BOO! WAT-AAH! Halloween Giveaway!

Of all the products I've reviewed here over the years, WAT-AAH is one of my all time favorites. Getting my kids to drink more water is a big issue for me and WAT-AAH helps make it a little less challenging. The bottles are bright and colorful, great for getting kids' attention. It's been a long time since we first tried WAT-AAH, but I know the taste was a huge hit with my crew. WAT-AAH has rolled out something special just in time for Halloween. Check out WAT-AAH Boo and CEO Rose Cameron’s new blog, www.HealthisCool.org.

WAT-AAH!, a brand of functional water for kids and teens, unveils "WAT-AAH! BOO", a limited edition bottle to celebrate Halloween and to promote healthy hydration in support of the Partnership For A Healthier America's (PHA) initiative, whose honorary chair is the First Lady Michelle Obama. On the label, the brand's familiar character, the WAT-AAH! Boy, is portrayed mysteriously in silhouette and screaming, "BOO!" to surprise its audience. He is surrounded by familiar Halloween imagery such as a witch, ghost, haunted house, pumpkin and full moon, each drawn using simple graphic lines. In the spirit of the holiday, a fun and unexpected treatment of PHA's "Drink Up" logo is also featured; it defines the body of a black spider crawling up the web, which serves as a background for the entire scene.

How would you like to win some awesome WAT-AAH for your family! One lucky reader will win a Halloween prize pack fro the great folks at WAT-AAH! The prize packs will include WAT-AAH! bottles, t-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers and more. This is a quick giveaway so your prize will arrive by Halloween! Enter using Rafflecopter below. Winner will be notified by email and will have twelve hours to respond before another winner is selected. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ramblings of a Texas Housewife Product Review and/or Giveaway Disclosure- I have received no compensation other than the offer of free product to review and/or giveaway. Any opinions expressed on Ramblings of a Texas Housewife are my own. My reviews are never reviewed or edited in any way by sponsors.

Cheesy Potato Soup Recipe

Creamy Potato Soup---I'm hungry (Photo credit: 今 ゆっくりと 歩いていこう)

Autumn means the onset of soup weather. I love soup. All kinds of soup. I've been under the weather lately and find that potato soup is one of the few things that actually sounds good. This recipe is quick, easy, and easy on the wallet. 

• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups boiling water
• 3 cups milk
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Cook potatoes in boiling water. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain all but about 1/2 cup of the water from the potatoes, then mash them coarsely. Add the milk to the potatoes and simmer. In a separate small pan melt butter then add onion and simmer until onion is transparent. Add flour and seasonings to onion and butter mixture then removes from heat. Mix the roux you've just created to the potatoes mixture then let simmer until it reaches desired consistence, stirring every five minutes or so. Serves four. 

Bloggiesta Progress Report

I wasn't quite as productive yesterday as I had hoped, but I did get in on all this a little late. Still, I managed to get a few things accomplished.

• I removed several things from my sidebars and such. I also spent a great amount of time trying to fix design elements that bother me before finally realizing I'm going to need help with that. 
• Thanks to Jessica's inspiration over at Books: A True Story, I did some digital decluttering. My downloads folder went from 600+ to 0 and I sorted out my blog folder, getting it neatly organized with two subfolders. I've been putting that task off for far too long. Completing both challenges got me on the right track.
• I did a lot of thinking about my blog, why I blog, and what I'd like to change. Lists were made, as were goals. 

Not overly productive, but it's a start right? 

Fall 2013 Bloggiesta

Today I decided to do something about my Twitter which lead me to the daunting task of doing something about my blog. I was once so proud of my blogging, spending time writing and reading was a high point of my day. I'm not sure what happened along the way, life I suppose. Anyway, while hanging out on Twitter I saw a tweet about Bloggiesta and got all sorts of inspired. This was just the nudge I needed! Thank you Universe for the push! So, upon looking at what this place has become and frankly being quite disappointed with myself, I came up with a to do list. I'm not so sure how much I can cram into three days, but we shall see.

Bloggiesta To Do List:

• Edit, edit, edit! Years ago I won a blog make over and used that template for ages. Upon logging on today I see my siggy has been removed from this person's Photobucket so I have all these posts with no signature. I need to start there with edits then move on to sidebar and page editing.
• Schedule posts for the next month.
• Decide if I'm truly happy with my lay out and do something about it if not.
• Really think about the vision for my blog. when I started, life was in a very different place. Does the blog reflect that? If not, how can I change it? What do I want my focus to be?
• Update my links. 
• Complete at least 5 mini challenges. 
• Blog hop to at least 10 other participating blogs. 
• Encourage all the other participation by reading and commenting. 

There is so much to do and even more to think about. I am excited about participating in Bloggiesta! The great thing about the blogging community is how supportive and inspirational we all can be! 

Does your blog need a little refreshing? Why not join the fun at Bloggiesta? Click here, sign up at the linky, and get started! 

Past Darkness by Laurel Woiwode

Past darkness is appropriately titled, as the story is in no way light and fluffy. Gabrielle loses her parents as a teen and the novel is about how she deals with her grief over the coming years. She ends up on the Dakota plains, finding a connection with horses, but less and less of one with people. It is a touching tale of loss, grief, and coming out of the pain. The author is a beautiful storyteller, weaving words together in such a way that it pulls you in. The descriptions of Gabrielle's surroundings are so vivid, you feel you are right there with her. I enjoyed the book very much overall, but the pacing was very slow.This is a pet peeve for me, as a book has to move along to hold my interest. I did finish it though and very much enjoyed the story. Any fan of young adult fiction would likely enjoy Past Darkness.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Past Darkness Crossway (April 30, 2013) by Laurel Woiwode

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laurel Woiwode graduated with honors from Jamestown College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in both English and History. She works with ESL students, writes movie reviews at reelquickie.areavoices.com, works on writing and editing projects, and is always ready for outdoor adventures. Laurel grew up in rural North Dakota, has had an avid interest in animals, nature, and literature since childhood, and she is the author of Past Darkness.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Gabrielle Larson is an average, 15 year old girl living in Chicago when tragedy strikes. In the aftermath, she is forced to relocate to rural North Dakota and henceforth spends the next chapter of her life learning to cope with trials involving everything from family to faith. Laurel Woiwode, daughter of critically acclaimed novelist Larry Woiwode, offers here a moving story that will be appreciated by female and male readers alike. Past Darkness is not preachy or heavy-handed, but rather a touching story about the importance of family, the power of music, and the ever-present mercy of God.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Past Darkness, go HERE,



I received a free copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.