Coveted Prayers

Another UPDATE:
Well I am now nestled into the recliner in my mom's hospital room. Tonight is my night to stay with her and help care for her through the night. It is so wonderful to be able to serve my mother for a change. She has been extremely groggy from the morphine and anesthesia. She has also acquired some significant nausea. Thankfully the new round of nurses is much better than the first and very helpful in getting us what we need, which is a blessing! It will be a restless night I am sure, but somehow I enjoy this time with her in her time of need. I don't even mind the lack of sleep. Thank you all for your prayers and comfort.

UPDATE:
Mom is in surgery as I type. She got the news before surgery that they will be unable to do the elective plastic surgery because her blood counts were so low from all the problems she has had the past couple of weeks and months. She was very disappointed, but handled it with grace. It should take about an hour and then she will recover in the hospital for 2 days. I am staying with her tonight and Tiffany tomorrow. Please pray that her blood counts would improve and her pain would be minimal as it is still major surgery.

Please be praying for my mom. She is going in for a planned hysterectomy tomorrow that is pretty invasive due to her fibroids and cysts. In addition she is having plastic surgery to remove lots of unwanted skin from losing a lot of weight. All that makes it a 5 hour surgery!!! My sister, Dad and I will be up there (and not quite sure if my brother will be up there too). She is more than ready as her problems have worsened as the weeks have drawn closer. I think the thing we are all most nervous about is the recovery. It is one of the most painful recoveries from what we hear. Please pray for the Dr.s' that the Lord would grant them wisdom and steady hands. That the nurses would be gentle and kind as they tend to her needs. That the family can be of help to her and care for her as she has faithfully cared for us over the years. Thank you in advance for your prayers! They are coveted.

Getting the Best To Say the Least!

Ok, I have to admit, I really like the style and quality of the Pottery Barn Brand. There are not many of their items I don't like and I have yet to find any of their items with poor quality. That being said, we just can't afford it. Here are my tips on scouting out good deals and these are also ways you may be able to save on other great brands!

1. I skim through ebay nearly every day for deals and cheap used or new items, usually for specific items. Here's the hint. Change up your search words, ie: Pottery Barn Valance is sometimes misspelled by the sellers as Pottery Barn Valence! These actually end up being easy items to snag, because most people won't misspell the word in their search. Also someone may use different title words for the same thing, ie: Pillow Cover or Pillow Sham.

2. This is BIG! I just discovered this huge way to save, today! I had been searching for just the right chair cushions for our dining room chairs and wouldn't you know it the ones I like are made by Pottery Barn! Soooo, I saw that they were on clearance on their site for $15 each which is probably not bad for them, but add on tax and shipping and wowzer! That's $70+ for four cushions. So I gave their company a call to check on the shipping rates and see about giving me a cheaper rate and wouldn't you know it the customer service rep said that today they were giving those same cushions to their customers who call in, for 1/2 of the clearance price, PLUS FREE SHIPPING!!! Can you believe it!? Talk about cheap, I couldn't find these used for that cheap! The Rep. told me that they have deals you wouldn't believe for call-in customers.

So before ordering online, give the company a ring and see if they will work with you on the price. No matter who it is :)