Sunday, November 09, 2008


December 2008
Welcome to the December issue of Byrne's Bytes Newsletter
I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.christmashousebnb.com/san-antonio-bed-and-breakfast-rooms-and-suites.htm

Celebrate Christmas 365 days a year in San Antonio, TX


A very cool craft from Mycraftbook.com here is a picture of the "Milkweed Angel"

http://www.mycraftbook.com/craftidea.asp?craftID=161



English Muffin Bread
cornmeal (for dusting loaf pans)
2 tsp salt
1Tbs sugar
6 cups flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
2 packets yeast
1/4 tsp baking soda

In a large bowl combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and soda. Heat liquids until very warm then add to dry mixture and then beat well.

Stir in rest of flour to make a stiff batter.
Spoon into 2 loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal.
Cover and let rise in warm place for 45 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool.
This is great toasted with butter and jam.


Useless Information

A Christmas club, a savings account in which a person deposits a fixed amount of money regularly to be used at Christmas for shopping, came about around 1905.

A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.

An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

Animal Crackers are not really crackers, but cookies that were imported to the United States from England in the late 1800s. Barnum's circus-like boxes were designed with a string handle so that they could be hung on a Christmas tree.

Before settling on the name of Tiny Tim for his character in "A Christmas Carol," three other alliterative names were considered by Charles Dickens. They were Little Larry, Puny Pete, and Small Sam.

Hallmark introduced its first Christmas cards in 1915, five years after the founding of the company.



Everyone deserves the dignity of providing for themselves and their families.

Advise that anyone could use!
Save $200-$300 a month with these tips

In these tough times, manage what you have better!

http://www.screene.com/free-screensavers/holidays-screensavers/christmas/
Free holiday screen savers

Give the gift of Life... Become a bone marrow donor





Saturday, November 08, 2008


Welcome to the NOVEMEMBER 2008 Issue of
BYRNE'S BYTES!


A beautiful all inclusive resort in Mexico..... I am off to pack my suitcase


This dish has a creamy, flavorful sauce; it's a great way to use leftover turkey or chicken. Use fresh grated Parmesan cheese for the best results.
Turkey Tetrazzini
8 ounces angel hair pasta, uncooked
vegetable cooking spray
2 cups mushrooms, fresh, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp margarine
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup light sour cream
3 Tbsp sherry or white wine
2 tsp basil
1/8 tsp pepper
Dash nutmeg
8 ounces turkey breast, boneless and skinless, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cook pasta in a large pot of rapidly boiling water until done and drain.
In large nonstick skillet prepared with vegetable oil spray, sauté mushrooms and garlic until tender.
Combine mushrooms and cooked pasta in a large casserole dish that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray.
In a nonstick saucepan, melt margarine. Blend in flour using a whisk and stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and continue to stir until sauce boils and thickens. Remove sauce from heat; add sour cream, sherry, basil, pepper, nutmeg, and turkey.
Pour over angel hair mixture. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake 30 minutes until heated thoroughly and lightly browned.

Nutrition FactsCalories: 412Total Fat: 10g% Calories from fat: 22%Protein: 28gCarbohydrate: 51gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 588mg



Family Photo Books
Filled with favorite photos, this is just the present for a relative or special family friend, particularly one your family sees less often than you'd like.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Assorted photos
Craft knife
4-ply and 2-ply rag board (sold at art supply stores)
26-inch-long piece of ribbon
Colored paper
Glue stick
Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Choose seven favorites from a stack of family photos. 2. Use a craft knife to cut two 5- by 6 1/2-inch rectangles from the 4-ply rag board for the book covers. For the inner pages, cut one 5- by 39-inch rectangle from the 2-ply rag board. Lightly mark 6 1/2-inch increments along the long edges of the 2-ply rag board, and accordion-fold the sheet at those marks Use a ruler edge to press the folds into sharp creases. 3. Lay the ribbon on a tabletop and center the folded rag board on top so that the side with three creases is on the left and lines up with the midpoint of the ribbon Apply glue to the top of the folded rag board. Then lay the left side of the ribbon over the glued page and top with one of the book covers, pressing firmly until well stuck. Flip over the book and use the same method to attach the right side of the ribbon and the back cover. 4. Now, cut the colored paper into seven 4- by 5 1/2-inch rectangles. Glue one onto the center of each page and the front cover. Then glue the photos onto the colored paper. Finally, print the year on the front cover. Tips: Open the album into a full circle, tie the ribbon binding into a bow and it's ready to display on an end table or dresser.


USELESS INFORMATION
Mageiricophobia is the intense fear of having to cook.
When the Hoovers did not want to be overheard by White House guests, they spoke to each other in Chinese.
Despite the fact that 77 percent of Americans go to the grocery store with a list, it's estimated that half of everything bought there is bought on impulse. Supermarkets report very strong sales of almost anything they stock at the check-out line.
Giraffes are the only animals born with horns. Both males and females are born with bony knobs on the forehead.
The first paperback book was printed - by Penguin Publishing in 1935.
In Idaho a citizen is forbidden by law to give another citizen a box of candy that weighs more than 50 pounds.
a cool site with lots of fun easy to make gift ideas!
63 gift ideass for under $10
Make your own "Green" shopping bags...free pattern and instructions
Swap DVDs CDs and Books FREE!
"Borrow" designer bags, sunglasses and jewelry!
Kind of Like Ebay
Sharing a Small Smile....




Just a word of thanks to all who expressed interest in looking at Byrne's Bytes...

As you might know the "NEW" improved newsletter site is a work in progress so each minth it might have slightly differant articles and catagories.... I hope you enjoy it, and I am always open to suggestions and ways to make improvements. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Byrne

Friday, October 31, 2008

October 2008










Trick or Treater

MATERIALS:
2 dowels, each 24 inches long and 1 inch in diameter (or use pieces of an old broom handle--just be sure it's not your best flying broom!)
1 pair of old children's sneakers (size 12 or larger)
Electric drill and drill bit
Two 3/4-inch screws
1 pair of tube socks
Sand
Duct tape
1 pair of child's pants (size 4 or larger)
1 shoe box
Ribbon (optional)
Stapler
7-inch lightweight ball
Circle of white material, about 40 inches in diameter. Buy fabric or recycle an old sheet, tablecloth, or ghost. Use a double layer if fabric is see-through.
Black permanent marker
Paper bag with handle (for goody bag)
Binder clip (optional)
Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours

1. Fit a dowel inside and up against the center back of one sneaker. Drill through the back of the sneaker into the dowel to make a screw hole. Screw the sneaker and the dowel together. Repeat to make the other leg. 2. Fill each tube sock with enough sand to fill the shoe and knot the top. Stuff the sand-filled socks deep into the shoes and tie the shoes tightly. Duct-tape the tops of the socks to the dowel legs. 3. Fit the pants over the tops of the dowel legs and let them rest at the ankles. 4. Tape a shoe box between the dowel legs so that the tops of the legs are about halfway up the sides of the box. Pull up the pants and secure them with staples, tape, or a ribbon strung through the belt loops and knotted. 5. Tape the ball to the top of the shoe box as shown. Drape the circle of white material over the ball and secure it by stapling the cloth to the pants in back. 6. Use the marker to draw black eyes and a mouth on the fabric. Decorate the goody bag if you like, then staple the material around the handle or fasten it with a binder clip so it looks as though the Little Trick-or-Treater is holding the bag.

Planning for DaffodilsAfter winter we are all ready for the wonders of spring. One of the cheeriest sights are the bright yellow faces of the Daffodils. However, late summer and early fall is the time we need to be planting and nurturing our jonquils to make sure they are bright and healthy later.
Large daffodil varieties will need 5-6 inches of space between bulbs, and the miniatures will need just 1-3 inches.
The bulbs will be planted at a depth of 3 to 4 times their height
A few things to remember as you are planning:
In the spring, you will be letting the leaves wilt on their own and dry up. They shouldn't be cut because the sunshine needs to replenish them!
If you mix short, tall and medium daffodils make sure they are planted with the taller ones in back so the little ones are not hidden.
They must have lots of sun in the spring, even if that spot is shady later in the summer.
If your bed in just bulbs right now, plan on planting other summer flowers when they fade.

Make sure the soil is loose and humus-rich. If the soil seems dry or a little hard, then add peat and/or manure you can purchase at the garden center.
Mix it in the soil until it's loose and rich looking. Read the instructions on each bulb and plant at that depth. Dig your hole, place in your bulb and fill the hole back up with the soil. After your bed in planted, water well and place about a two inch layer of mulch over the area. Mulch can be leaves that have been sitting and are moist and starting to decompose, wood chips or shredded wood, even grass clippings can be used! If you have a dry fall, it would help the flower bed if you would water now and then when it hasn't rained


Nail Maintenance
Warm a cup of whole milk in the microwave until warm but comfortable to the touch (about 30 sec). Soak your hands for five minutes to strengthen nails and hydrate skin. Milk is loaded with lactic acid, a natural alpha-hydroxy acid that gently exfoliates dead skin, and its high calcium content will strengthen fragile nails.
Cuticle Care1) Soak cuticles in a solution of strong chamomile tea. Chamomile calms irritated skin.2) Clean ragged cuticles by mixing two teaspoons pineapple juice, one egg yolk, and 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Soak nails for twenty minutes before pushing back cuticles with an orange stick. Rub equal parts odorless castor oil and white iodine into your cuticles nightly.


RECIPES



Monster Toes

Ingredients:
Cocktail wieners6-inch tortillasKetchup or mustardToothpicks
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a wedge into the end of each cocktail wiener to make a toenail.2. Cut the tortillas into strips about 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Discard the ends.3. Soften the strips in the microwave between damp paper towels for 10 to 30 seconds.4. Roll each wiener in a tortilla strip and secure with a toothpick.5. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven, then fill the toenail with ketchup or mustard. Remove the toothpicks before serving.



Roasted Ghosts
Ingredients4 cups chopped white potatoes1/4 cup milk1 crushed garlic clove2 tablespoons cream cheese or grated cheddar cheese1/2 tsp salt1/8 tsp pepper1 19-oz can black beans, drained

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until soft. Drain the water, then add the milk, garlic, cream cheese, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher or beat with an electric mixer until creamy and lump-free.
Scoop the potatoes into a pastry bag without a decorator's tip. Squeeze the ghosts onto a lightly buttered cookie sheet so they stand upright. To create ghastly eyes, press two even-sized black beans (or peas) into each ghost's head.
Just before serving, warm the ghosts in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. Serve on white plates and eat with forks or fingers. Makes about 24.


PC TIPS
Feel like giving your computer some room to get work done a little faster? Don't want to remove any programs or files to do it?
Similar to the Scan Disk tool, Disk Cleanup is Windows XP's tool to speed up your computer by removing temporary files that might be cluttering up your disk space. Unlike Scan Disk, Disk Cleanup doesn't require rebooting your computer, and it gives you more control over what it throws away. Before running Disk Cleanup, close all your running windows. (print this tip and close your email and web browser.)
From the Start menu, choose All Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and (finally!) Disk Cleanup. Select the drive you want to clean, which is usually the C drive. For a few moments or minutes, Disk Cleanup will assess your disk for a short time and open a window that tells you how much space you can make available by deleting different files.
I recommend unchecking "Downloaded Program Files". This folder can contain useful add-ins that you might miss in multiple programs. "Setup Log Files" is also best left undeleted in most cases.
If you scroll down within that window, you'll see "Temporary Files". Sometimes ScanDisk will incorrectly show that deleting "Temporary Files" will gain you 0 Kb because it only counts files that are less than 1-2 weeks old. Leave "Catalog Files for the Content Indexer" unchecked. Then click "OK".
Another window will appear. Under the "More Options" tab, you'll see three options with "Clean Up" buttons. Look at the third one. If your system regularly saves System Restore Points, you can delete all but the most recent restore point to reclaim some more space. Click that "Clean Up" button, then "OK".
When you're done, you might want to defragment your cleaned-up disk to make the most of your new space.

Useless Information Did you know.....

Taphephobia is the fear of being buried alive!
Reindeer like to eat bananas.
Walt Disney named Mickey Mouse after Mickey Rooney, whose mother he dated forsome time.
In the United States, deaf people have safer driving records than hearing people nationally.
Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark.
Whoopi Goldberg was a mortuary cosmetologist and a bricklayer before becoming an actress.
A French Kiss is America is an English Kiss in France.

Helpful Hints Home remedies

Trash Bag Idea: Save money on trash bags by reusing plastic grocery bags. Use them in all your trash cans. To keep them from slipping down, affix a plastic, self-adhesive hook to both sides of the inside of the trash can. Hang the shopping bag from the hooks.

Stovetops: To prevent grease and grime from sticking to your stove top, making it easy to clean, rub it down with car wax on occasion.

Stuck-On Food in Pots, Pans, and Crockpots: Fill the pan with water and place a fabric softener sheet in the water. Allow the pan to soak overnight. The food will wipe right out!
Stickers, Decals, and Glue: To remove them from furniture, glass, plastic, etc. saturate with vegetable oil and rub off.
Smelly Cooking Hands: Simply rub your hands over a stainless steel utensil under running water. This works especially well for the odor of garlic, onions or fish.



Welcome to Muttpuppet, Ltd. Instant Dog Entertainment! - Dog Toys, Dogs, All Material Toy
Great gift for the Family dog!

Buy One Real Share of Stock
Great Gift Idea! Cool delivery!

Webshots - Scenery
Very cool pics for your PC wallpaper

What's your Super Hero Name?
You gotta know what your SUPER HERO name is!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/sheep/reaction_version5.swf
Check your reaction time!


EMAIL ME!
JWsHon@aol.com