Rachel Bustin

Book Review: Right Handed Lefty by Ryan Coughlin

Over this past weekend I’ve been reading Right Handed Lefty by Ryan Coughlin. It is the type of coming of age book that brings back memories of that 80’s film Stand By Me.

Right Handed Lefty by Ryan Coughlin

 

Book Description

We all have baggage. Real friends help you carry it.

It’s 1983 in Boscobel, Wisconsin, in the southwestern corner of the state, known as the Driftless Area. Ellis Sayre is different. He’s a twelve year old orphaned Native American. His adoptive parents lost a son a few years ago and welcomed him to deal with their grief. While stealing day-old bread for a friend in need, Ellis and his two best friends—George and Mason—witness a murder by a local kingpin.

Authorities disagree with their story. They call it made up. The boys are trapped, worried for their lives, sending them on a flight to Grandad’s Bluff in La Crosse, WI, along the Mississippi River. Two peripheral stories about Ellis Abbot—a World War II veteran, and Two Right Feet—an orphaned Native American during early 1800’s, are entwined to unearth Ellis Sayre’s roots.

They combine to tell the truth.

View Post

#LuckyLinky Week 24

Hello and welcome back to #LuckyLinky week 24.

Thank you so much to those of you that linked up last week!

As you all know I love to enter competitions and have been doing it for years, much longer than I have been blogging! So we want to see all your lovely competitions all in one place. It will make it much easier for all of us who love to enter competitions and for compers who want to find new and exciting competitions.

#LuckyLinky Week 24

The Competition Linky to get your competition more entries with NO comments required!

We run from Monday to Sunday and all bloggers are welcome to add any and all competitions they are running!

 Join Katie (MummyinaTutu) and I in a competition frenzy!

Each week we retweet your posts if you tag us in your tweet (@mummyinatutu & @rachelbustin) and will also enter each and every competition ourselves!

We will also add your post to the #LuckyLinky Competition Page over on Facebook! Please remember to put a badge on it and use the #LuckyLinky hashtag to spread the love.

 

Rachel Bustin

 

#LuckyLinky Rules:

1. Add the #luckylinky badge to the HTML / Text portion of your post. If you need any help linking up, read the fabulous Linky Guide from Cuddle Fairy or tweet us (@mummyinatutu @rachelbustin).

2. Please do 1 entry on both hosts competitions (if we’re running any) and 1 entry on the 2 competitions after yours (if you want to do more then great!)

3. Retweet 2 competitions of your choice using #LuckyLinky (It helps if you have your twitter handle in your social sharing buttons)

4. Link a maximum of 2 competitions per week.

5. By entering the link you are agreeing to be added to the email reminder list. (You can request to be removed at any time!)

Thanks for linking up!  Katie & Rachel

P.S. Don’t forget to check out our facebook page LuckyLinky Competitions if you fancy entering a few yourself!


What Can You Learn From Scandinavian Garden Design?

Scandinavian inspired designs are a very popular decor trend for the home at the moment. The minimalist designs that make more from less are taking over more traditional and cluttered designs. This trend is starting to spill out into the garden and people are opting to take inspiration from these stripped back designs.

If you’re looking to make some changes to your green areas, why not try some of these great Scandinavian inspired ideas?

Reclaimed Material

What Can You Learn From Scandinavian Garden Design?

Source

Scandinavian countries have a strong focus on environmental issues and they’re bringing this into the garden. Making furniture and planters from reclaimed wood reduces the impact that the garden has on the environment, as well as giving it a nice, rustic aesthetic. There are all sorts of ways that you can use old bits of junk and turn them into planters so get creative with it.

View Post

3 Unusual Garden Hacks That Can Save Money In The Long Term

Gardening is a lovely hobby to have and it can massively improve the aesthetic appeal of your home. But, did you know that your garden can actually help you save money too?

It sounds crazy, but it’s the truth. There are some weird and wonderful garden hacks that will make your garden look amazing while also saving money for you and your family too. Check them out here if you’re interested:

3 Unusual Garden Hacks That Can Save Money In The Long Term

(Pexels: http://bit.ly/2g76bnM)

Grow Your Own Ingredients

Every family will spend a fortune on food throughout their life. What’s frustrating is that a lot of our money is spent on ingredients we buy over and over again. You spend money on a pack of tomatoes one week and need to get some again the next. Also, we can often buy things and not get good value for money as they go out of date. Again, vegetables and fruit are key culprits, as well as herbs. But, what if you started growing these things in your garden? You’ll end up with a colourful and vibrant space, and you can get all your essential ingredients for free! This is quite possible one of the best decisions you can make. It won’t matter if your tomatoes go mouldy as you didn’t pay for them and can grow more!

View Post

3 Ideas For Peeling Your Children Away From The TV

Most parents would agree their children spend too much time sat in front of the TV these days. Some kids even position themselves far too close to the screen when using their PlayStations and Xboxes. With that in mind, all moms and dads reading this post should attempt to do everything possible to peel their children away from the television sets. In most instances, adults just need to inspire the little ones or give them an exciting reason to spend time outside. There are some suggestions in this article that should assist in pointing people in the right direction.

3 Ideas For Peeling Your Children Away From The TV

Image

View Post

BooginHead Splatmat Review from Baby & More

I have to say I’m fed up with cleaning up the kitchen floor after baby girl has thrown her food everywhere. I never thought that you could buy something like the splatmat to put underneath the high chair. BooginHead have come up with this fantastic yet simple mat that measures a massive 52″ round. The splat mat has been a lifesaver for my kitchen floor in the new house I can tell you!

BooginHead Splatmat

The BooginHead splatmat comes folded up in this box which was easy to get out. I have to say as packed into the box the mat comes out with a lot of creases, that are not easy to smooth out. I’m guessing over time they will fade away the more it’s used. My Chicco high chair is a rather large high chair and the splatmat will fit comfortably underneath.

BooginHead splatmat underneath the high chair

View Post