I dealt w/ebates again this weekend. I did get my 2 checks, and finally got my Target card. But I've ordered from 5 places since those checks and had to email them on every single one - nothing ever goes into my Cash Pending. They only asked for copy of ticket for 1 order - then replied they had to check with company (drugstore.com), which they gave me the 2nd, more recent order from them without any questions. Still a PITA, but the money goes into DGS college account, so worth the bit of extra trouble. ? Dunno. Ask me in 18 years. ;D Some companies credit before 30 days, some don't. I am waiting for 30 before emailing about something not showing up. Big ticket item - DD2's bathroom vanity - that was charged to card mid-January is now on backorder until mid-August. Will probably be canceling that one...

UPDATE: I made a purchase. Purchased from Overstock, (2) 45 piece sets so service for 16 and 10 serving pieces, had a 10% off coupon code courtesy of another GW'er so my total came to $152. Apparently since I paid with Paypal I will be getting 15% cash back which would bring the cost down to $129. The set is Cassidy by Hampton Forge. I was a little concerned with the quality of Hampton Forge, but I had lunch in a nice local restaurant yesterday and this is the pattern they have. It reminds me of the Kate Spade with the dots (pattern doesn't show up much on the picture), but obviously a lot less money (I'd be able to get 3 placesettings of the Kate Spade for what I paid for 16 plus serving pieces of the Hampton). Maybe not quite the panache, but on a budget just fine. Plus as you mentioned I can return it if dissatisfied, but I have going to the restaurant for years and he has always had the same flatware so if it is holding up under those circumstances I am sure it will be good enough for me. Thank you all for your input!!

Something I did in my guest bedroom while waiting for the perfect pieces of art was to get a photo calendar with pictures I like and buy some simple black frames. I had a set of four, looked pretty good. The one I had was Japanese watercolor art. Later, I bought two large beach watercolors. I love the beach and I found having beach pictures in the bedroom very relaxing! I like landscapes, but if you don't, then by all means don't. I had some landscapes in my bedroom, but moody ones. One was a cabin glowing with firelight covered by a huge amount of snow illuminated pink by a sunset. Just the perfect spot I would have liked to be and since the snow made it impossible to get in or out of the place, it just evoked peace and relaxation or me. To a Floridian it might have been a living nightmare, lol. Later it was a little homestead cabin on top of a hill, a woodcut. When I went full on beach in one room, I had the typical tropical desert island scene, which also says relax, no interruptions. Landscapes can be very abstract too, my friend's daughter does very abstract landscapes. I'm not trying to sell her stuff, just including a link because I think she does beautiful work and it's a good example of "out of the box" landscapes. Might be too casual for your taste, but who knows, http://emiliesart.blogspot.com/p/gallery-shop.html I also loved metal wall art, and botanical prints. I would love some kind of sculpture made to look like tree branches, but again, that's just me.

BIG HUG to everyone who shared about losing their parents. I feel ya! The problem with losing a parent as an adult is not that one misses or needs parenting, it's losing the history and shared memories that is so difficult, at least for me. And then like Funky says, my mother was such an optimist, joie de vive person, and then she died on a most ordinary day, doing a most ordinary thing and there was no happy ending/rescue to be found. I try and appease my sorrow by continuing on with her traditions. I can't hardly have tea in the afternoon though, because my Mom died at tea time. I know that she was probably planning on making herself a cuppa after unloading those groceries, looking forward to it . . . but anyway, teatime is such a strong tradition in my Mom's family, all the kids of all her cousins tell me the same thing, they have all these memories of teatime . . . We had a memorial tea at the library after Mom's funeral (she was the librarian there) and when I got married in 2018 it was just outside of the area where the family farms were, and we had tea in all their honor. One of my Mom's few remaining cousins gifted me with a teapot that my Grandmother had given her as a wedding present. Then ironically my own cousin died a month later of a massive stroke. I still am haunted by her saying that one thing she wanted to do with me was have tea on Grandma's tea set. Never got to do it, although we did have many teas together. I hope this spring I can find at least one relative willing to have tea with me . . . they are far flung now, I doubt any would come to my house, they never ever have, even when my Mom was alive. Only my beloved cousin would visit . . .