Oh, Fay. You know what? It might be easier for your mom to stress about you coming home than for her to fully grieve about your grandmother. So maybe let her stress about you, if it helps her. (Does that make sense?)
I am sick of the choice of plus sized clothing that I can afford around me. What websites do people who buy plus sized clothing recommend? I need stuff that would work in a casual office setting (ie, Torrid won't work).
alight.com -- can be hit or miss, in terms of quality and fit
jessicalondon.com
silhouettes.com -- I love almost everything I've gotten from them, though they can be pricey
newportnews.com -- they have plus sizes in addition to regular sizes -- I've gotten a couple of things from them that I like
I like some of Coldwater Creek's clothes (although some of it is downright frumpy), and the quality is very good, but it is rather pricey UNLESS you check out the outlet part of their website.
Did you check Target's website? They have plus sizes.
A few places I know of but haven't shopped at (so I can't vouch for them one way or the other):
roamans.com
womanwithin.com
dressbarn.com -- has plus sizes in addition to regular sizes