sixlets

Why didn't you tell us earlier that you were at Jessa & Bin's birthday celebration for Ivy?!! Is the couch really that bad? Spill everything (just not the ice cream).

Starting with Jill's wedding (since Anna & asshat got married in Florida), I always thought JB & M had a 'wedding rolodex'. In it, contained all of the demographic information for the many sweet friends they met through fellowship & obligatory seasons of life. This grew exponentially over the years as more and more of the youngins wanted to marry screw. At the very back was a list of appropriate vendors who would create one dress out of 10, slap some icing on a cake, and build very elaborate (and tacky) monogram initial billboards. And, really, at the end of the day, it's not about seeing a frightening first kiss or making sure the bride is joyfully available, it's about all of the money & gifts that can come of inviting 1000 people to a wedding.

Maryland dropped the mask mandate, effective today. Every place we went today (grocery store, Target x3, and Walmart, and car dealership to pick up my permanent tags) still required masks. I have been taking it off once I get to the parking lot every once in a while, but it feels weird. Mr. Six still has 3 days until his two-week wait is over, and I've been good since May 10th. I'm still not ready to dine indoor though, since dropping our mandate means they don't have to social distance the tables and can take down any barriers that were between tables. It feels like we were doing 100mph the last 14 months, and in the blink of an eye, a family of beavers crosses & everybody slammed on the brakes. I'll be totally honest and say it feels a bit too soon. While I'm grateful to see numbers (at least here) trending down, I can't help but feel like we'll be dealing with waves through the summer. I had no idea until this week, but Baltimore is on the pipeline that was shut down. Using the gasbuddy site, I was finding a ton stations around us that didn't have gas. A few guys at Mr. Six's office was having a tough time finding one open throughout the week as well, and their office is in another county. I always go grocery shopping Saturday morning, but I went searching for gas first. BJ's had it, and I didn't even have to wait in line. It was $2.76/reg and $2.99/premium. Thankfully, my car takes regular, but the toy, er, Mustang takes premium. Now, if we can just get USPS back in the ballpark instead of in the armpits of sweaty man in the parking lot, maybe things would start looking up.

A huge thank you to everyone who commented on the grocery delivery topic. I'm a member of Swagbucks, and they're currently offering 11,000 Bucks if you join Walmart+. I might be able to combine with Rakuten, which is offering $50 on an annual membership. Those are making the $98 a bit easier to swallow. Thanks again!

I have done Instacart once, and I only did it because it was a BJs trip, I had free delivery, and it was at the beginning of Covid. I got an email showing possible substitutions. One was the hubby's body wash-I chose Dove Men+Care, and the sub would have been Irish Spring. He was totally fine with that. The other was his deodorant. He only uses a specific Gillette gel. The sub was those GoGo Squeeze Yogurts for kids. Not quite what he was looking for. They were out of a few things, but overall, it was a good experience & my lady was very nice. Has anyone subscribed to Walmart+? I'm trying to figure out if it worth the money. I primarily shop at Food Lion for our groceries and then fill in "extras" from Walmart. I like the idea of the free delivery and free shipping, but we do have Amazon Prime. I haven't used Amazon Fresh yet, but we use the hell out of Prime. Also, does anyone use a VPN, specifically Nord? I signed up last night with a crazy deal that I couldn't pass up. I want it for YouTube videos, and Mr. Six wants it for streaming. We also figured with Covid, this is our only chance to say we're in *insert random country here* 😁. For those looking for other places to stream, check out PlutoTV. It's free, and you don't need even need a login-just download and go. There's a ton of old shows/cartoons on there that you can't find anywhere else. Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

My first thought was chose the one that is most convenient to you, location wise. It will make things easier in the long run. I've heard an over-whelming majority of people have no effects after Pfizer. A lot of people that had Moderna had a very rough time after the second, and that includes my mom. She's 68, mostly healthy with elevated cholesterol and a back injury. About 12 hours after the injection, she had horrendous chills, headache, and body aches. It lasted until the following evening. I had both doses of Pfizer, and my two-week wait is over May 10th. My appointment was last Monday, and I was out of there around 1005am. I was great until 3ish. My arm was sore, and I was getting a headache I couldn't ignore. I went to bed that night hoping I was done. Nope. I woke up at 100am with a pounding headache and extreme muscle/joint pain. By 500am, I added a fever of 101.8*. I was able to sleep a decent amount, and I was on the mend at 100pm. *** ***My quick notes. I'm 41, I have some semi-serious health conditions, mainly tachycardia and asymptomatic anemia (tossed in with intractable & chronic pain). I also have diagnosed EDS, and potentially POTS, but that's undiagnosed at this time. I already have joint/muscle aches and overall back pain through the day. This vaccine just amped everything up for me. I'm glad I did it, and I would do it again. I think it's just something you have mentally prepare yourself for either scenerio-1) You'll do great! OR 2) You may have a rough 24-48 hours. Just remember, if you do have the side effects, they will go away in relative time.

Thank you all for the kind replies. She passed away a little after noon today in one of her favorite boxes in the kitchen. Mr. Six & I were both with her. I did some research last night, and we had/have no options with it being a weekend. The closest thing I could find required you to be a resident of Baltimore City, and we are literally less than 3 miles into the county. We will be calling our vet in the morning to make further arrangements. It was as peaceful as we could have hoped, and I know this is just the beginning of a new normal. We still have two babies that need us, and I think they will be a great help in the healing process. Thank you all again.

I don't mean to take such a morbid turn, but for those who lost a pet at home, what steps did you take in the immediate timeframe afterwards? Our sweet Millie is in her final days, and our vet is closed until Monday morning. After our one and only visit to the pet er, we know we don't want to take her there. We are doing what we can to make her comfortable at home. She did eat a substantial amount of wet food today, and she is still drinking, but she's very unsteady on her feet. The vet has her estimated age at 15 years, and we've had her 12 1/2 years. She came to us a fluffy, sassy, 20lb Maine Coon, and she's currently around 4 pounds and is so frail. We've done this twice before, but they both passed away at the vet. I just don't know what to do if we lost her before Monday morning...

Thank you!! We got the chance to sit in one, but they didn't have any inventory to even test drive. He told us immediately that they were ordering now for delivery in July/August. They make things a little too easy too. They don't run a credit check or anything in the beginning. You give them your name, phone number, email, and a $100 deposit, and that orders your car. You pick the exterior color, interior color, and wheels. That's it. They'll call when it comes in, and you have the ability to accept or reject it. On a side note, Mr. Six also needed a new office chair for when he works from home, and it's been more of a hassle with backordered items and zero communication than it was to order the car. The Crosstrek isn't a bad car, and it's done the job for 2 1/2 years (it's a 2019, highest trim level). But, there's little things that I'm not a fan of. I know it's me being picky, bitchy, and spoiled too. It comes with 2 key fobs, but neither have a button for the remote start. You have to use their app to do it, and they rarely update it. There's no trunk button in the cabin, which in our time of covid, has pissed me off. For example, if we run to the store, the spousal unit stays in the car. I come out with 5 or 6 bags of groceries. I either have to fiddle with the latch myself or he has to get out and open it for me. Mr. Six's biggest complaint is a safety one. Most cars now will lock the doors automatically if you drive far enough or get up to a certain speed. This car does not do that. So, if you want your doors locked while driving, you have to manually lock it. But, God forbid you're in an accident, you have to hit the unlock button to get out as they won't unlock on their own. The last is really nitpicky, but the radio turns itself on every single time you start the car. And, if you had the volume turned up the last time you drove, chances are you going to forget and get blasted with the radio the next time you drive. I do like it for the hauling capacity. We were able to do two Ikea runs with large furniture because it came with a roof rack. The back seats fold down, so it opens up to quite a large area. Mr. Six will occasionally need to haul a 6ft ladder for site visits, and it fits quite well. The gas mileage is great. I usually get around 400 miles out of one tank. It's fairly comfortable as well. He has taken it from home to Richmond, Virginia a few times, and it's a pretty comfy ride. You can park it just about anywhere due to the size, which has been a plus. It can fit 5, but the three in the back need to be relatively small people. It's AWD and great in the snow. Since we got it (October 2018), our winters have been crazy mild with very little snow though. If you're someone who likes the outdoors and off-roading or just taking back roads/trails, it would be awesome. But, the truth is, we hate the outdoors, we don't need to haul much, and we live in the suburbs. I think it's a great car for the right person/family, and I would recommend it. We both LOVE technology and cars, and that's what the Tesla can give us (and more). Sorry this got so long!

Did you ever do something and even hours later, you still can't help but say WTF? That's how our day went. The lease is up on my Crosstrek later this year, and we knew we didn't want another one. Our first option was a 2021 Ford Escape. We ordered a Tesla Model 3. Mr. Six knows this is my dream car. And he works so fucking hard every single day to support our little family, and it looks like my dream might come true. With the way they work, we can walk away at any point, including after it's delivered to the dealer. I have been blessed beyond measure in many ways, but this is a blessing of a lifetime.

I always do a search for the phone number when I see a number I don't know. With Mr. Six working from home 50% and him being on the state's list for his vax, I feel like I need to do some due diligence, just in case. Every single number I've searched in the last 6 weeks or so has shown up on NoMoreRobo's website. All scams, but the most popular one is a recording asking if I think veteran's benefits are important. Seriously? We have Vonage, so I can block numbers through them, but our landline phone has a call block button on it. Best phone we've had! I'm impressed with how many states are opening up vaccine availability so quickly. I had some hope in the beginning with how Maryland was handling it. We were second in the country (within hours of Ohio) to go on lockdown. The governor was aggressive, got flack, but stood his ground. And at this point, I'm looking at not getting the first dose for over a month 😞 I'm hoping we can get an appointment for Mr. Six soon. While he only deals with allergies now, he had severe asthma as a kid, and one attack sent him to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh for an extended stay. Besides, I've dealt with his man-colds many times over. When he gets sick, I'm the one that needs medicated. With alcohol.

Thank you for this! I'm good overnight, but that's about the extent of it as far as not taking it. If I can get a morning appointment, I can delay it a few hours. I'm 41, but most days, I feel 91. My motto is never take good health for granted. It can be taken away in the blink of an eye.

Save for a cousin-in-law who is a physician, my mom is the only person I know personally that has had both doses. She had the Moderna and was fine with her first one. She had the slightest ache in her arm but said it was like she lifted something too heavy. Her second one was a bit rougher. Her appointment was for 1100am on a Friday, and by 100am Saturday morning, she had the worst chills she ever had in her life (she just turned 68). It lasted about 24 hours, and she was good to go. I'm not too concerned about the first one, but the second one is already scaring me. I take a prescription med for chronic/intractable pain, and it contains acetaminophen. It feels like I'm screwing myself before I even try. Mr. Six has signed up through the Maryland's website, which would give him an appointment at one of the mass sites. He has the letter from his company, so now we just need to track an appointment down (he qualifies as category 1C because of his job). We decided it was best for us to get it at different times so we're both not down for the count at the same time. I'm worried about having an emergency with one of the cats, and one of us needs to be able to function. My pre-existing conditions don't qualify me for early access, so I'm looking at April 27th at a minimum, per our governor. The mountain photos are absolutely stunning! We live in a townhouse development in the suburbs, so I just have a view of houses out front and more houses out back. We do have a 4-month-old fence, but that's about as good as it gets.

I believe this promo only ran for one day, which was the day I originally posted it. But, in case you want to try it, the redeem code is in the top right corner.

I'm at Starbucks every Saturday (that's my confession from a non-Catholic), and I always recommend a Vanilla Bean Frappe for someone who has never had one. It doesn't have caffeine, and it tastes like a vanilla milkshake. You can always add syrups and whatnots as well. I also recommend downloading the app. You can earn stars, but it will also give you the ingredient list as long as you order it original. Last piece of advice, order from a free-standing store as opposed to one in Target. Those locations can be very limiting and may not get exclusive flavors (that last one made Mr. Six an unhappy Nitro-drinker). I'm there enough to be recognized 😚,so if you have any questions, feel free to ask 🙂

We went to Walgreens for Mr. Six's Covid test, and the tech told us 5-7 business days for results. I got an email from LabCorp this evening stating test results were ready. I haven't had blood work done in quite some time, so I guessed it was for him. It was! His test was scheduled for 945am Saturday, and we had the results between 700-730pm tonight. He tested NEGATIVE!!! We couldn't find a rapid result location close by, but they still had it less than 24 hours. All in all, I would recommend them for testing. If I need one, that's where I'm heading. He's still abiding by the quarantine procedures, so he won't be back in the office until Thursday, which would part of his normal week with the alternating schedules. He was also give a letter to print out to carry at all times stating due to his job, he should be considered Class-C. They have federal government contracts, along with extensive colleges and universities. He may be getting both doses by mid-April. As for me, my health concerns don't qualify for anything, so I wouldn't be surprised if I was in May or June. I'm so happy my mom was able to get both. My in-laws & 91-year-old great-grandma-in-law are all on their way, and now hubby has a fighting chance. Woot!! I'm good with the wait.

It has been a very crazy few weeks in our neck of the woods. The good-my mom got both doses of the vaccine (Moderna), and while she did have side effects from the second, they were not long-lasting, and she's back to feeling great again. All of our family members who tested positive have all recovered as well. The bad-I've mentioned before a woman I graduated high school with was dealing with her oldest son's cancer diagnosis. They were informed a few weeks that the cancer had spread, and he's now under hospice care. He's only 21 with a young son. My heart just breaks for her. Before Mr. Six & I got together, I was seeing another guy. We went to school/band functions together, and at one point, it got semi-serious (and his mother had us married with kids). I was close with his family and loved spending time with them. His dad passed away this week. Obviously, I couldn't attend the services in person, but I did send his mom a sympathy card. I posted my condolences on his brother's FB page, but I sent him a PM. I wanted him to know that I cared about his family and how much I enjoyed spending time with his dad. He was there for me when I lost my dad 10+ years ago, and I felt it was the least I could do. I've now been with Mr. Six 25 years, but I like to think of my ex as a close friend. I know the pain he's in and how much he's hurting. It sucks not being able to do much of anything. Speaking of the husband, he had a work trip, which took him to North Carolina. He drove down early one morning, surveyed one building, spent the night, surveyed another building the following day, and then drove home. He was only gone 30 hours total. He got his covid test yesterday, which he said he would not recommend to anyone. He's stuck working from home through the quarantine period, so he can go back next Thursday. I think it might be a long week. Send prayers. And vodka 🤭 @Scarlett45-I am so sorry for the loss of your godmother. She sounds like an amazing woman and role model, and I know you will take great care of Cosmo. As long as you have him, you have a piece of her. Many hugs to you and your mom.

I used the promo code last night (Thursday), and it worked. Free for one year, expires 3/4/22 and ad-free. Sorry it didn’t work for anyone else.

For anyone wanting to try Discovery+, try using the code HOLIDAY2020. The redeem code box is at the top of the page. It will ask you to create an account, but it doesn’t ask for credit card/payment info. The offer is for one year, ad-free. I hope to do a more in-depth post tomorrow, but I did want to wish @QuinnInND a Happy Belated Birthday!!

For those wanting to try Discovery+, try using the code HOLIDAY2020. The redeem code box is at the top of the page. It will ask you to create an account, but it does not require credit card/payment info. The offer is ad-free for a year, free!

I hope I catch all the replies I can here! @Turquoise-yay for the husband (said in Jill's voice) but boo on the uterus. I'm glad to hear he is improving. @SunnyBeBe-I can't think of anything off hand than what you're already doing. Oh, one thing. Check the manufacturer's website for coupons. Another option, but kinda crazy, would be to join a rewards type program to get gift cards to various stores. There's MyPoints and Swagbucks. You can build up the points without doing much work, and then trade the points on GCs to Target, Walgreens, or CVS. @Jeanne222-You can either request a new RX from your doctor or if you know which pharmacy you want to use (use GoodRX first), you can go to that store and ask them to do a transfer from your current pharmacy. A few caveats with GRX--some independent pharmacies will not accept the card/coupon because it creates the cost to go so low, they are unable to make any money on the prescription. I use a concierge pharmacy, and they will not accept GRX or other similar programs. GRX cards can be used on pet prescriptions, which can make a huge difference if your furry kid is on a maintenance medication. Lastly, some meds may not be covered, especially controlled meds. Walmart, specifically, put the hammer down on how they are filling a drug that is in drug class II (this class is mostly pain meds). While the pharmacy may accept the coupon for an "everyday" med, they may not cover controlled meds. As a total aside, I worked way too long in a pharmacy! I'm so glad to see so many of you are able to get the vaccine. I'm convinced Mr. Six & I will not be eligible until late spring/early summer. His option through work has not panned out yet, and even though I've been dealing with tachycardia, I don't think that's going to put me in a higher category. My mom got her first dose last Friday, and she scheduled to get her second one on March 5th. She did outstanding with the first one, but she's getting prepared for the second. My FIL had to have surgery on his eye this week, and the appointment was kept. My GMIL is 91 with a few moderate health issues, but she has not received her first one yet. And finally, I want to thank you all again for the thoughts and prayers for Millie. She is doing so much better and is already back on her regular food being her regular over-the-top self. We go Saturday for her follow up, and I'm hoping we're back before more snow moves in. We had about 2" here overnight, but it was fairly easy to deal with. I am so over winter...

They could be nail caps. If you have a cat that likes to scratch, they can be an alternative to declawing, which is so, so cruel to do. We considered them many years ago for one of our cats who has since passed away. From what I understand after a lot of research, they don't really work and fall off if you look at them sideways.

@Turquoise, I'm so sorry to hear about your husband. I hope he continues to improve. You will be in my thoughts. Thank you all SO damn much for the love & support. I truly can feel it! As our vet so lovingly put it, "she's just bitchy enough that she will outlive all of us out of spite". It was determined that she a buildup of tartar on one of her teeth, which is what caused the abscess. After doing a twilight sedation and a closer exam, it turned out she needed that tooth pulled. We were able to have that done in the office today, so she came home with us. We have a few rules to follow for the week with a follow-up exam scheduled for next Saturday. It looks like she went ten rounds with her sister and lost, but otherwise, she seems to be feeling better. Thank you all again, and I know Millie appreciates it too!

It has been a rough week for our little family. Last Sunday, we noticed our oldest cat had a bald spot on her cheek. At first, we didn't think much of it and just thought she got into a scuffle with our male cat. By Monday, it was becoming a little pink. She didn't mind us touching it and was acting her normal self. By Tuesday, hell broke loose. She had a visible wound, couldn't settle down, and was in obvious pain. After speaking with our vet's office, we made the decision to take her to Pet+Er. None of the news we received was good. Because of her age (estimated to be 14-15) and her fragile state, we opted not to put her through any surgery. The vet drained the abscess, gave her a long-acting antibiotic, and sent us home with pain meds. She's seems to be doing better, especially from Tuesday, but we're still worried & scared. She has a follow-up appointment with our primary vet tomorrow, and we hope to get more answers then. She came to us in the summer of 2008, and she's (one of) my babies. I do not want her to be in pain or suffer. I am petrified that we will have decisions to make tomorrow, and it's breaking my heart. I don't want to lose my Millie...

@Mindthinkr, I just jumped on Facebook, and one of my cousins posted this. I will be keeping you, your daughter, and the kids in my thoughts.