MIND GAMES & SOME OTHER STUFF

Every year I host a Veterans Yard Sale, and even though it's for a worthy cause, there are some crazy things that go on throughout the event that make it rough to keep the frown lines at bay.  Girls just wanna have fun!

So there were 9 tables of merchandise, and a lady stopped at the table with the hygiene items.  I turned my head for a second to answer a question, and when I turned back around  I noticed this lady switching the price tags on the Men's Schick Hydro 5 and the Barbasol 5Pk Twin Disposable Razors. Once finished shopping, she handed me her items, and I politely advised her of the total, and that I had seen her changing the prices.  There was denial of course, as she demanded I give her the cheaper price.  Never mind that almost all of the items were brand new and I was practically giving them away. I calmly stood my ground, and she ended up throwing them  back on the table, purchasing just 2 items.  As she and her husband were leaving, she called me the "b" word.

Fast forward 2 hours later and there were 9 razors left on that table priced at $1 each.  A customer picked them up intending to purchase them all.  The she told me she wanted to pay $1 total for all 9 of them, which I politely declined.  Ugh...(lol)  There's a lot more I could share, (lol), but overall it went pretty well.

WHAT'S IN A NAME
RO is a shortened version of my real name, so I decided to look up what it means.  Ironically, my real name and RO start off by saying I'm unique and a law unto myself which made me giggle with glee.  However, someone with my real name is supposedly tolerant and eager to help humanity, which I thought was kind of cool. But I should also mention that there is a tendency to procrastinate, and yes, that would be definitely be me.(lol)I hated my name as a kid and lived with another nickname that I changed because a close friend told me it was totally ridiculous.(lol)  Once I got older and used my real name, everyone pretty much butchered or mispronounced it, so I just shortened it.  Here are a few others:

Sophia - great wisdom                                  
Philip - lover of horses                
Adam - earth
Felix - happy                                
                 
Phyllis - foliage
Sylvia - inhabiting the woods                      
Ursula - little bear
Vincent - Conqueror                                     
Chandler - maker of candles
Elizabeth - oath of God                                 
Anna - full of grace

SAVE TIME
The best time of the week to head out to grocery shop is Wednesday, but try to go before you head into work.  Going after can increase shopping time by 5-7 minutes.

SAVE MONEY
One of my fave hobbies is deal hunting, and you can find deals, coupons, promo codes and more at department stores, supermarkets, and online, just by visiting www.SundaySaver.com.  

If you prefer paper coupons from the newspaper, check out this site which tells you which coupons are available along with the date.  https://www.sundaycouponinserts.com/coupon-preview/

If you want to score name brand merchandise sometimes as low as just $1, you've got to visit www.hollar.com.  You'll truly be amazed at how inexpensive most items are!

ELEPHANT LOVE
How many times have you seen Dumbo?  Do you collect any elephant figures? Did you know this beloved character has been around since 1941, and was Walt Disney's favorite from all of the films that were made.  Like all of our faves, it seems this classic is being remade and released as a LIVE Action Film in March 2019, starring Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, and Colin Farrell and directed by Tim Burton.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Do you play chess?  I could never figure it out, but 27 year-old Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, who has been the reigning champ since 2013, will defend his title once again from November 9 - 28 in London, England.  His net worth is a little over $8 million.

The 1st official championship began in 1886, but chess was played many years before that.  The most famous American to win was Bobby Fischer when he was 29 and kept the title from 1972 - 1975. 

APPLE-CRANBERRY CRUMB CHEESECAKE BARS

INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Package Yellow Cake Mix
2 Eggs Divided
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 Pkgs Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Gala Apples, peeled and chopped
1 Cup Frozen or Fresh Cranberries
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350 degrees, then line 13x9 inch pan with foil, with the ends of foil extending over the sides.Microwave butter in microwave on high for 1-1/2 minutes or until melted.  Add dry cake mix, 1 egg and cinnamon, beating with mixer until blended. Press 2/3 of the dough onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar with mixer until well blended, then add the the remaining egg, mixing well.  Spread over crust, then top with fruit.  Pinch small pieces of the remaining dough with your fingers, pressing into cream cheese layer.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center is almost set.  Cool completely, then refrigerate for 1 hour. Lift foil handles from pan, then cut into slices.

If you like pumpkins, Friday, October 26 is your day!

If you've been reading this blog, you may  have seen some posts about "gaslighting" which can be abusive tactic used in domestic violence.

The original movie, Gaslight was released in 1940 with Ingrid Bergman when her husband tried to make her go mad.

But for all the young people who may not have seen that one, a modern day version would be The Girl on the Train with Emily Blunt, released in 2016.  The movie didn't go over well with critics, but we have a chance to see how the nightmare really unfolds when this happens to someone.

Another extreme version was shown on an episode on Blue Bloods called Mind Games on 10/12/18.  Even though Danny(Donnie Wahlberg) arrested the culprit for shooting her husband, he has a feeling that something isn't right about their relationship.  

Eventually the detectives find out that the husband has not only been cheating with another woman, but they gaslighted her to make her think she was crazy.  They even went so far as to drug the wife, then framing her for shooting her husband, (the mistress did the actual shooting while the wife was passed out) all with the intent of having her arrested so they could be together and to get her money.  Thank goodness the wife was finally cleared, but the husband and mistress were locked up.

This is not a made up term, and really does exist causing a person to experience a living hell.  It can also rear its head in many subtle ways or stages, eventually making you doubt your own sanity.

Seek help as safely and as promptly as you can if you're in an abusive relationship.  You deserve better.

From Psychology Today:

Gaslighting is a form of persistent manipulation and brainwashing that causes the victim to doubt her or himself, and ultimately lose her or his own sense of perception, identity, and self-worth. ...Gaslighting can occur in personal relationships, at the workplace, or over an entire society.