Dragonfly Treasure

Starbucks Knockoff

2012-02-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

Frugal Time!

I had promised you recipes for coffee flavorings in my

but haven't gotten around to it.

I apologize and intend to remedy that today

with some of our favorite knockoffs!

Now these, of course, will not taste exactly like Starbucks but you can tweak them to your liking. Once you figure in the money you're saving they taste much better! LOL

I make the mixes up and store them in mason jar with homemade labels.

But whatever thrifty airtight glass containers you find are fine.

With all the "negative things" coming out regarding plastic,

I try to stay with glass as much as possible.

My favorites include:

Cappuccino Coffee Creamer

1 cup hot chocolate mix

3/4 cup dry non-dairy creamer

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup dry non-dairy coffee creamer

1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla

Melissa's fave is:

Cinnamon Coffee Creamer

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup dry milk

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ty's fave is:

Toffee Coffee Creamer

1 cup dry non-dairy creamer

1/2 brown sugar

Cody's fave is:

Mocha Coffee Creamer

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup nonfat dry milk

1 tablespoons cocoa

We all like:

A Snowy Night Coffee Creamer

2 cups hot chocolate mix

2 cup dry non-dairy creamer

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For those of you who like Amaretto:

Amaretto Coffee Creamer

3/4 cup dry non-dairy creamer

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

The amount you add to your cup of hot coffee depends on the size of your cup and how strong you like your flavor. I normally use a larger 14 oz cup and add 2-3 heaping teaspoon fulls,

just to give you an idea.

One of the good things about making these dry mixes is that you can control how much sugar you use. Or you could even use Splenda in place of the sugar since they are measured the same. Another thing is these can be made into instant flavored coffee mixes by adding 1/2 cup, more or less depending on your taste, to the mix.

Another way I keep costs down is by making my own...

Hot Chocolate Mix

5 1/2 cups dry milk

1 cup cocoa powder

3 cups sugar

1 cup dry non-dairy creamer

Use 1/3 cup of dry mix to 1 cup of hot water

for 1 cup of Hot Chocolate.

Enjoy!

Mannequin Makeover

2012-02-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted a mannequin...

let's face it,

if you don't already have one you want one too!

When my friend Dawn heard,

the next time she visited

she brought an old adult one

for me that she had.

Thank you so much Dawn!!

I've had it for a while and using it regularly.

I've been wanting the adult to have more definition

as she is a shell.

She had a broken leg that I taped for stabilization.

I had an idea.

Didn't know if it would work,

but felt it was worth a try

I have a pile of filling bags from garage sales.

I always pick them up when I see them

mainly because they are usually 10-50 cents.

I decided to start with an old blanket.

I shaped it to fit inside her shell and taped it in place.

Then I used the filling to fill in her legs, arms, and neck.

It was all secured with tape to hold in in place.

Once secured, I covered the back with tape.

Trimmed around the edges...

and decoupaged the whole thing with and old vintage sewing pattern I had.

I really like the different shades from where the pieces over lap,

makes it look older to me.

Now I can use it to display my latest jewelry....

or an old dress I Love....

(I know it needs to be ironed, I was in a hurry!)

Or both!

I am linking this to Carol at The Polka Dot Closet

for her Mannequin Dress form party.

Pop over and join the fun!

Valentine Clip Art

2012-02-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

L♥ve in in the air ~

An assorted variety of Valentine clip art dotted with some

classical Love poems.

Enjoy :)

Courtesy of Dover Publications

and my personal collection

♥♥♥

Neoclassical and Art Nouveau Images

2012-02-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

Courtesy Dover Publications

Enjoy ♥

Woman and a Fork

2012-02-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.

Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly.

'What's that?' came the Pastor's reply.

'This is very important,' the young woman continued.

'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.'

The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.

That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked.

'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor.

The young woman explained. 'My Grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!'

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork ...

The best is yet to come.'

The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, 'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. Cherish the time you have and the memories you share. Being friends with someone is not an opportunity, but a sweet responsibility.

And just remember...keep your fork!

The BEST is yet to come!

Shirely Temple

2012-02-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

Who didn't love Shirley Temple?

I for one adored her movies.

Shirley could do it all:

act, sing and dance and all at the age of five!

Making her first movie at 3, she was easily the most popular and famous child star of all time.

She was bright, bouncy and cheerful.

I remember laying on the couch, after an appendectomy, and watching her movies.

I was in second grade so I'm sure they were repeats (as we called them in those days).

Made no difference to me, I always watched whenever they came on.

Anyway, I came across these are thought they were just darling,

so I'm sharing them with you.

Enjoy ♥

Road Trip ~ Part 3

2012-02-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

After gawking at all the Seals

it was time for some serious beach combing.

(you may want to escape now due to the amount of photos!)

and a little "rock" climbing...er balancing for T ;)

Lovin' Cody's hat

aww a poor Jellyfish

Don't touch!

Dawn's grand kids go gaga for seashells!

I go gaga for wildlife footprints!

♥ the intersection

too funny how they go around the small rocks

The tide was out so we were able to see lots of mussels attached to rocks

♥ a seashell ♥

rush hour traffic!

underwater patterns

Neighborhood Watch

♥ Sandpipers

love their beaks!

marker 17

yup, more prints

(hey you were warned!)

pattern's in the sand

rusty pipe embedded in a rock

cool!

Tide's coming in

time to hit the road!

If you sat through all of these I applaud you!

The most bizarre true murder Mystery ever

2012-01-30T20:11:00.000-08:00

Truth is stranger than fiction.

Murder Mystery (true story)
For those who have served on a jury...this one is something to think about. Just when you think you have heard everything!!           Do you like to read a good murder mystery? Not even Law and Order would attempt to capture this mess. This is an unbelievable twist of fate!
    At the 1994 annual awards dinner given for Forensic Science, (AAFS) President, Dr. Don Harper Mills astounded his audience with the legal complications of a bizarre death. Here is the story:          On March 23,1994, the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound to the head. Mr. Opus had jumped from the top of a ten-story building intending to commit suicide.
    He left a note to the effect indicating his despondency. As he fell past the ninth floor, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window, which killed him instantly.      Neither the shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been installed just below the eighth floor level to protect some building workers and that Ronald Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide the way he had planned.      The room on the ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated, was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. They were arguing vigorously and he was threatening her with a shotgun! The man was so upset that when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife, and the pellets went through the window, striking Mr. Opus.
    When one intends to kill subject 'A' but kills subject ' B ' in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject ' B.'

When confronted with the murder charge, the old man and his wife were both adamant, and both said that they thought the shotgun was not loaded The old man said it was a long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to murder her. Therefore the killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, assuming the gun had been accidentally loaded.

The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading the shotgun about six weeks prior to the fatal accident. It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support and the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would shoot his mother.

Since the loader of the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of the murder even though he didn't actually pull the trigger. The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.

Now comes the exquisite twist....

Further investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald Opus. He had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother's murder. This led him to jump off the ten-story building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing through the ninth story window.
The son, Ronald Opus, had actually murdered himself. So the medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.
A true story from Associated Press.

Road Trip ~ Pt 2

2012-01-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

After "visiting" the otters we drove to a little beach nearby.

A group of Seals were out having fun in the sun.

It was so neat to see so many together in the water like that.

Two went off by themselves..hmm

They just wanted to play

spin

and twirl.

That's a tail sticking up!

Lots of birds out and about too.

The a boat came by

and another the other way!

They created quite a wake and the Seals dispersed... :(

A Pelican!

A Duck!

Aha, there's our little friend!!!

more to come :)

Road Trip ~ part 1

2012-01-28T09:57:00.000-08:00

When Dawn comes for a visit we always make our annual trek to Monterey.

It's a given.

We always stop in Moss Landing to see the Otters,

another given.

After searching and searching we finally saw a little brown head poking out of the water.

Isn't he cute!?

He wasn't very active, but it was really cold and windy,

so we thought he was just staying in the water to keep warm.

awe poor cute little guy

While checking out all the boats

we noticed some Ducks

a Mama and her babies.

so we oohed and awed ♥

The extended family were following them...

As the babies got closer to the Otter, we noticed that he really hadn't moved much at all.

How odd that he was just floating there..

was he hurt? or dare I say even dead?

No....

he turned out to be a piece of driftwood

I slunk back into the car.....

...........to be continued

SAM ELLIOTS TAKE ON SLOW RESPONSE

2012-01-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

While hiking down along the border this morning, I saw a Muslim extremist fall into the Rio Grande River . He was struggling to stay afloat because of all the guns and bombs he was carrying.

Along with him was a Mexican who was also struggling to stay afloat because of the large backpack of drugs that was strapped to his back. If they didn't get help, they'd surely drown.

Being a responsible Texan and abiding by the law to help those in distress, I informed the El Paso County Sheriff 's Office and Homeland Security.

It is now 4 PM, both have drowned, and neither authority has responded. I'm starting to think I wasted two stamps.

Barn Raising

2012-01-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

One fun? thing we did while D was here was help B and T build a shed...

(Bet she didn't think we'd put her to work on her vacation.

Anyone else need a get away?? ;) LOL)

OK OK

I know it is not a barn,

BUT we needed as many people as it takes to build a barn for this darn shed!

D and L got to hold the sides up...such a shame I'm too short ;)

They did find me a job.

It was to hand the screws, washers, and nuts..

no wait that's wrong.

It was bolts, washer, nuts, in that order, to whoever was on the ladder.

In this case it was B.

Gees, screws, bolts, can't they all use the same?

Just when I get the rhythm down they switch it up!

Never believe Home Depot when they say

"it will just take a few hours to set up".....

Oops I think there's a hole in the roof :/

Yup, I don't think T should be sticking out of there

Lily even supervised for a while,

but she wasn't much help.

Mmm T's BBQ'ing

Oh now I see why Lily wanted us to hurry..she wants to eat

No, feigning starving won't help Lil

Fix that hole!

Well no wonder it took so long with this bunch of misfits for the crew!

Thanks for your finger up my nose T

and for the bunny ears B...

No respect I tell ya!

Yes we can eat now Lily ♥

Great Valley Museum

2012-01-25T12:13:00.000-08:00

Our friend D came for her annual visit from Wyoming last month.

We always have a blast while she is here. She lifts our spirits and helps us forget any worries we may have.

We try to get out a bit and see the sights.....hey, we do have a few ;)

One of which is Great Valley Museum of Natrual History

which is operated by Modesto Junior College.

My kids have been there but D and I had never been,

so off we went.

Lots of displays such as how feathers were used back in the day....

as well as horns and shells...

even butterfly wings.

Cool fossils to view

Handmade tools from what was available

games too!

Then came the exhibits!

These guys brought back memories of Alaska....

Darn Raccoon scared the bejezus out of me!

Now for the LIVE exhibits!

They actually have a pretty good variety since they are in such a small building.

But there were a couple of things I really didn't need to see since I see them every day in my house!

Ants and spiders...icky icky pukka pukka!!

Stay turned for more of our visit.....

Etsy Cottage Craft Room

2012-01-23T11:26:00.000-08:00

There's a new blog party over at Etsy Cottage Style!!

Now don't expect any pretty pictures from me...

I'm currently combining my bedroom into a combination bedroom/craft room.

It's a slow process and

Frugal

is the key word in my theme.

So you will see some before and after photos...

You may want to cover your eyes...it can be pretty gruesome! LOL

Before

After

I've moved in the Pattern Cabinet.

My Dad got it from JC Penney when he was remodeling their store in Livermore. I have loved it ever since I first saw it, many years ago.

He kept his welding rods in it!

Crazy man! But I guess it was a good place to store them to keep them dry.

The Bakers Rack (after is got a coat of white)

was also moved inside, from the side yard.

Both provide lots of storage.

The Pattern Chest hides all my ribbons and trims,

stamps and ink and other needfuls,

while the Bakers Rack has all my buttons and doo dads

sorted into mason jars that belonged to my Mom and Grandmothers.

Before

At first I only had my dresser for crafting...

Not much storage and that little ledge provided to be interesting

when working on more than one item or a larger than normal one.

Can you say crowded?

I've since moved a 6 ft table in which has become my work space...

Lots of room but it is still crowded...do we ever have enough workspace? LOL

Eventually I would like to exchange places with the dresser and table.

Dispose the top part of the dresser.

and hang shelves on the wall above the table.

After

Yay more drawers for supplies!

Hidden by shutters when not in use.

A hanging 3 tier veggie basket holds adhesives while also

acting as my inspiration board and drying rack.

You may have noticed these feeders from the previous photos.

I needed something readily accessible for my glue gun, glue sticks and other

easily needed supplies

I dug these out of my Treasure Pile and repurposed them.

This one holds my glue sticks perfectly with room on top to store my gun.

I just dry brushed with a little white paint.

This one got a coat of paint and some decals.

These sure look different from when they were being used to feed our rabbits!

The saying goes

"you have to break a few eggs to make a cake"

Well, I've broken dozens!

What a mess!

One thing I had always wanted to do is hang my parents mirror over my bathroom mirror.

Why? I don't know I'm crazy like that!

This mirror hung in our living room while growing up and I l♥ve it!

I think it looks so much better here than where it was in the very first photo of this post.

Don't you?

I've stacked my parents trunks and old suitcases under this tiny, useless window (it doesn't even open).

They are filled with family photos and other mementos.

Never ever enough storage!

They are here now but may exchange places with the bakers rack.

My current projects include:

recycling eyeglass lenses and watch crystals into pendants

and

making memory boxes out of the stash of tins I have.

I'm also working on a garland/banner:

"Bits and Bobs"

containing all the left over smalls from past projects.

I also just made some switch plate covers for a friend and her granddaughter

Eventually I want to paint the room and change out the bed...

but I've been in limbo for the past year and

it doesn't seem like it will end anytime soon.

This limits me as to what I can do as far as changing larger things.

So in the mean time I will continue to create and dream.

I'm also joining Knick of Time Interiors

Wings

2012-01-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

For your pleasure

Enjoy ♥♥♥

COFFEE HURTS

2012-01-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

I was eating lunch on the 20th of February with my 6-year-old

granddaughter and I asked her, "What day is tomorrow?"
She said "It's President's Day!"

She is a smart kid. So, I asked "What does President's Day
mean?" I was waiting for something about Washington or
Lincoln etc.

She replied, "President's Day is when President Obama steps
out of the White House, and if he sees his shadow we have
one more year of unemployment."

You know, it hurts when hot coffee spurts out your nose...

Thanks Pete

♥ Be Mine ♥

2012-01-19T09:33:00.000-08:00

Just a few of the Valentine beauty's listed right n♥w

In my Etsy Sh♥p

Stop in and take a peek ♥

Good Point!

2012-01-18T21:44:00.000-08:00

When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Is this man truly a genius?

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

It could not be any simpler than that.

Remember, there IS a test coming up. The 2012 elections.

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

Since U Been Gone

2012-01-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

"Since U Been Gone"

by Kelly Clarkson

Here's the thing we started out friends

It was cool but it was all pretend

Yeah yeah

Since U Been Gone

You dedicated you took the time

Wasn't long till I called you mine

Yeah Yeah

Since U Been Gone

And all you'd ever hear me say

Is how I pictured me with you

That's all you'd ever hear me say

But Since U Been Gone

I can breathe for the first time

I'm so moving on

Yeah, yeah

Thanks to you

Now I get

What I want

Since U Been Gone

How can I put it? You put me on

I even fell for that stupid love song

Yeah, yeah

Since U Been Gone

How come I'd never hear you say

I just wanna be with you

I guess you never felt that way

But Since U Been Gone

I can breathe for the first time

I'm so moving on

Yeah, yeah

Thanks to you

Now I get (I get) what I want

Since U Been Gone

You had your chance you blew it

Out of sight, out of mind

Shut your mouth I just can't take it

Again and again and again and again

Since U Been Gone

I can breathe for the first time

I'm so moving on

Yeah, yeah

Thanks to you (thanks to you)

Now I get, I get what I want

I can breathe for the first time
I'm so moving on

Yeah, yeah

Thanks to you (thanks to you)

Now I get (I get)

You should know (you should know)

That I get, I get what I want

Since U Been Gone

Where's Winter?

2012-01-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

I'm joining in:

ECS Garden Cottage Party

We have had such a mild Winter this year it's scary.

I think we've gone from Fall right into Spring.

We really need rain. We haven't had any this year.

I think this Summer will be draught central.

But these little guys don't mind,

they are blooming their little heads off.

Last year I made this planter out of scrap wood, laths to be specific.

Some paint and decals added some fun.

Decals are one of my favorite things.

They can add so much interest to anything.

Love to add them to mason jars lids

Pretty :)

But in the mean time I'm just dreaming of my Lilacs

and other Spring flowers

Sending warm rose scented hugs ♥♥

Creative talent at work here . . .

2012-01-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Some of these hands should never be washed.

Simply Amazing!

The Velveteen Rabbit

2012-01-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

For your Imagination ~ ~

Employee of the Month

2012-01-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

We have a winner!!

Multi-tasking at its best!

This is the level of dedication we expect from all

staff! .....There is a reason laptop spelled backwards is potpal

A Conglomeration of Bird Images

2012-01-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

Courtesy Dover Publications

Enjoy ♥

Final Exam

2012-01-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

At Penn State University there were four sophomores taking chemistry and all of them had an 'A' so far. These four friends were so confident in their grades that the weekend before finals they decided to visit some outside friends and have a big party. They had a great time, but after all the hearty partying they slept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to Penn State until early Monday morning.

Rather than take the final as scheduled, they decided that after the final was given they would explain to their professor why they missed it. They said that they had visited friends, but on the way back they had a flat tire. As a result, they missed the final. The professor agreed they could make up the final the next day. The guys were excited and relieved. They studied that night for the exam.

The next day the Professor placed them in separate rooms and gave them a test booklet. They quickly answered the first problem worth 5 points. Cool, they thought! Each one in separate rooms, thinking this was going to be easy, then they turned the page. On the second page was written. . .

For 95 points: Which tire?