Have Ye been Kissin the wee little Blarney Stone today?

Top O' the morning to ye! It's a fine and beautiful day here to be celebrating the proud wearin O' the green! I hope ye set a wee little trap fer a wee little leprechaun! Hope ye caught him I do! If ye did, ye can be after him to be tellin ye where he hid his wee little pot O' gold! I'm here ter wish alla ya a cheery Happy St. Patricks day!!!!!

This is the first year that Little Big Chief has not built a leprechaun trap in his bedroom in hopes of catching a little wee folk for himself! Sigh! I feel a little sad as some of the trappings of childhood are set aside for "tween" interests.........

So, I've been busy rusting away here..........

I've found these recipes lots of different places, and they all seem to be the same. I have tried them both, but I like the 2ND one best. The secret is to remember that they need the oxygen in the air to rust. Don't panic when you take them out and they aren't very rusty.........

4oz household bleach, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt

OR

4 oz peroxide, 4 oz distilled vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt

Use a glass jar, drop in your bells, small metal cutouts, or your safety pins, and cover with your rusting solution. Stir with an old fork or spoon. (not one you eat with, it may rust) Your things will begin to turn a silver color if they have been brass coated. The cheaper the metal, the better it will rust. DO NOT SCREW A LID ON YOUR BOTTLE! Your solution is going to foam. It is best if you can, to leave everything in the bottle for 48-72 hours. You can use then in a couple of days if you need too, but they longer they sit in the rusting solution, the better. When it's time to take them out, put them on some folded newspapers, or some paper towels to dry. Let them air dry or place them in the sun. Also, turn them over and move them around so that all sides will dry.

I have not tried putting them in a warm over, but I know of some who have done it in a pinch.

Remember, they may not look very rusty when you take them out of the solution, THEY NEED TO AIR DRY TO RUST! You can increase the amounts of each recipe, and use to cover a larger item, like a grater. Just follow the same procedures as with the smaller items. SOLID BRASS items will NOT rust. SO remember to buy the cheap brand of pins and bells......

These Bells were done with the bleach solution. I'm not sure if they are a "better" metal or I just didn't leave them in for 72 hours.......The pins were done with peroxide solution. I like the color they turned out. This is my favorite solution for rusting.

And, to be honest, I use more salt.....I get antsy and add unmeasured amounts in.........(is that called manipulating the recipe?)

On Sat. morning, we had a cousins reunion of sorts. (girls day out) My maiden name is Hunsaker, and my grandparents were Emma Camp and Francis Hunsaker. We younger......(I say that with tongue in cheek, but we are the babies....) cousins on the Hunsaker side, got together for breakfast at Johanna's Kitchen, the few of us that could come. We had a good time and vowed that we are not going to wait 20 years to do this again, and will try to recruit the rest of us as well. I can not believe how fast the years can go, and how our lives change with the years! It was also amazing to me, to look around the table and watch our hands! They are almost all the same shape and size! I have lots and lots of good memories tied up with these ladies!

This would be moi', in the bottom left corner........
BTW, last night for home evening we went into town and saw "Race To Witch Mountain"........I wasn't really excited to see it, but Little Big Chief really wanted to. I was pleasantly surprised. In fact I got so caught up in the fast action, that my popcorn was gone in minutes!!! We all liked it. :-) we had a good time and I think it was a fun movie! Have you seen it? What did you think? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H17eU0MeEI