What a busy week! I don't know about others, but I used to think you worked all week and spent the weekend doing "whatever" that included church on Sunday. Weekends are still time to break out of the routine for the most part, but as it adult it seems I work harder on weekends catching up on all the work I let go during the week! Last weekend was that way and this weekend coming will be little different. Saturday is the 13th annual Beekeeping Symposium at Auburn University, and while it will be great to catch up with all my beekeeping buddies and enjoy the classes, I'm also committed to helping with a huge meal and teaching a workshop. So it's won't be all play, but I'll enjoy it nonetheless.

Much of this week has been devoted to web work and product development. I found a graphics designer who is scheduled to have my new product logo ready mid February. We're excited about this - it's been a long time in the works. I've got a new candle design almost ready for the store and have made a few dozen more tubes of Fire Ant First Aid. As soon as I get confirmation I'll have shows lined up for March and April as well. Dates are to be announced!

It's hard to believe we've only got a week left of January 2008. Even with the cold there has been plenty to do keeping Norman's books, cutting out quilts for my mom, picking out pecans and running kids too and fro. I've a new bee helper, a boy from church who loves nothing better than to be outside catching chickens and the like. We spent a warm Saturday checking hives for food reserves. One was doing poorly and we took measures to keep them safe and fed. Hopefully they'll make it. We've had colder temperatures this year with temps dropping into the twenties several times. Montgomery even had snow!

So there has been a lot to do. Norman and Becky have seen to the cows. He's staying wrapped up with LocalHelpWanted and truck sales. Becky has been occupied with school, music, the school yearbook and friends as time allows. She had her senior portraits taken last night. She's going on a missions trip to Costa Rica this summer and is getting started on her fund raisers.

We found out yesterday that her cousin, Zack from Phoenix, is going too. What's that saying Cindy had . . . . "Horton, party of FUN." Yes, it's a missions trip and it will be serious, but where two or three Hortons are gathered together a party usually breaks out! I have no doubt the laughter will break down barriers so God can really speak to the kids. It will be good and I wish I were going!

I may not be going to Costa Rica but I am going to Auburn. Dr. Tew asked me to teach a workshop on Gardening at the 13th annual Beekeeping Symposium Feb. 2. I've been doing a lot of research for that. Earlier this week I scrapped my original outline and started from scratch with something that flows better. Phillip Carter reviewed it for me and gave it a thumbs up. Now I've just got to get the power point part of it done.

Workwise I'm happy to announce new packaging for Fire Ant First Aid. It took a bit of creativity to make it happen but it's now available in .15 ounce tubes. Westside Pharmacy has already switched their inventory to the new size and I've got to make more before I approach the other stores. I REALLY like it. The tube is small enough to keep in my pocket and I don't have to touch it to apply it. It always bothered me a bit that I seemed to waste a little when I wiped my fingers after applying it. The other plus is that it's much more affordable.

Another interesting thing with Fire Ant First Aid - I've used it with wonderful results on two spider bites this year. My friend Joe told me they were brown recluse bites but I can't confirm that as 1) I didn't see the spiders and 2) I didn't have the classic necrotic symptoms. But I did have small painful ulcers with huge red whelps around them. Both times I applied the cream, covered it with a bandage and repeated that step several times. The redness went away within a few hours and I discontinued treatment once the ulcer made a scab a couple of days later. They heal slow, but thank the Lord, they DID heal.

What Happens to Your Body Within an Hour of Drinking a Coke

Do you want to be healthy? Drinking soda is bad for your health in so many ways; science can’t even state all the consequences. Here’s what happens in your body when you assault it with a Coke:

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.

BOTTOM LINE - Don't touch the stuff.

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said, "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...and then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate life provided us life makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.

It's Monday, and the first day of the first normal work week of the new year. I would have never thought to be saying it, but it's good to be back to our crazy version of normal. I spent the bulk of my day in the office doing office things. Normally I detest balancing a zillion accounts, mailing a zillion different things and the like, but today I actually enjoyed it a bit. I had hoped to have all that done for the week but with closing out accounting years for three or four sets of books it didn't happen and probably won't tomorrow either.

A few days ago I reflected on 2007. Presently I'm reflecting on our holidays here as they were so different than they've been in years past. I don't want to forget anything so what follows is for MY benefit only.

12/6 Beekeepers Dinner, I turned presidency over to WGM (big smile)
12/13 Becky's piano recital
12/14 Ladies Luncheon at my house
SS Dinner @ Carrolls
12/18 Justin Saunders band concert
12/20 Packed prison bags with McHughs and Greenes
Teens came to our house for overnight party
12/21 I took the plunge and changed my hair color
The teens volunteered for Salvation Army
12/23 The three of us delivered Prison Bags. NH and Beck went into the jail for the first time
The three of us went up to Moms. I got to see the lights in Wedowee again.
12/24 Norman and my annual day out. We visited Rhenda too.
Becky and MaMaw had a good day together
12/25 Christmas with Mom and Dad.
Visited Uncle Jimmy in the afternoon
12/26 Came home
12/27 Dennis, Tony and my Grandbaby came for dinner
12/30 Lunch and a good visit with Amanda
12/31 Church New Years Eve event. Becky & Karyn did "You're Not That Far Away"
1/1 I visited Kammi's house!
1/4 Hillary came.
1/5 A good regular Saturday with the three of us, Hillary, and (ahem!) doing church and farm stuff topped with good home cooked Chinese food.

Even with all the hustle and bustle we loved Jesus most through it all and I've had to conclude that His love is what makes being with those you love this time of year so special. One of the best parts was rocking Little Dennis to sleep. He's not my biological grandbaby, but every bit mine in a spiritual sense. The evening they were over he was fussy so Mamma Horton took over and rocked him to sleep. He let out a big sigh and slumped into a deep slumber when he heard the tune to Amazing Grace. I was so blessed that he's being raised this way.

So - it's off to chasing lions this year! I'm presently going through Mark Batterson's book a second time and enjoying it every bit as much as I did first time around. My mom and sisters and I are coordinating on a big quilt project which I'm in the process of cutting out. I'll be teaching a class in Auburn early February. Cookie, Kammi and Naomi and going to Kuwait the end of this month and I'm so jealous. Brian graduates college early May, Becky graduates a couple of weeks later, goes to Costa Rica in July and starts college in the fall. Norman and I are choosing shows to do this spring. Whatever happens, if we thought 2007 had a lot of changes 2008 has more in store. I don't know if I'm ready, but Sword in hand, I'm charging full speed ahead.