Edge of the Wildwood

ideas to make life easier

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

HULL STRAWBERRIES EASILY BY USING A STRAW

RUB A WALNUT OVER SCRATCHES IN YOUR FURNITURE;

IT DISGUISES DINGS AND SCRAPES

STORE SHEET SETS INSIDE THEIR OWN PILLOWCASES

KEEP SOME BABY POWDER IN YOUR BEACH BAG;

IT LOOSENS SAND AND MAKES BRUSHING IT OFF SOFTER

MAKE A CUPCAKE CARRIER BY CUTTING CROSSES INTO A LID

HOW TO FOLD A FITTED SHEET!!!

PACK YOUR SHOES INSIDE A SHOWER CAP; KEEP THE DIRTY SOLES

FROM SOILING YOUR CLOTHES INSIDE THE SUITCASE

PLASTIC BREAD TABS MAKE GREAT CORD LABELS

MAKE YOUR OWN MICROWAVE POPCORN USING A SMALL PAPER BAG

USE EGG CARTONS TO SORT AND STORE YOUR TINY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

Jesus is the reason for the season

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

The Liebster Award goes to

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Crafts and Cooking AliciaMae is a hard working blogger and multi skilled crafter. I met AliciaMae through the BlogFire group that she formed and I have great confidence in her abilities. Crafts and Cooking is well written and presented in a professional and friendly way.

Southern as Biscuits Kristi is into art, culture, raising kids, and she's somewhat of a foodie. Lots of posts related to local art events, volunteer duties and mommy time. This is the kind of blog that usually has massive followers - maybe they just haven't found her yet. How does she do it? I dunno, but I sure love SaB blog. Pass the biscuits, please!

Georgia Marbles Georgia from Ohio makes aprons, tutus and quilts! Well, she's just a wiz with a needle - it's a skill that I greatly admire. I sometimes find Georgia in chat rooms, and I've known her on Etsy for a long time. Georgia Marbles blog has wonderful features of other crafters, and she also likes to share her work - yeah, so maybe GM has just over 200 following but I'll make an exception:)

crivens jings and help ma blog Now, for something different. Alistair from Scotland is a brilliant author and a delight to behold. I've been following this eccentric blogger for quite a long time, and he never disappoints. Poetry, holiday trips, and everyday thoughts. He's a genius.

also . . . ME! Yes, I've been awarded the Liebster Blog Award by Breath of the Dragon; a fellow pyrographer from Washington State who loves to blog and follows many.

The Liebster Blog Award (German word for 'favorite') is granted to promising blogs with less than 200 followers - it's a great way to spotlight their talents and share their blogs.

When a Liebster Award is given, the recipent needs to take care of a few rules
to keep the honor going:

#1 Post the Liebster Award image on your blog

#2 Say thank you to the blogger that chose you for their favorites, and give a link back to their blog

#3 List your Top 5 blogs, and leave a comment so those bloggers know they have been selected for the honor

#4 Spread the love and visit some new blogs, and always feel good about your efforts

Edge of the Wildwood would like to recognize the blogs listed above for their quality of content, their original perspective and mostly for the time and devotion in creating liebster blogs!

I'm a follower!

CATurday purfect pose

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

smile! your on catty camera

it's it's a BLOGFIRE Blitz

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

And a girl in the corner let no one ignore her

'Cause she thinks she's the passionate one

Blogs are ablaze with news of the BLOGFIRE group promotion
The Blitz!

BlogFire is a group of blistering HOT bloggers that seller their handmade goods on ArtFire

Add some fuel to the fire for the BlogFire Blitz! Edge of the Wildwood is promoting a special handmade item from my ArtFire shop:

woodburned bookends called "ONCE UPON A TIME . . ."

It's storytime! A functional and beautiful pair of bookends with "Once Upon a Time" and "they lived happily ever after"

A prancing white unicorn is featured on the 'Once Upon' bookend, with a bronze horn to match the color around the edges. The fanciful lettering fills the space and brings to mind many a sweet fairytale.

The cute grey squirrel adorns the "happily ever after" bookend, collecting his golden acrons and oak leaves. The edges and acorn tops are colored with metallic bronze. A simple but playful lettering is carefully woodburned for a timeless and fun display.

Sold as a pair, these bookends are sure to please a young reader. A soft matte finish cuts down on glare and makes the pieces very touchable. Sturdy metal book holders bear the weight of the books, making for a long lasting product. Easy to ship!

Each bookend is approx. 9.5" tall x 5" wide

(click on any of these images to go directly to ONCE UPON A TIME)

There's MORE!!! The BlogFire Blitz continues
with a special item from Karen at

Will Oaks Studio blog:

handcrafted artisan jewelry at affordable prices

Follow the BLOGIFRE BLITZ by clicking on the link

. . . . it's getting hot in here:)

Oh, yeah, it was like lightning, everybody was frightening

And the music was soothing, and they all started grooving

me zombie

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

. . . e a t b r a i n s ! ! ! !

CATurday this is spooky

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

in memory of PEPPER

where all the cool people chat

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

wordless wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Here lies

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Found a funny collection of tombstone epitaphs to get us all in a creepy, Halloween mood!

Here lies Billy Brown
Lost at sea and never found

Here lies Walter Dudley
He found out too late,
Dobermans aren't cuddly.

Here lies departed Jim Migg
He would like for you to dig

Here lies old Mrs. Derns
Now being eaten by lots of worms

Here lies poor old Lester Moore.
Took four slugs from .44
No Les, no more ...

Here lies Frank McGloan
By a gun he's dead
Was caught in bed
With a wife that wasn't his own

Here lies the father of 29
There would have been more
But he ran out of have time

Here lies my wife in earthy mould
Who when she lived did naught but scold
Good friends go softly in your walking
Lest she should wake and rise up talking

Here lies Gil, a teen
A tisket, a tasket,
His head lies in the casket

Here lies dearly departed Bill
He always lied and he always will
He lied once too often and now he lies still

Here lies good old Fred
A great big rock fell on his head

Here lies beloved brother Tor,
He couldn't take it anymore

Here lies the body of Thomas Kemp
Who lived by wool and died by hemp

Here lies ex-spy Nathan Wood
This time he's underground for good

Here lies thieving Kid McGraw
He was quick on the trigger
But slow on the draw

Here lies the body of John Doe
He had no where else to go

Here lies Matthew Mudd
Death did him no hurt
When alive he was Mudd,
But now he's only dirt!

Here lies Ned -
There is nothing more to be said
Because we like to speak well of the dead

Here lies Anne Mann
Who lived an old maid,
But died an old Mann

Caturday cuddle

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

puuurrrr - yeah, a little to the right - purrrr

Birding in Tennessee: Wood Thrush

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Returns in April or May to the same forests in Tennessee to nest, the wood thrush can be found statewide during the summer. The sweet, flute-like call of the wood thrush is a familiar sound in the deep woods. Thrushes have a complicated song box that lets them hit two notes at the same time and gives their voice harmony. The wood thrush song is widely considered the most beautiful birdsong in North America.

Naturalist Henry David Thoreau wrote about the wood thrush:

Whenever a man hears it he is young, and Nature is in her spring; wherever he hears it, it is a new world and a free country, and the gates of Heaven are not shut against him

For a 'thrush' this bird is rather large. Head, back and wings are a rusty reddish brown with darker colorings into the tail feathers. A big round white belly with black spots make the wood thrush easy to spot from a distance.

Wood thrushes have been observed 'anting'. Anting is when a bird picks up ants and rubs them on it's feathers. This behaviour is not understood but many have something to do with preening.

Interesting tidbit on the wood thrush: their nest often contains pieces of white paper or cloth.

BIRDING is a special series of article from Edge of the Wildwood that profiles various species of wild birds in Tennessee. Read more wildlife profiles listed below this post - or follow the BIRDING link for a complete set of articles.

occupy this - buy handmade

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

badges!!? we don't need no stinkin' badges!

About 3 or 4 years ago there was a very successful online initiative called BUY HANDMADE that called for people to take a pledge to buy handmade products. Crafters and artists embraced the concept and soon badges started appearing everywhere "I took the handmade pledge". Why, you could hardly visit a marketplace or community craft site without finding the catchy green and gray images.

We pledged, we purchased, and we spread our enthusiasm for our niche market.

I don't know how many individuals signed onto the pledge page at BUY HANDMADE, but it was impressive and encouraging. Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? We kinda lost count. But we all felt good about it, and our intentions were honest.

Sorry to tell you this, but the BUY HANDMADE.org site is no longer in operation. Many crafters are still harboring the (code for) badges/buttons on their blogs, but those widgets are no longer working. Maybe it's temporary, and the "buy handmade pledge" will come back to us?

A quick google search for 'buy handmade' directs you to some thoughtful articles with everything from reasons to buy handmade, to actual articles for sale. There's even a new pledge page on Inspire Handmade.

Maybe it's time for a new grassroots effort to benefit the makers of handmade goods? Occupy handmade! own it. feels it's power. bring it to the people.

wordless wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Promised Land Trail

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

When it comes to taking care of visitors, Tennessee treats you right!

A special series of driving trails (some are train rides, too) gives you a chance to explore the scenery and mix with the locals all you can stand:)

Great thing about these trails: do-it-yourself. You make the plans, pack up and you're off! Tour the way you always wanted, and whatever pace suits you.

I'm really impressed with this cool website that lays out the trails for you and lets you download the travel guides TN TRAILS AND BYWAYS

I have just about got my family agreeing to take the Promised Land Trail with me - as long as we visit a battlefield, stop at a winery and take a horse ride. Well, not in that particular order I'd imagine. My blog readers will enjoy some photos and stories from that adventure.

Tennessee has alot to see

when I think

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Beloved, my Beloved, when I think

that thou wast in the world a year ago,

What time I sat alone here in the snow

and saw no footprint, heard the silence sink

No moment at thy voice,... but, link by link,

when counting all my chains, as if that so

they never could fall off at any blow

Struck by thy possible hand...why,

thus I drink

of life's great cup of wonder!

Wonderful

Never to feel thee thrill the day or night

with personal act or speech - nor ever cull

some prescience of thee with the blossoms white

Thou sawest growing! Atheists are as dull

Who cannot guess God's presence out of sight.

-ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING

dedicated to my husband, Jody on our 26th Wedding Anniversary

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

1 box of 2 pie crust ( the kind in refr. section (rolled)
2 chicken breast, cooked and cut up - or 1 can chicken breast (12.5 oz)drained
1 can mixed veggies, drained, (or about 1 cup frozen or leftovers)
1 baked potato cut up (optional, just makes it hearty)
1/4 cup instant potatoes
2 cups chicken broth
salt lightly

remove piecrust from refr. to warm up.
preheat oven 350.
unroll pie crust into deep pie pan,mash the sides up some so it won't fall in.
spread veggies on bottom
add chicken
add broth, and sprinkle instant potatoes on top.
cover w/ top crust and crimp edges (for the martha stewart look make a "Y" with thumb and pointer finger, on the edges put your y down and push you other thumb between them=do that all the way around)
bake about 1 hour til golden brown/ cool some before slicing. serves 4

BIG THANK YOU TO MAMA FOR SENDING ME THIS RECIPE AND PHOTOS

wordless wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

wisdom of the wildwood

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Just added to my private library: WILDWOOD WISDOM by Ellsworth Jaeger

A special birthday gift from my husband, I've had this book on my Amazon wish list for a few years now - and I'm finding the information and tone of the book to be very exciting!

We've been campers since childhood and we often try to accomplish some old woodcraft wilderness know-how that we pickup here and there.

Wildwood Wisdom is a complete source for all sorts of outdoor activites and I think we'll enjoy it for many years to come.

toungus amoung us

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

What a strange sight to see this fungus growing out of a tree knot!

looks like it's sticking it's tounge out at us:)

This is no small mushroom, folks - it's roughly the size of a boot, with rough dark ridge under the fleshy part. The 'toungus' (as I've started calling it) has been growing for so long that spider web strings are forming under it's lip.

Toungus can be seen from the road, and clearly seen from any window in the front of our house.

Is this tree trying to tell us something? Is toungus a danger to the tree? we don't know!

Caturday is the life for me

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

a stately military manner

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

I'm fascinated to find out some details about Winifred Hayne Tennille, my great-great-Grandmother's family from Georgia. I was able to locate these silhouettes of Winifred and her husband.

I'll post more later about Winnie's life and her wagon trip from Texas that made her a legend in our family.

But, I found so much more information about her grandfather,
Lt. Col. Francis Tennille (1747-1812)

spouses: Miss Pollard; Mary Bacon Dixon (1774-1848)

Francis was a Lieutenant Colonel. He was a resident of Virginia and Georgia and founder of the Georgia family. He was a member of the Georgia Society of the Cincinnati. He was granted lands for services in the Revolution

Lieut. Col. Francis Tennille (1747-1812) as the first settler of that name in Washington County, Georgia, moving there from Virginia before the Revolutionary War. He was a surveyor for the State and his brother Benjamin was his Deputy and one or both of these names appear on nearly all the old land grants from before 1790 to 1800 and after. He erected and lived in the first frame house ever erected in the county. The lumber was sawed out with a "whip saw" that is, the logs were raised on blocks and one man below and one above operated the saw. The house was still standing about 1900 five miles northwest of Sandersville and at that time was the homestead of Cullen Murphy.

He was a lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, Georgia Brigade of the Continental Line. In several histories it is stated that General Howe, while at Cherokee Hill, South Carolina, after his retreat from Georgia, dispatched Lieut. Tennille with orders to Major Joseph Lane commanding at Sunbury and to Lieut. Aaron Smith of the 3rd Regt. of S.C. who was in command at Ogeechee Ferry "to evacuate their posts, retreat across the country and rejoin the main army." It is recorded as a matter of some importance that Lieut. Tennille successfully accomplished his mission & that "the order was received in ample time".

It is also a matter of record that Captain Francis Tennille and a number of other officers of the Continental Army were voted by the Georgia House of Assembly certain grants of land in recognition of their services to the State in that they "voluntarily did duty in common with privates of the militia under Col. Elija Clark". It may be interesting to mention here the names of the officers who with Capt. Tennille received land grants "proportional to the rank of each" agreeable to the above mentioned ranks in the Continental Army. The list is from the Journal of the House of Assembly as published in the Georgia Gazette, Thursday June 9th 1785 and is as follows: Lieut. Col. John McIntosh, Maj. John Milton, Capt. Lackland McIntosh, Capt. Francis Tennille, Capt. John Morrison, Capt. Cornelius Collins, Lieut. Nathaniel Pearre, Lieut. John Mitchell, Lieut. John Maxwell, Lieut. Robert Howe, Lieut. Harry Allison, Lieut. John Peter Wagnon, and Lieut. Christopher Hillary.

After the close of the War, Lieut. Tennille received from the General government a commission as captain by brevet, in recognition of his services in the Continental army. This commission was in possession of his son Col. Francis Tillman Tennille until after the civil war when a member of the family hoping to establish a claim sent it with a number of other commissions of Col. Francis T. to Washington where it was lost. William Alexander Tennille his grandson said he had often handled this commission and remembered it well. It was signed by General Miflin, Adjutant General of the Army. The title Lieut. Col., which he held, is supposed to indicate his rank in the militia.

He was an original or charter member of the Society of the Cincinnati, as is shown by the records of the society. He was also a member of the Masonic Fraternity as we know from a demit from the Warrenton Lodge found among his papers. Major Joel Crawford who was Lt. Col. Tennille's attorney and who was with his son William A. in the battle with the Indians at Autossee, Ala. (Pickets History of Alabama) lived to a great age. He told one of the Colonel's grandsons that he "knew the old officer well and he was a splendid specimen of a survivor of the old Revolution and had a stately military manner". Col. Tennille was twice married first it is believed to a Miss Pollard of Virginia; his second wife was Mary Bacon Dixon who was born in Virginia in 1773 and died in Washington County, Ga, at the home of his son Francis Tillman in the year 1848 - 36 years after the death of her husband.

_________________________________

Our own family records go back to roughly 1838; Winifred Hayne was the granddaughter of Lt. Col Tennille. and the daughter of Algernon Sydney Tennille and Louise Dunbar

wordless wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

without a guide, I'm lost

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

I'm often asked if my woodburning is freehand. I explained in my video blog post IS IT FREEHAND? that my work usually calls for precision, and therefore I use tracing and patterns to achieve the detailed work that I love.

These are some examples of my precision woodburning:

But also I look back at a few simple projects that I was able to do without any sort of artwork, drawing, patterns or tracing... the real deal freehand! One such item is the woodburned egg I call GNOME GUIDE

Each element of the gnome character was not planned or practiced (on paper). I simply went with the concept and filled in what I felt would work for a trail guide gnome.

Finding your way through a mountain of toys? need a guide?

This egghead character is a adventurous gnome who knows his terrain! Ready for a hike with a walking stick and trail marker, The Gnome Guide has got a reputation as a big storyteller and can be found puffing his pipe and telling a great tale of how he earned his trackers patch.

His enourmous hiking shoes are well worn out, and his favorite saying is printed on the back of his shirt: FOLLOW ME

A sneaky mouse called Whistle is his constant companion.

Woodburned on a solid (wooden) egg and colored with soft pencils, the delightful details come to life. A rubbed finish of food safe walnut oil will help preserve the decoration.

Easy to ship, and no breakage!

3 1/4" tall

$22.00

Follow this link to buy The Gnome Guide!

Freehand may not be an effective method on most of my pieces - but it works great for this little guy!

Birding: Federal Laws Protect Birds and their feathers

noreply@blogger.com (Carey Lynn) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

In order for wild birds to thrive, it's necessary for humans to avoid interferring with them. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is an important conservation Act that the U.S. implemented in 1918 - and was also the first federal environmental law.

Over 800 species of migratory and game birds are protected under this law; dead, living, feathers, nest, eggs and (sometimes) their habitat. Only a few narrow exceptions are made for bona fide Native American ceremonies, and for qualified scientific research.

Have you found a nest of birds on your property? your private property? You'd be well advised not to disturb the birds by moving, removing or handling them in any way. Don't collect feathers or allow children to capture any birds - the penalties are no joke. A misdemeanor conviction carries a fine of $500 to $15,000 with a felony violation that involves baiting a bird, or selling parts up to $100,000 and minimum of one year imprisonment.

Be warned, many of these laws have a "know or should have known" standard that requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to pursue any offeners.

Protection for birds

MBTA is a well-established law, and has been in enforcement for over 90 years. There have been some controversial cases, and some individuals and corporations have tried to challenge the spirit of the MBTA. It stands as the law of our land.

Follow our series called BIRDING for insight into the birds of Tennessee! We feature fascinating bird species that nest in our state year round or in migration.