Byrne's Bytes

Welcome 2009! A new year with NEW GOALS!

Did you consider any new goals for this coming year? Many people set goals around, health (or weight loss), Finances... better management of funds or stepping up in savings, or spending more time with family, and communication skills. During this issue, I will try to suggest links, recipes and ideas to help with some of these areas!

Wishing you and your loved ones a Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

During vacations people expect to pack on a few pounds. How about picking a vacation that can be exilerating, fun and active? Try one of these spots...

A typical day on the ranch

http://www.doubleeranch.com/day.html

A meditation and yoga retreat in paradise

http://www.ulpotha.com/index.html

A weight loss SPA!

http://www.hhhealth.com/

I think I could go to any of these spots and ENJOY it!!!

Would you join me?

Mosaic Flowerpot

MATERIALS:
Newspaper
Pieces of broken pottery, tiles, beads, marbles, beach glass, shells or charms
Ceramic tile grout (available at hardware stores)
Plastic knife
Terra-cotta flowerpot
Sponge
1. Cover the work area with newspaper. Before starting to decorate the pot, sort through the pottery pieces and discard any that have sharp edges (a parent's job). 2. Spread a heavy layer of tile grout onto the flowerpot with the plastic knife. Then press the tile pieces into the wet grout. When finished, spread a little more grout between the pieces so that most of the broken edges are covered. 3. After the pot is dry, wipe off any grout film with a damp sponge.

(Craft can be found at: http://www.familyfun.com/)

Hawaiian Chicken Strips

4 cups Rice Chex Brand Cereal (crushed)

1/2 cup Flaked Coconut

2 Pinches Cayenne Pepper

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 tablespoon Honey

1 LB Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut into 1/2 inch wide strips)

2 (20 oz.) cans pineapple chunks

2 Red Or Green Bell Peppers (cut into 3/4 inch pieces)

30 (10 Inch) Bamboo Skewers

Heat the oven to 400. In a large plastic bag, combine the cereal, coconut and cayenne pepper. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and honey. Stir the chicken strips into the mayonnaise mixture. Place the strips in the bag with the cereal mixture, a few at a time, and shake until well coated. Thread each strip onto a skewer with 2 chunks each of the pineapple and the bell pepper. Place the skewers on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until the strips are no longer pink in the center. Remove to a platter and serve.

There are approximately ten million bricks in the Empire State Building.

From space, the brightest man-made place is Las Vegas, Nevada.

Contrary to popular belief, only one alligator has ever been found in the New York City sewer system. The 125 pound (57 kilogram) alligator was pulled out by four boys way back in 1935

Values on the Monopoly gameboard are the same today as they were in 1935

Escape maps, compasses, and files were inserted into Monopoly game boards and smuggled into POW camps inside Germany during W.W.II; real money for escapees was slipped into the packs of Monopoly money

Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time

There are more than 200 kinds of chili peppers, none of which belong to the pepper family

Burger King® uses approximately 1/2 million pounds of bacon every month in its restaurants