Old to Awesome!

I have had this old patio chair and table set on my porch for years.  We rescued them from the trash, and at the time they didn't look too rough. Several harsh winters later, the paint was faded and rust was showing. 

So today,  with a bit of elbow grease and some Rustoleum, I made my old set look new again!

Before. Faded and rusty, just needing an update.

After using a wire brush, I used Rust-Oleum Rusty Metal Primer and then Gloss Enamel in 'Sunrise Red.'

After using the wire brush for a while on some of the rusty spots.

With one coat of the Rusty Metal Primer. It went on nicely and dried very fast. Coverage was good. I ran out at the end but I did do a nice coat on all three pieces.

Once I put on the red it really made a difference! The red took longer to dry but it has a great shine to it and it looks great next to the red and green on the house. It really stands out!

Spray-paint tan lines... After scrubbing in the shower it's still there! I'm wearing closed shoes to work tomorrow!

Might I recommend you wear gloves not only while using the wire brush but also while spray-painting? This is my kitchen scrubber and the bristles are now permanently red. But for how nice the patio set looks now, the loss of a potato scrubber was worth it.

Please be sure to follow all directions on your pain cans if you decide to take on this project, and follow other safety measures to avoid injury. 

Review of Bentley Seeds

Check out my review here:  StuffStuff

My daughter, now 2 1/2, and I reviewed Bentley Oregano Basil and Parsley Seeds for StuffStuff about a month ago.

We had so much fun planting the seeds. Zia loved to help stick the seeds down in the soil and put a little dirt over top. We put little signs on the plant rows, and watered them carefully whenever they were dry. 

 Here's Zia putting dirt over the seeds with a plastic spoon. We used recycled egg cartons as planters.

 Baby J was enjoying the nice warm day in the sunshine while sister played on the deck.

 Zia examining the seeds carefully.

Our seeds are all planted. 

After weeks of watering and waiting, though, our seeds never even so much as had one tiny sprout! Every time we go outside, Zia asks, "Mommy, can we water the seeds? Water makes flowers grow!" But we stopped watering them last week because it was obvious they wouldn't be growing any. We were very disappointed to get dud seeds this year, as we were looking forward to fresh herbs in the kitchen through the summer. Maybe next year we will have success.

Thirst Light Lady Big Review

I reviewed this cute Thirsty Light Lady Bug through StuffStuff.com.

It is a metal stake that you put in your houseplants and it tells you when your plants need watered by blinking when they get too dry.

This works well and the flash is definitely enough to get you to water your plants. It's easy to use and looks nice enough. The price at over $11.00 is a bit high for me. It's not too bad if you need just one, but when you have lots of houseplants, it could get very expensive very fast. Also, my daughter, who is two, thinks it is very neat and though she hadn't been interested in my plants, now she is. I had to move it to a plant that was out of her reach because she was always taking it out of the dirt.

Pinterest Pumpkin Muffins {Myth} or {Fact}?

Pumpkin muffins with just a box of cake mix and a can of pumpkin. It seems like it's too good to be true. Is this Pinterest Pin {MYTH} or {FACT}?

 I started this recipe fully intending to use just the cake mix and a 15 ounce can of pumpkin. I chose to use a spice cake mix for added flavor since pumpkin on its own isn't very flavorful. I added the two ingredients to my mixer bowl and started mixing. The batter got so thick it was more like a dough. I knew the muffins would turn out hard and chewy if I made them like this, so I added an egg for extra moisture. It was still too dry, so I added 1/3 cup apple sauce. It was getting better, but it was still too thick. 1 1/3 cups of milk later, and I finally had something resembling a cake batter. I poured it into my muffin tin and baked them for the time indicated on the box.

  20 minutes later The muffins were done baking! I popped them out of the pan and tasted one. The flavor was delicious, but since I had to mix the batter so long to get the consistency right, it had gone a little flat. Without the extra mixing I'm sure these would have been great! They tasted very rich even though they were relatively healthy (for something that has cake in it, that is).

  Conclusion

 This pin is a {MYTH}

 Don't make these muffins with a can of pumpkin and a boxed cake mix. It's just too good to be true. Your muffins will be way too thick and lumpy. Add a few more ingredients and your muffins will be much better. You're still getting away with making pumpkin muffins with a cake mix after all.

  Final Recipe

 1 box spice cake mix (or yellow if you don't want the spices or would rather add your own)
 1 egg
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin
 1/3 cup apple sauce (or oil if you don't mind the fat)
1 1/3 cup milk or water

 Mix all ingredients with mixer on low speed until combined. Beat 2 minutes on high. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan (I used silicone liners, they work great). Bake at the temperature on your cake mix box (probably 350 degrees Fahrenheit) for the time indicated (anywhere from 15-25 minutes) until toothpick comes out clean.

 I hope you enjoy this recipe. Any Pinterest pins you would like tested? Let me know!

Bubbles!

It is amazing how entertained a little one can be with bubbles. It is a beautiful day out where I am, so we headed outside to use sidewalk chalk and blow bubbles. My daughter had so much fun! $2 for chalk that will last her for years, and $1 for a huge bottle of bubbles that will make it through this summer at least, and she had more fun than any time we spend a lot of money to do something. We also walked around the yard and looked for flowers (right now there's just dandelions, but she didn't care!) Now I have a tired little girl who has just eaten lunch and should take a nice long nap for mommy :)

Exciting News!

I am very excited to share this with you! Not only am I going to make this blog regular, I'm expecting my second child! We are thrilled to be adding to our family and I will be posting updates here on all the new developments. I will also be sharing more recipes, tips, and crafting information in the coming year. I quit my job last fall and have been working irregularly every since, but starting this week I will not be going back at all, so I will have lots of free time on my hands to try out all of the recipes I have been saving and I will have more time for crafting, too. I have so many ideas and I can't wait to get started. ' See you soon!! The Retro Daisy

Marshmsllow Turn-Out

My home made marshmallows turned out fantastic! I don't think I'll ever buy storebought ones again. I made vanilla ones and raspberry ones. I've also made some sugar-free ones, they weren't the greatest but I'm still working on the recipe.