“Twenty five years ago, the entertainment industry showed the power of community to help our fellow man when we recorded ‘We Are The World’ to bring relief to those suffering from famine in Ethiopia. And while the need to assistant Africa continues, today the country of Haiti is suffering immeasurably from the destruction due to the recent earthquake and is in immediate need of relief that will last long after the television cameras have left. As artists, we have joined together on this 25th anniversary and in the spirit of ‘We Are The World’ to help meet that need.” ~Quincy Jones

The remake featuring over 80 artists from different genres includes Lionel Richie, Carlos Santana, Snoop Dogg, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Rob Thomas, Pink, Jason Mraz, Miley Cyrus, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, T-Pain, Celine Dion, Will.I.Am, Usher, Zac Brown, Gladys Knight, Randy Jackson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Faith Evans and so many more.

Download to donate at world25.org
I loved it! 

♥ My nieces Chelsea and Joey ♥

I love this picture…but I’m not too sure if I love the way the page turned out. I’m going to see if it grows on me whilst waiting for my mo-jo to return. It’s on an extended vacation!

Judge of your natural character by what you do in your dreams.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Another one of those dreams.
FYI- I’m a bit concerned about my sanity. Really.

• My symbolizes some aspect of your relationship
with her, whether it one of sibling rivalry,
caring, protectiveness, etc. Your sister may
draw attention to your family role and sense
of belonging.sister and I were were shopping and ran into “Ann”, an signifies regression into your past where you had no responsibilities
and things were much simpler and carefree. You may be wanting
to escape the the pressures and stresses of adulthood. old friend of hers from high school. “Ann” invited us to her house.

• Once we arrive there, we are escorted to a neighborhood attending a conference suggests that you need to
consider the ideas and opinions of others before
forming your own conclusion. Don’t be so close
minded and listen to what others have to say. conference room to watch the news. They were searching for 2 men, we are now indicates that you are being censored
and not allowed to express yourself.
You feel your creativity is being limited. prisoners of “Anns” planned community.

• While watching the news, “Ann’s” mom smacked my it may represent the struggles and challenges in your life. Consider the
pun “arm yourself” which implies that you need to protect yourself, be
more aggressive and take a firmer stance on thingsarm off the table, it was obstructing her view. Her aunt took my your pulse symbolizes some sort of anxiety in your waking life.pulse and whispered to me it was o.k.

• My sister, “Ann” and myself decide to drive around. Within our a barrier represents an obstacle to emotional growth.
You may feel hindered in fully expressing yourself.limits, of course. I pointed out the house I was in the process of buying, they were both very excited for me. I was totally suggests that you are trying to deceive yourself
into believing in something that goes against
your natural instincts or long held values.lying and liked it.

• They went back to the neighborhood conference room, I went for a you may be trying to distance yourself from certain life experiences.walk through “Ann’s” community property. There were a helicopter represents your ambition and
achievements. You are in full pursuit of your goals.helicopters and suggests that you need to show more restraint in certain areas of your life.police everywhere and I was terrified of suggests that you are putting yourself in harm’s way.
Alternatively, you tend to go against the majority
and for that you tend to be a target of criticism.
crossing the street. I asked a man standing nearby if it was o.k. as long as I used the crosswalk, he told me to go ahead, if it wasn’t o.k., the helicopter people would announce on their megaphones for me to go back to the neighborhood conference room. I crossed the street.

• I walked back to the if the house is shifting, then it suggests that you are
going through some personal changes and changing
your belief system.
house I was in the process of buying and told a few signifies the thrills and dangers
of an aspect of your waking life.
SWAT guys about my purchase. It felt good to lie again. I headed back to the neighborhood conference room in “Ann’s” planned community. (I’m not sure how long I was gone. Do dreams have days, hours, minutes?) It must have been awhile because in the far distance I see my sister standing on a corner waiting for me. She had on a long sleeved brown denotes worldliness, practicality, domestic and
physical comfort, conservatism, and a materialistic
character. Brown also represents the ground and earth.
You need to get back to your roots. brown shirt on and a has both positive and negative
connotations. If the dream is a
pleasant one, then the color
yellow is symbolic of intellect,
energy, agility, happiness,
harmony, and wisdom. On
the other hand, if the dream
is an unpleasant one, then
the color represents cowardice
and sickness. You may have a
fear or an inability to make
a decision or take action.
As a result, you are experienc-
ing many setbacks. yellow ski vest.

• The closer I got to her, she seemed that much further away. By the time I got there, she was gone. I had lost my denotes loss of power and control of possessions. It
also suggests that you may have lost touch with your
real identity. purse. I didn’t have a phone or even a telephone number to get a hold of her…of anyone. I was alone and suggests that you have lost your direction
in life or that you have lost sight of your
goals. You maybe feeling worried and
insecure about the path you are taking
in life. lost. I was alone and lost in “Ann’s” planned community.

• I borrowed denotes that you are deprived and where the
stealing takes place is indicative of your neediness. stole somebodies old Range Rover and started signifies your life’s journey and your path in life.
The dream is telling of how you are moving and
navigating through life. driving up and down each street, I was really lost. I started asking if anyone had seen my sister in her long brown shirt and yellow ski vest. The brakes were going out on the Range Rover so I pulled over to write the owners a note about what a hazard it could be.

• The next street I went down was lined with symbolize new hopes, growth, desires, knowledge, and
life. It also implies strength, protection and stability. trees, and at each tree there was a denotes assured happiness, pleasant friends
and opportunities for advancement. crowd. I drove slowly staring at each crowd. Then in a far of distance, I see the long sleeved brown shirt and the yellow ski vest amongst the crowd. I wave her over but she obviously didn’t recognize the old Range Rover I had scored!

• I get out and start it may mean that you need to hurry up in making a decision.running towards her keeping a very close eye on that yellow ski vest. I call her name and she seems to now be working her way to the outside of the crowd, I get to my destination after what seemed like an eternity. There she stood, my sister, a brown weiner a dressed up dog, signifies your attempts to
cover up your own character flaws and habits. dog in a yellow vest.
~The End

Remember the last dream I blogged about?
I’m a bit concerned about my sanity. Really

What happens when somebody that battles with OCD is given a book about somebody that battles with OCD and they become obsessed with it?
Howie Mandel’s Here’s The Deal: Don’t Touch Me is ingenious! Combining humor with a serious look at the daily struggles, anguish and despair that accompanies OCD and ADHD, this is an excellent read for not only those affected by these conditions, but for anyone who’s a Mandel fan! 

Thanks Mom….I think!

Wishing each and every one of you the best 2010 has to offer!

Another Christmas has come and gone and no coal in the stocking for me. Santa is sure getting easier to fool in his older years. However, the reindeer poo on my doorstep maybe a warning and cause to err on the side of caution this upcoming year.
Christmas was good, I do miss secretly peaking outside throughout the night for signs of a shiny red sleigh dashing through the air. I miss the ritual of leaving cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer on Christmas Eve. I miss the 4:00 a.m. pleads to get out of bed and squeals of delight as each present is opened. But…that was so last year. Obviously, I’ve done some growing up!
After receiving a phone call that put the “icing on the cake” so to speak, (more on that as time permits…) we were off to spend the day at my mom’s surrounded by family, minus my sister and her family. My sister did however fly in from Seattle for a surprise visit the week before. Surprises are always nice. Seeing my sister is always nice!
Along with the deviled eggs I am assigned to bring each year, I decided I want to bake a homemade pie. Originally I had found a recipe I wanted to try out, but both my boys wanted apple, so apple pie it was. It was going to be my first homemade and I was so excited to use that ‘apparatus’ that my mom had handed down to me awhile back. I remember watching my grandma peeling apples with an old ‘apparatus.’ As I caught and ate each peeling she would say, “Annie, (my nickname growing up) you’re going to get a bellyache if you eat too many…” now it was my turn to use it…minus the grand kids!! How proud grandma would be of me! As I took the ’apparatus’ out of my china cabinet earlier in the day to wash and inspect it, it became clear it was missing a part, or something. I called my mom who assured me everything was there. Hmmm. I had to make a quick stop by my aunt’s house, I would just bring it with me and she could look at it, because clearly something wasn’t right! I visited with my aunt for awhile and had forgotten all about the ‘apparatus’ until she asked what kind of pie I was going to make. I told her apple. Homemade apple. My first one. Ever. I then explained my ‘apparatus’ dilemma. You know what she said? “That’s strange because I have grandma’s apple peeler.” Ummm no you don’t! Obviously I have it, obviously it’s missing a part or something. My aunt still seems a bit confused over the whole ordeal, so I ran out to my car to retrieve my ‘apparatus.’
To be quite honest, I was a little hesitant to bring it in. What if she tried to take it from me? What if me and my aunt were found on her living room floor on Christmas Eve wrestling over an “apparatus?” I will share it with her but she can’t have grandma’s apple peeler! I calmly walk in setting the bag on the table. So far, so good. As I slowly pull it out of the bag, coffee spews out of her mouth and she breaks in to hysteria. What? What’s wrong? What’s so funny? Why in the hell are you laughing at Annie? I looked at her in horror as she said, “That’s not an apple peeler, it’s a meat grinder.” Huh? How am I supposed to peel apples with a meat grinder? I picked up the phone and called my mom, “You gave me a meat grinder!” “What?” “No wonder this ‘apparatus’ doesn’t work, it’s a meat grinder!” Now they are both cackling, in unison. Was it that funny? Apparently so. I remind my mom, “You told me it was an apple peeler.” “No, I never said what it was, I assumed you knew!” “Oh”
Once the hysteria ended, I gathered what was left of my dignity, my grandma’s peeler that my aunt so graciously let me borrow and my ‘apparatus,’ the meat grinder. I made my way home to make my apple pie. Homemade apple pie. My first one. Ever.

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Despite some confusion, it was a success. My boys loved it and at the of the day that’s all that matters! (Not to toot my own horn, but… some one person even said it was the best they’d ever had!) As far as my mom and aunt? The laughs on them….I now have both, the meat grinder and apple peeler! Maybe I’ll move on to Tiramisu next or a good ole meat pie, after all I have the ‘apparatus.’

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Enjoy the recipe!

Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday Season!

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