Colored Rocks!

This is another fun, quick, easy, and almost free craft to do with your little ones! The outcome is super neat.

Materials-

1. Rocks (river rocks work best, and hold heat the longest- don't ask me why)
2. Pan, oven mit, oven
3. Crayons (old ones you don't mind ruining)
4. Old plate or similar

We went out on a walk and let M find the rocks she wanted to use. Nothing like crazy looks from neighbors as your 3 year old plucks a rock from their drive way or walk way.......

After you get your rocks home, clean them up good and arrange them on a baking sheet. Set the oven to 350 and let the rocks "cook" for about 30 minutes.

Once they are good and hot pull out a few. We did a small batch and Miss M and I did them all at the same time. However, if you are doing a lot at a time you will want to take them out as you need them, so they don't cool down.

Use an oven mit to move the rocks! They are smoking hot. Also, BE SURE TO WARN YOUR LITTLE ONES, THEY ARE HOT, HOT, HOT. If you don't think you can trust your kiddos to NOT touch them, please do not try this, wait until they are a bit older.

We put them on an old plate for Miss M to color.

Watch your kids as they discover what happens when they start coloring. As you probably figured out, the wax crayons melt. But, even knowing what would happen, I was just as astonished as M the first time we did this. The results are beautiful, drippy, shiny, colorful rocks.

Rocks still wet.

Half of these are starting to dry, half are still wet. How cool is this?! We are using our rocks for a sensory bin I'm making M. (watch for the post) I also colored a handful, but who wants to see mommy colored rocks? What could be more fun than this quick, easy art project..............

Playing with the oven mit of course! Just when you think you have the most fun, amusing project, your little one 1-ups you. lol She had more fun trying to pick up the (cooled) rocks with mit than she did coloring them. Ah, to be young.

You could also put these out on a walkway or gravel driveway. Something for your little guy or girl to be proud of every time you go outside! Give this a try and let me know how it goes! Come on, I know you have a "collection" of rocks laying around from every time you take your wild one on a walk.

The Skatepark, before, durring, and (proposed) after

As you know, I posted a little earlier about my husbands work in bringing a skatepark to our area. So here's the scoop-

My (gorgeous) husband, Nick, has been seriously skateboarding since he was 14 years old. It was an everyday hobby, after school recreation, and a form of transportation. And, my all time favorite, the way I met and fell in love with him. However, that last fact has little to do with this story. (poo)

He and his group of friends would skate everyday, all over town. Until they were eventually kicked out of the downtown square. Other businesses and residents seemed to follow suit. They weren't really welcome anywhere. As an adult now, we, and most of the rest of the group, understand how and why most places would have that reaction. Insurance, possibility of injury, possibility of damage, and the like. Not to mention they looked like a group of no good hooligans. I would know, as I basically stalked the poor boy most of his teen years. (and just a little fyi, the hooligan part is why I adored him so)

Well, after having enough of the shunning and being kicked out, not to mention skateboarding tickets, Nick and a group of his buddies got together and went to the city to ask for a park specifically for them. Long story short, it worked, and the first skatepark was born.

Years later (poo) Nick and I got together. By then the park had been vandalized, worn down, and all together trashed. After we were married we got permission from the city to have a fund raiser to add more material to the park. We set up cans at gas stations and businesses and got enough money for materials to build a new box and rail. (don't know what these are? don't feel bad, just google it!) My daddy (who is,by most means, anti-skateboarding) built the box and rail for Nick. Love can do crazy things, even to father in-laws :) .

Nick and Miss M, who is 2 years old in this pic!

Nick and M on the torn apart pyramid

Nick and M

Nick and M this summer

These new additions lasted a few years, but the box was heavily used and was soon as dilapidated as the rest of the park. Sorry folks, I have no good pictures of the old park in real use. Just a few of fam playing around.But, I can't resist an opportunity to show off some of my favorite people! However you can search it on youtube and find a young man skating it. I was going to link it here, but the music chosen in the video isn't exactly family friendly. So, besides the rail, they were back to square one.

Nick wrote a letter to the city, explaining his feelings toward skateboarding and the park, and asking for their help. This is the article that was written after they responded- http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/highlight/x675816378/Skateboarders-return-to-City-Hall

After that he, and sometimes a friend or 2, attended meetings and such and eventually got something hashed out.

http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/news/x2138759310/Bid-for-skate-park-awarded

http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/news/x1581725339/Going-big-on-the-skatepark

These are a couple of articles that were written about the following meetings. We are still waiting (Nick a lot less patiently) for the parks completion.

Holes cut for the new ramps.

If you check out the articles there is a picture of what the park will look like once it is finished. Until then, the boys will be back on the streets (and still be harassed by police- don't ask). You didn't expect a little construction to halt the favorite past time of my hooligan did you?

Disappearances are a must.......

I know, I know. How long since my last post? Well, I'm not even going to look. A long time, I can tell you that. It does, however, seem to be the norm in the blogosphere to disappear every now and again. Sometimes, never to resurface again. I like to keep you guessing. That, and I have been busy with a hint of lazy.

Now that I have given you a quick explanation of my absence, how about a quick update?

Honestly, I do not even know where I left off. Life is insane with children and babies. Good insane, but insane none the less. So- first an update on those of us living at our urban farm.

Possibly the cutest of the farmers, Baby R and Miss M

Well, my little Baby R is now an (almost) graduated sitter, baby food eater (homemade organic when possible), public speaker of the baby basics (mama,dada,baba), and all around cutie. I am proud to announce she is on track with all growth and development, and is a happy happy baby (most of the time). :) She almost 7 months!

Miss M. Oh, my Miss M. Where to begin? M has just recently turned the ripe old age of 4. She is in a combo dance class this summer and getting ready to start her 1st year of school (pre k). Ah, where has the time gone? Where the lively Miss M is small for her age, she makes up for it with a larger than life attitude. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Her current obsessions include Tangled, dance, playing vacation bible school, and dress up. She is also in Chocoholics Anonymous. ;)

Nick- Passing on his favorite past time.

My lovely husband......The love of my life, father of my children, head of our household, skateboard extraordinaire, loud annoying music lover, and Miss M's inspiration. And where as that last part may sound sooo sweet, don't let it fool you. They are conspiring against me ,I tell you. They enjoy picking up each others less than appetizing behaviors and testing them out on yours truly. They drive me mad some days and melt my heart others. I just pray for more heart melting. :)

Anywho, Nick is doing great. Since last posting some positive things have happened for him. He has finally seen his dream of a real, quality skate park (almost) come true. He started propositioning the city, and then working closely with them, to get a concrete, professional quality skateboard park brought to our hometown. (He, and his friends, also are the reason the first skate park was brought to this town :) ) I must say I am quite proud of my man. On a side note, the park is not yet here. Expected completion was end of June, then July, and now, hopes are by end of August. I will post pics of the progress! As well as some links to the articles written on the subject.

As for me...(sorry for lack of pic! I have none that are recent) Not a whole lot of new here. I'm a crazy, busy, lazy, book loving, tired mama. As with most mothers, I am in a constant battle with diet and exercise (they seem to win most days...meaning I avoid anything to do with them). Mainly I am just busy raising babies, cleaning, driving them to and fro from function, appointment, etc., and occasionally crafting. I have also recently allowed my love of books and reading to resurface. Oh, how I missed you. I rarely have the time to sit and really enjoy a book, or reading, but when I do, well, its pretty great. I've been stuck on romance and fiction novels lately. Someday I will realize my dream of being a (paid) book reviewer. Someday........
Also, on the note of naturals and organic. I have stopped uv tanning all together. Which I know I should have done forever ago. Cut a girl some slack. I have, however, been engaging in the occasional spray tan. I really enjoy them. I am sure they are laden with chemicals, but I will not think about that. As for personal hygiene- I have stopped making my own shampoo. It was stripping all of my color out, and because I had recently lightened it, (from black to blondish brown) it was turning a horrid color. Also it seemed to go back into the transitional stage every few weeks or so. Odd. So I gave up. Yup, I admit it. I'm much to busy (and lazy) to keep trying and looking gross in the process. We are still making our own body wash and laundry soap sometimes. When convenience rears its ugly head, I go ahead and buy some. We are still mainly using naturals and natural cleaners for everyday messes. They seem to work just as well. I am also going back and forth from making baby wipes to purchasing them (all depending on the need for quick and easy convenience). I feel that honesty is the best policy, especially when speaking of my own life and experiences. So, where as I may not be the staple person for a clean, natural, organic lifestyle, at least I can give my honest, experienced input.

As for the garden. The weather is killer. Tons of heat (weeks at a time of over 90 degree temps, 100 degrees most days) and very little to no rain. My water bill is definitely suffering. My cucumbers died, as well as my squash. My potato plants died but we still harvested about 5-8lbs of  delicious yukon golds. I also harvested a large amount of carrots. My green peppers have stunted growth and never did anything. The tomatoes have produced a minimal amount of fruit but are still alive and trying. We have also gotten 3 good batches of green beans, and they still seem to be producing. Slowly but surely. My watermelons also look well. I have 5 small variety watermelon on 2 watermelon vines. I sure hope they keep it up. And, last but not least, my herbs. They seem to be doing well. Water deprived, but well. The constant watering is killing me.

And don't even get me started about the darn birds. They are another post entirely.

Oh, and Shug. He's doing well. Alive and kicking, and not scaring away fox, raccoons, or stray cats. More on that later.

phew! That's a lot of information to process. I'll let you chew through that for now. Keep an eye out, you never know when I'll reappear. :)

Ribbon Wand Tutorial

We are always looking for fun, easy crafts to keep Miss M occupied during the day. She is always going at 100 miles per hour, constantly on to the next adventure. I saw a few tutes for similar wands, so Miss M and I came up with one of our own. This is a great project for the kids to help out on.

Materials-

1. Ribbon - I used 1/2'' thick, you can decide the perfect length for your little one
2. Dowel Rod
3. Hot glue gun and glue stick
4. Paint and brush
5. Glitter
6. Mod Podge
7. Lighter- optional
8. Sand paper- optional
9. Plastic bag or other protection for your work surface

First you need to cut, or break your dowel rod down to size. Any hand saw will do the trick. I had nick cut them for me awhile back for a different project. The ends were a little rough for my liking so I sanded them down. I used a hand sander, but plain old sand paper would work just as well. It only takes a couple seconds.

Next set up your paint station. I let M paint it to her hearts content. The sponge brushes work best- no drip. (plus they're cheap!)

After you have it painted and dried (about 1 hour or so), cover the entire rod with mod podge. Lay it out on the plastic bag and let your little helper shake some glitter on it. Let that dry about 10 minutes then put a second coat of mod podge on there. That will keep the glitter on the wand. If you have little girls, glitter probably plagues your house, let's try to avoid adding to that. I sat our wand up right against a box to dry.

While your wand is drying pick out your ribbon. Decide the length you want. I didn't measure ours. I kept unrolling the ribbon until I thought it was long enough and whipped it around to make sure it would work. I tried to make it long enough to do the cool figure 8's and swirlies but not so long that short little miss M would trip herself on it. (Sorry no pic of this part!) Use the lighter to heat seal the ends. Just run the flame across each end quickly.

Next, this part is for the mommies and daddies only, use your glue gun to wrap the end of the ribbon on the wand. Choose which side you want to be the top, apply a dab of glue to the top 1/2'' of the wand (or however thick your ribbon is) and wrap the ribbon around it one time.Make sure to get all of the edges glued down. This wand is sure to take a beating, and pulling, so better prepared than have to fix it umpteen times.

How easy was that? A good way to store these is to roll the ribbon down the wand, cone style, to prevent tangles and knots. And if you are wondering where I got a table to match my wand, lol, that is just one small piece of the living room we are working on. Keep posted for all of the living projects.

Now let your little dancer go to town! ........ And, there is a reason she is wearing tube socks and sparkly red shoes with a purple outfit. Well, for starters shes almost 4. Nuf said. But, she LOVES Wizard of Oz and was playing Dorothy. The socks? Well, as of right now, all of her clothes, shoes, etc. have "lines." She doesn't like lines. Apparently sock lines are better than Dorothy Slipper lines.

*Tips*

1. For a more natural route, you could use a stick. Take off the bark before you paint or glue.

2. You could use a few ribbons in different sizes, or a few ribbon strands that are thinner.

3. These would be great for favors for a little girl birthday party! Cheap too.

And Then There Were Two.........Well, Four

This is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is perfect in my opinion. Low to mid 60's, just right for a hoodie and shorts or jeans. I could live in my hoodies. They are big, warm, and cozy. Not to mention that front pocket, perfect for toting around baby bottles, burp rags, toys, craft supplies, and so much more! But, unfortunately, this is not about beautiful weather, or hoodies.

The day started off lovely as ever. Low 60's, little wind, and lots of sunshine. We were working on boredom busters for Miss M. We did a few crafts and coloring projects and decided to give the chickies a treat. I had a bag of old grapes in the fridge and we cut them up. The ladies prefer them cut up, what can I say?

The grapes were a big success. Noodle is seen here grabbing a grape as Strawberry Shortcake looks on. The ladies have finally started to get a little more comfortable with us. Sadly, they still don't like to be held or petted (give it time!) but they come up to us with little issue now a days.

So, after a busy morning of creating a visiting with the ladies we had doctors appointments and grocery shopping to do. When we finished all of that nonsense and Nick got home we went to my dads house for dinner. We visited until pretty late, then headed home, hoping the girlies would fall asleep on the drive home.

Luckily they were both out by the time we got home. Ah, a break? At last. Nick and I got them in the house and snuggled in pjs and in bed. Mission completed! Or so we thought.....

After a long, hectic day, we sat down to err.....watch a movie.Yeah, watch a movie. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. So...we were watching movie and M woke up. Nick went to take care of her while I waited. She needed to use the bathroom, so he took her and then put her back to bed. I heard him rustling around in there, then thought I heard him say something. He popped his head out of the bedroom after a minute and said "Was that the chickens?" Ummmmm, Well, I said, I didn't hear anything? Was it?! He listened again and frantically said "Yeah it was!"

He through on sweats and a hoodie, grabbed a bat and flash light, and ran outside. Just as that was happening Baby R was waking up and screaming. I ran to turn on all of our outdoor lights to help Nick see and threw on warm clothes (it was chilly out, in case you couldn't tell). I got Baby R up and away from Miss M so she wouldn't wake her up again and made up a bottle in record time.

I ran out to the chicken area and said - So, what was it?! Nick told me he saw feathers everywhere and was shining the light in the coop. I noticed only two chickens. "Um, Nick, is there another one in there?!" I don't see one, was his reply.

So, to recap. It's midnight, there were chicken noises, we are plus feathers and minus a bird. Are you coming to the same conclusion we were?

If not, let me help you get there. For the passed few days I have been so incredibly tired. Baby R has been having some issues and we are experimenting with medicines and formulas. She hasn't been sleeping at all. Up ever 2 hours, crying, the lot. So, trying to cut a few corners, I hadn't been locking up the ladies at night. I just couldn't get out there early enough in the morning to let them out, and boy did they raise hell if they weren't let out early enough for their liking. So, add in the factor of open coop. Ya there yet?

Yeah, I though so. We believe it was coon. Just a hand full of blocks away to about 1/2 mile away we have seen fox, coons, and coyotes in the area. But, we have never seen anything like that in our neighborhood. However, I knew better. I know how they are, I know they are around, I know I was basically advertising a free buffet. "Oops."

So, in vain, Nick searched with his little blue flashlight. He walked the perimeter of our fence and yard and even some of the neighbors yards. Of course he found nothing. Not even a stray feather. I'm not sure what we thought we could find. I think it was just the shock of it all. The chicken, completely gone, vanished into thin air.
And so, it would be, Strawberry Shortcake. The chick M so happily named after a favorite show, that was taken. I have to say though, besides the guilt I feel, I took it rather well. I have been doing my best not to get overly attached to the ladies, what with their impending main course future. So, I must say, that part was a success. However, if this were truly a self sustainable farm, or urban farm, or in a much more dire situation, this is not something that could be taken lighly. I slipped up, and out of pure laziness. So I am, the one and only person to blame. (ugh, hate when that happends lol) But, luckily, none of those situations are the reality as of present day. You live and learn. Always.

Well, of course, news traveled fast. Where I'm from (Small town, Big talk) this is big news. Dare I say exciting news even?

My mom, and her boyfriend (who the chickens came from in the first place) said they would replace the missing bird. Kind of cheating, I know. And they would even give me an extra. Lol, ok that sounds bad. Not an extra. I don't plan on loosing anymore. But, an additional bird I should say. And so, the excitement was over.

The next evening, after M was in bed, Nick was feeding Baby R while I was working in the kitchen. He said "Babe, come here!" in a half whisper, half yell. I dropped the apples I was cutting (to dehydrate) and went into the living room. He asked if I had heard "that." Oh jeez, not again. "No." I hadn't heard anything, but then, a clatter. Ok, my mind started racing. Locked up the coop? Check. So, if there was indeed another coon, it was digging its way in. I stuck my head out the screen door and heard some kind of rustling again. Alright, it's on. So I ran to the bedroom, looked in the closet at my (borrowed, from my brother for these exact situations) pellet gun and my Daisy. Pellet gun- not loaded! Daisy- wouldn't do the trick. Ugh, so I scanned the room for the bat. No luck, no time. I ran for the door, flipped the outdoor light switch and flung the sliding glass door open. As soon as the motion sensor lights kicked on I saw a silhouette of a person. Wait, a person? It was one of those What?! moments. But, with the light switch came a  "Don't shoot!" In a familiar voice I must add. Oh, mom. You know me so well.

My mom, her boyfriend, and my brother were in the chicken area. With kennel in hand. They were trying to sneak in some new chickens. lol Creeps. Man, were they lucky that pellet gun wasn't loaded.

They all came in. Apparently they parked down the road and were going to surprise us with new chickens in the morning. They said Nick even looked right out the window at them, but obviously didn't see them. Anyway, long story short, they came in and visited and I went out and checked out the new girlies. A beautiful all white/ off white chicken, about the same size a Noodle and a replacement Strawberry Shortcake. She looks almost identical, except for her bald head......She had been in sitting mode and the rest of the chickens, at her old home, must have been pecking her little head. Poor girl.

Ah, yes. But, lets not forget- breaking the news to Miss M about her Strawberry Shortcake. Nick told her the morning after. I was still in bed (my lovely husband lets me sleep in a little later on the weekends) and she came running in. She got right in my face and excitedly said "Mom! Strawberry Shortcake got took!" Well, that went better than expected. Almost as amusing as her first reaction was her reaction to the new birds. That next morning she came running into me and said "Mom! Mom! Theres a white chicken! AND another one!" Then nonchalantly stated "I think the white one ate the other ones head." Well, that my M for ya.

I will have to post pictures later. They are cooped up for a few days until they get used to their new home. Plus their wings aren't yet clipped. I plan on posting a tute on clipping wings if I can find a camera man while I do it!

We also have a live trap set up in the chicken area to try and get the lil chicken napper. Don't worry, it will be let free some place far away from our little urban homestead.

Super Cute Plastic Bag Holder Tutorial

Most of us have one of these. The ugly, store bought, bag sack. Now, don't get me wrong, they were a great invention! Who wants drawers or closets with filled with old plastic grocery bags floating around? I sure don't. But come on people! I also don't want plain on nasty fabric sacks to put them in either. What do they have against color and style?

That is my tired and worn out bag sack up there. And, while I try to use re usable cloth bags when I shop, every once in a while I will use the plastic ones. Like for a large shopping trip, when my bags aren't enough, or when I'm nearly out of plastic bags. I save every one (that isn't ripped) and reuse it. When we had cats indoors we used to scoop litter into them. Now a days they are mostly used as garbage bags for our little bathroom trash cans and for painting and craft surfaces. My bag hangs in a closet, far from sight, lest someone see the sadness of it. But no more! Here's a super easy tutorial for a super cute and customizable plastic bag holder! Even if you aren't a great sewer, or are just starting out, you can totally do this!

This ones for you Mrs. McElhiney.

• Things you are going to need:
• Sewing Machine
• Iron
• 1/4'' Elastic
• Strips of fabric (As many as you want) They need to be 18'' wide, but can be as long as you want. My bag is about 18'' by 25'' before finished.

Start off by cutting your strips. 18'' wide works well. I didn't measure the length of each strip, I just eye balled it. (P.S. This is the front of the strips after they are sewn, ignore that, this picture is just to show the strip size and colors. lol )

After you have the strips arranged how you want them flip them over in the same pattern. Take the ends of two strips of fabric (the wide side) and line them up and pin together. Repeat for all of the strips until you have the whole bag pinned.

This is all of the strips pinned on the WRONG side of the fabric.

Next sew down the pinned sides. Be careful not to catch the other strips of fabric as you sew. If you have never sewn anything like this before it may feel a little weird. To know you are doing it correctly, flip your bag over before you start sewing so you can see how it will look. The lines may not be perfect before you sew but you will be able to see how the seems will be on the underside of the fabric.

After you have finished you will have one big piece of fabric (like my first picture). With wrong side facing up we will make the casing for the elastic. Heat up your iron now. On one end (in this case, my green strips) fold down about 1/4'' and iron flat. Now fold down about 1/2'' and iron again. Repeat for the other end.

This is the casing after it has been folded. You fold two times so you don't have a rough edge, it gives a finished look. You shouldn't need to pin this, but you can if you want! Then sew along the bottom of the fold.

Next you will cut the elastic. For the top of the bag I used elastic at 8'' long and a piece 6'' long for the bottom.

Sorry for the blurry picture! Next put a safety pin in the end of your elastic. This helps thread it through. As you start to thread it through the casing, stop once you get to the end of the elastic. You can either pin the end of the elastic at the start of your casing or sew it in place now. (go back and forth a couple of times with your machine to make sure its going to stay) Now finish threading the elastic, bunching the fabric as you go. When you get it all the way through remove the safety pin and sew the elastic in place at this end of the casing. If you pinned the other end before, sew now. Repeat for opposite end of bag.

Sewing the elastic in place.

Now, with right sides together (bag inside out) fold it in half and pin together. You may need to move it around a bit to get the strips lined up properly before pinning. Then sew down the length of the bag. Go slow over the ends with the elastic and be sure to back stitch into place at the beginning and end.

Turn your bag right side out. Look at you! You made a bag!

Now we are going to make the loop to hand it with. Make sure you find the top of your bag (the one with the bigger opening).

Cut a piece of fabric 8'' x 2''. On each of the 8'' sides fold down 1/4'' and iron. Now fold the strip in half width wise and iron. You will have a thin, long strip of fabric. Sew down the length of the strip where the two sides meet, as shown above.

Fold your strip in a loop shape, one end on top of the other end. Pin in place at the TOP opening of your bag. I sewed mine into place at the same spot the seam from the casing was sewn so avoid a bunch of stitched lines.

You did it! Now go hang your bag and stuff that sucker!

My bag, hanging and half stuffed.

Let me know if you try this out!

*TIPS*

1. You can make your bag any width and length very easily! The only difference will be the elastic length. If you don't want to do the math to figure out the perfect length, and who does?, then just use a peice you know is a little too long. Thread it through the same way, but once you get it through the second opening bunch the fabric until desired opening is created and cut off the access elastic.

2. You don't have to use a fabric loop. You could use another piece of elastic or some pretty ribbon! (I just wanted mine to match perfectly)

Heavenly Honey Wheat Bread

Fresh from the oven!!

Not to long ago I mentioned the wheat bread I have been baking. Oh my goodness, soooo good! It even beats out the white bread. I have been baking two loaves (one recipe worth) on Sunday and we have been using this instead of store bought. It works great for toast, sandwiches, and snacks. That's our main problem, we just snack on it all day.lol  Well anyway, here is the recipe-

This recipe makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups whole wheat flour
2. 1/3 cup honey
3. 1/4 cup shortening
4. 1 tablespoon salt
5. 2 packages of regular or quick active dry yeast ( or 4 1/2 tsp)
6. 2 1/4 cups very warm water
7. 3-4 cups all purpose or bread flour
8. 1-2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Mix whole wheat flour, honey, shortening, salt, and yeast in a large bowl.
2. Add very warm water and beat with electric mixer on low for 1 minute, then medium for 1 minute.
3. Stir in white flour 1 cup at a time until the dough is easy to handle.
4. Place dough on floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy.
5. Grease a large bowl and roll dough around to coat, cover lightly with plastic wrap, let rest until doubled in size. Aprox. 1 hour
6. Gently punch down dough, divide in two. Take one half of the dough and roll out into a rectangle (about 18'' X 9''). Starting at a short end begin to roll up the dough, pinching at each roll to help secure it. Once it is rolled use the side of your hand (karate chop style) on each end of the loaf to seal. Tuck the ends under the loaf and pinch to hold it together. Repeat with second loaf.
7. Grease two loaf pans with shortening on sides and bottom.
8. Place formed loaves in pans and brush with butter, cover loosely with plastic wrap.
9. Let rise for aprox. 50 minutes, until doubled.
10. Remove plastic and bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and sounds hallow when tapped.
11. Immediately remove from pan to cool and brush with more butter.

Tips:

• If using self rising flour decrease salt to 1 tsp
• You don't have to roll and shape the dough as stated above, you could just make a loaf shape and plop it in there. However, in my experience the rolling and pinching makes the best shaped loaf.
• Store loaves in freezer bags. If you put them in the bags while they are still a tiny bit warm it will help keep them soft.
• You can freeze one loaf and thaw on the counter when needed, its almost as great as fresh baked.