd - September 4th: 9 am – midnight
September 5th: 9 am – 8 pm

ABOUT DISCOVERY TIMES SQUARE

DiscoveryTimes Square (DTS) is New York City’s first large-scale exhibition center presenting visitors with limited-run, educational and immersive exhibit experiences while exploring the world’s defining cultures, art, history and events. More than a museum, DTS has featured a renowned line-up of exhibitions including Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Leonardo Da Vinci’sWorkshop and King Tut: Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs.

ABOUT RUNNING SUBWAY PRODUCTIONS

Running Subway Productions is a New York-based production company that conceptualizes, produces, markets and manages iconic entertainment properties. Founded in 2005, Running Subway has staged a multitude of theatrical shows and museum exhibits successfully combining traditional entertainment with innovative technology.

Have you seen this exhibit yet? If so, please share what impressed you most!

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FTC Disclosure Info: This is not a sponsored post. No monetary compensation has been received for sharing this information with my readers. I have been provided passes to see the exhibit.

Wordless Wednesday - Something Special is Blooming!

All I can say about this picture is: SPECIAL DOUBLE PROMOTION BLOOMING SOON! (and it's truly going to blow you away!)

 

Hope all my butterflies are having a wonderful Wordless Wednesday!

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{CLOSED} Zippity Doos children's daily use hair care products review and giveaway!

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Zippity Doo’s™! We look forward to working with you again! The winner is 'Jammie' - CONGRATS! Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

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Ascending Butterfly's 2 Cool 4 School Giveaway brought to you by:

When I was in elementary school we had mandatory school wide lice checks every semester without fail, which I absolutely hated! Thankfully I never caught head lice, and didn't know anyone who had it either. And the idea that the bugs or anything creepy crawly could possibly get in my hair grossed me out even then! Not to mention I had super long hair back then, way past my waist, and head lice would have been a guaranteed un-wanted haircut!

Here in NYC where bed bugs are becoming a pandemic, I worry about my niece, who much like me when I was her age, has very long hair, so I enlisted her help to facilitate this review!

About Zippity Doo’s™:

Benefits:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Mild and safe enough to use daily

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Natural, gentle prevention instead of harsh treatments

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  Laboratory Tested

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  Paraben Free

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  SLS Free

Use Zippity Doo’s™ :

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Bath Time: Zippity Doo’s™Shampoo and Zippity Doo’s™ Conditioner as first line of defense against lice and other insects.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Every Morning: Zippity Doo’s™ Leave-In Detangler or Zippity Doo’s™ Styling Gel for an added and fresh layer of lice prevention before the kids head off to school or camp.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Daily/As Needed: Apply Zippity Doo’s™ Shield Spray on all surfaces, including hats, helmets, backpacks, pillows, bedding, toys, combs, clips, berets and other items and hair accessories that may harbor lice, nits and other insects.

My niece visited their Facebook Page after trying the products and thought it was super cool that Melanie B from the Spice Girls uses Zippity Doos in her house too! She found the smell of the shampoo a bit strong (I smelled it in the bottle before she used it, and I think she is picking up on the Tea Tree Oil) but liked the smell of the conditioner (which makes sense because the conditioner contains lavendar). Thankfully she has never had lice, and now with this prevention regimen from Zippity Doos I'm sure she never will! She also wanted you all to know that her big brother stole the hair gel! :)

My Take

I didn't personally use them, I let my niece take the entire set, she really liked it, and I'm thinking my nephew nabbing the hair gel is a good sign, he usually doesn't want to try anything with the word  'children' on it!

I did find the shampoo to have a bit of a 'medicinal' smell, but it really does dissapate quickly and if you use the conditioner right afterwards, the lavendar in the conditioner cuts the tea tree oil smell well. Tea Tree Oil is actually very good for the scalp, and is also used often in products for thinning hair as well. My sister and I both love that these products provide health benefits to the hair and scalp while helping prevent lice infestation! And the fact that they are Pediatrician Approved as well is definitely a good thing!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Zippity Doo’s™  have a very special surprise for 1 lucky winner! 1 winner will receive a prevention regimen from Zippity Doo’s™!

Don't you just ♥ Zippity Doo’s™? I know I do!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2)MANDATORY- Answer: What lucky child is this going to? Are you trying to win for your daughter, son, niece, nephew or grandchild? (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 who are 18 years of age or older. No PO Boxes. One entry per Household, see Ascending Butterfly Giveaway Rules and Disclosure Policy HERE.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Tuesday, August 30, 2011 until Tuesday, September 06, 2011 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

EXTRA CREDIT:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Are you on Blog Lovin? Well so is Ascending Butterfly! Follow us on Blog Lovin for an extra credity entry!

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

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

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @zippitydooshair on Twitter

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @Ascending1 on Twitter

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ #Win @Ascending1 + @zippitydooshair Childrens #Haircare Prevention Regimen #Giveaway!  Ends 09/06 http://tinyurl.com/3v9g45f

(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.)

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 - 'Like' Zippity Doo's Hair Care Prevention and tell them Ascending Butterfly Sent You (I'm sure they'd love for you to tell them who you are trying to win for too!) on Facebook HERE (Please post the link to your facebook comment, you can get that link the same way you get your link to your tweets!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

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

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

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

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

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

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

Todays Words of Inspiration - Progress!

 

Today's Quote:

    “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

My favorite teacher in High School loved George Bernard Shaw. He had us read and dissect Shaw and Shakespeare so much that I could probably attribute quotes to their authors in my sleep. I don't know about you, but I often have to remind myself that being busy, and making real progress are not necessarily one and the same. There are days where I'm super busy from the moment I open my eyes to the moment I close them again at night. But when I assess what I actually accomplished, sometimes I'm satisfied, at other times I'm not. I've come to understand that busy is not always progress, and I've reached a point where measurable progress is important to ME.

Not necessarily the progress that others feel I should make. Not necessarily the obvious benchmarks of professional success. But personal and spiritual progress.

Today I was a mixture of busy and making actual progress. And now at the end of a day of triumphs, I am satisfied that today I have made progress in an area that felt hopelessly stuck. I wish you that same satisfaction to savor.

Today's Challenge: You can affirm that you attract progress, but do you really expect it? Deep down, do you truly feel you deserve it?

Today's Breathing Affirmation: Close your eyes, take a deep, slow breath in through your nose, and affirm "I Expect AND Attract Progress."

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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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Weekly Moment of Gratitude - Surviving the Hurricane!

This week, I am grateful for:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Making it through Hurricane Irene! I hope everyone is somewhere warm, safe, and dry today!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Making Lemonade out of Lemons, I spent the weekend watching movies and trying to shut out the storm outside. What did you do this weekend to keep busy and hide from the storm?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - While there are wildly mixed opinions on this matter, I applaud the City for being what other's called 'over-prepared and 'overly cautious'. Had trains been in service this weekend, would you have wanted to be caught in a train stuck in the tunnels getting flooded?

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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!

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

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!

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