I know what NSW is, but not ACT. I never really paid attention to what parts of the US "spring ahead" & "fall back" an hour, so I can't be confused by it (LOL).

I just went thru Houzz's e-mail today all about "color". I don't have a problem with "color" itself, but I've appreciated professional advice, when choosing fabrics or other colors in a room, and wanting them to "go together". Professionals are so much better at knowing when something is "cool" or "warm" within a color, and whether it will fit in.

Astraea - the ACT is our Australian Capital Territory where Canberra, our capital is and our seat of Govt - bit like your White House having a separate State. It is situated wholly within NSW but is a separate entity with its own Federal Laws.

Haven't had a chance to go through all the colour stuff but am dying to do so. That is one thing I can do is pick the cool and warm colours, I guess having a house where some areas need cool and others warm has helped me pick it up and why I always place so much emphasis on aspect when people ask about colour scheme advice.

Just realised today, I haven't a clue what colour I am going to paint the back bedroom - what I call the kids' bedroom for when the US grands come. Have a pretty clean slate there, only have two timber wardrobes so need new bedding. Room is very small so thinking I will go for a trundle bed, but when it is in use put the beds at right angles to each other in case one gets up during the night. Don't know why I am really bothering, when they usually end up in DD's Queen sized bed anyway. Think I might go shopping for curtain fabric and go from there. It is an easy room as it gets good light but isn't hot in summer and gets the sun most of the day in winter.

Roo, for the kids room, paint at least one wall with chalkboard paint! That would be awesome! And you can make your own so it can blend with the rest of the walls. Kids will love it.

Astraea, I'm still getting email notices about AARP discussion! I opted out but nothing has changed, can you check this for me, please?

I'm thinking of starting another discussion, and I think I'll call it ELD - everyone loves design, because with most of you going to AARP soon I will be talking to myself. We can still keep OLLD if you want, it's up to you, let me know?

GO NINERS!!! I don't care of Ray Lewis or Michael Oher are the sentimental favorites. Ray Lewis has had YEARS to win a Superbowl, and Michael Oher has many good years ahead of him to do it. GO NINERS!!!!

Wow, eztia you are organized with your housecleaning. I will have to take a look at FlyLady because I often feel overwhelmed with a large house. Olldcan, (besides me of course) you are my husband's dream woman. You brought down a bear with a bow, dressed it and did your own taxidermy!

whew okay adding the /13 worked and I am here.
Astraea, basically Maytag told me to pound sand..... so to reward them with there thoughtful customer service, I have chosen to relieve them of never having to help me again. This time around I purchased a GE Profile.
I saw on your idea book some very nice oceany (new word) teal colour swatches, are you considering re-painting your home?

bobbi is up I talked to her earlier o 2/2

I'm Mountain Standard time, we spring ahead and fall back. I love the extra hour of daylight in the winter, if we didn't have it it would be dark at 3:30pm instead of 4:30pm in the dead of winter. Keep in mind it's 8am here now and dawn. In Canada we have 5 time zones. Atlantic, Eastern, Central, Mountain Standard and Pacific.

eztia, here there are many people who volunteer to help elderly or physically challenged people with chores. Is there no free service like that where you live? Here, they will help with cleaning, maintenance/labour if you have the supplies, grocery shop whatever. We of course have the paid service cleaning companies as well.

The FlyLady site is brilliant, my dd here told me about it years ago, even bought me a FlyLady bag to keep all my stationery bits and pieces in, although I don't use it a lot now I have my desk. She found it great when her kids were little too and she first went back to work.

Bobbi NO NO NO - to chalkboard paint, I am not having chalk dust in my new carpet. Actually, because the room is so small really don't have a wall to do it anyway, and when they haven't been here for 2 1/2 years it is hardly worth it. They are usually so busy sightseeing and visiting, they aren't home that much and prefer to watch DVDs or do jigsaw puzzles. If anything they love the chunky chalk and drawing on our driveway. At least that gets rained off or hoses off.

No you won't be talking to yourself here. I prefer to stay here for general things as the AARP site is very slow but will check in on it and post anything that I want private. I'm rather thinking we are making a bit of a name for ourselves, a lot of people seem to be enjoying our chat but aren't saying hello, which is a pity.

So what time is Superbowl - the actual game that is?

olldcan - if I wanted to tell Maytag to pound sand, I would do just that. I would package up a pound of sand and mail it to them with a note that said: "Here is the pound of sand you suggested I pound instead of you helping me with the problem with my 4-year old Maytag appliance. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did"

Bobbi - Like most websites, only the individual can change their own settings, so although I removed you from the group, you'll continue to get notifications from discussions to which you were subscribed. Since most of them are daily discussions - like here - the activity on them should die out, after a couple of days. The only other option is for me to reverse your removal, so you can go back just to "unsubscribe" for those discussions .. and leave the group yourself.

My experience with my Bosche washing machine wasn't very good for them either. I had the machine a little more than a year - and living alone I use it about twice a month. It's an HE front-loader, and a couple of times wouldn't release the door latch, when it was finished. The 3rd time that happened, even putting it through rinse/spin again wouldn't reset the latch. Long story short, their authorized dealer had to replace so many major electronic components in sequence over 4 or 5 visits, that not only did they cover the parts (warranty), but all the labor as well! The repair guy said that Bosch would never give refunds .. even if a machine was almost new, only give credit towards another Bosch machine. Despite what Consumer Reports says, I'd never buy another Bosch appliance! I thought Maytag was supposed to be reliable!

Olldcan - here we have a lot of free services like that for the elderly or people needing assistance, but sometimes it is more trouble than it is worth. The cleaners refuse to move a thing and just dust/vacuum around everything - all OH&S related. Stupid thing is that most people can manage that, it is the heavier stuff they need help with. My mum used to also use them to drive her to doctors' appointments and the like but she was often kept waiting for hours to be picked up and taken home again because they fill their cars with people, drop everyone off all over the place and then have to drive around picking everyone up again. Only took for one person's appointment to go over time to throw the whole system into chaos.

AARP, what the heck is that. I'm comfortable here so I'll probably stay.

michi, correct!!!! from up in a tree stand that when I fell asleep in, I almost fell out of. A quartering shot in the heart. I have shot fish and birds too and actually that's more challenging but lacking the adrenaline rush. I gave the mount to a local archery shop a few years back to decorate the store. The kids always threatened to put it on castors and wheel it outside for Halloween. Having that design dilemma to work around for 20 years was enough for me as no doubt your taste change. Unfortunately for me there is no more hunting or archery. I used to be in a 3D archery tournament every weekend. Since I hurt my elbow, I can no longer pull my bow back and the minimum 45lbs pull required for hunting I am nowhere near. As for the taxidermy, I skinned it and soaked it in a salt brine, ordered the foam mount, eyes, teeth and thought " Seriously" how hard can this be......... I must admit it's not had but really messy.

Olldcan - Astraea set us up on AARP - an oldies website - where we can chat like this but it is secure and only approved members of the group can see the comments. Means we can put photos on, give our real names and emails.

Oh I see, no I'll be staying here talking to bobbi and any other that might pop it.

The beverage center is installed and were still talking. Hubby and I are heading to our lake lot to move some snow and enjoy a ride on the quad out on the lake. We decided not to press our luck today and also install the OTR micro. The sun is going to pop out and it zero C yahoo!!!!! Talk to you all later on.

GO NINERS!!!!!! Bobbi made me do it :)

@bobbi I think many people have a bias against OPs and it might be good to drop the OOLD, & start the ELD... But then, would our group might get too darn big? I wish the AARP site was only used 4 personal discussions and AARP-OLLDs would come back to Houzz to chatter.

Eztia - I keep looking, but there are no "pending members" since probably early last week. Have you accessed the OLLD group, and clicked on "request to join"? I'm trying to figure out where you're hung up.

I think everyone at AARP is still posting here too.

Enjoy the Super Bowl all! Although I'm a Packer' fan, I will route for the 49'ers in honor of Olldbob.
Olldcan, my husband is a bowhunting fanatic and has 25 of the 29 North American big game animals. He also does his own taxidermy, so I am familiar with the equipment and mess. :)

Not to change the subject(s), but as we were discussing vitamins and how they give us the energy to DECORATE, etc., I thought I would share this bit of info.

There are no food inspection regulations of foods grown or processed in China , Vietnam , Hong Kong or Thailand .Personally I am leery of the 'black hearted goods’ that often come out of these counries.

The first 3 digits of the barcode is the country code where the product was made.
Example: all barcodes that start with 690; 691 through to 695 are all MADE IN CHINA.

4 71 is Made in Taiwan.

Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not want products 'made in China', so they leave off this bit of information, but you can refer to the barcode.
Remember, if the first 3 digits are 690 through to 695, then it is Made in China. Do not forget that Hong Kong is now China , too.

00 ~ 13 USA & CANADA
30 ~ 37 FRANCE
40 ~ 44 GERMANY
49 ~ JAPAN
50 ~ UK
57 ~ Denmark
64 ~ Finland
76 ~ Switzerland and Liechtenstein
93 ~ Australia
94 ~ New Zealand
4 71 - Taiwan.

628 ~ Saudi-Arabian
629 ~ United Arab Emirates
740 ~ 745 - Central America
All 480 Codes are Made in the Philippines.

Hi Janis, thanks for the info about barcodes, I am off to check my vitamins!

My vitamins all begin with 50, so they are from UK, however that includes the Siberian Ginseng! Hmmm! Shouldn't that be from Siberia? Anyway they were also out of date and only a third of the bottle used, so that cleared a space!

I recommend checking out the "Help with husband post" - it has continued along the humorous lines

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/need-help-with-husband-dsvw-vd~324506

Thank you olldcan and MM!

Bobbi...I am still here, though apparently I should have joined th AARP group to post the bar code info...(sigh)

@janis I do not hink the barcode info has to be on a private setting. Mainly personal stuff like: your real name & where U live and info about young children especially.

Thank you ez, I ALWAYS love your posts!

And thank you too, Janis! I love hearing from you also.

I don't want anyone to think I'm being a brat - I just really love Houzz and I don't fear my personal info getting into the wrong hands. The AARP is great too! The feed is a little challenging to get used to, so I'm sticking to Houzz.

What is everyone's opinion on starting ELD, please?

Yes Eztia, I just saw & approved your request to join! When you get there, read the first topic, which explains about settings, so you get e-mail notifications for new material!

Bobbi - don't worry, we're just going to be in both places. You're not the only one who hasn't made it to AARP yet. I kind of like sticking with OLLD here, so I don't have to remember a new acronym (LOL)

Is this old age or what - but I am getting more and more resistant to change. Sort of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Bobbi, people wander on here, either make themselves known or don't and either stay or wander off. I think if you create another thread the same thing will happen so why change and I think while we stay OLLD it seems to help keep undesirables at bay??

I got sent that list of barcodes - the problem is that that only tells you the country the PRODUCT comes from - i.e. the TOTAL product. It does not tell you where the ingredients come from, it is very cunning and misleading, so busy, your tabs are probably made in England and packaged in England but the ingredients, like the ginseng, obviously come from elsewhere. I noticed in the spaghetti sauce recipe it was mentioned about using canned tomatoes marked "Product of Italy". "Product" only refers to the tin of tomatoes as such, in that the tomatoes were put in the can in Italy, it does not mean the tomatoes were grown in Italy. Some years back there was a huge scream here because China was dumping excess tomatoes in Italy where they were canned and labelled "Product of Italy" so everyone assumed they were getting Italian grown tomatoes. There is so much uncertainty with Chinese products particularly vegetables which are frequently grown using human waste as fertilizer. I don't know whether that practice has stopped now but I do not buy Italian canned tomatoes, unless they clearly state the tomatoes were grown in Italy, which our cans never do. Same applied to New Zealand, China has also been dumping there so I don't touch their stuff either.

Gotta go and give BH a hand with things - talk about a drama queen, just had to tell him twice to calm down and just talk. Arrgggh!!!!!

MM, have fun at your party!

@ roo. R U interested in helping this Aussie with a rain problem on porch / deck? https://www.houzz.com/discussions/protect-deck-from-rain-without-spoiling-the-views-and-image-dsvw-vd~323103

HOLY COW! The yelling and screaming coming from the man cave (and there is only one man in there and the Pats are not playing)…."throw the flag", a "shut up" to the announcer, Simms, who C P says, knows nothing about anything and is a suck up to Ray Lewis (who should be in jail). Even though B is in our conference, no one here wants to see Lewis go out on the big win.

The Ravens are the sentimental fave due to Ray Lewis and Michael Oher. But Ray Lewis has had years to get his ring, and Michael Oher has many years ahead of him to get a ring. GO NINERS!!!

Well, this is it for me today on the computer. TV tonight: Downton Abbey, not the Superbowl.

Actually, I'm disgusted with the NFL for letting Lewis on the field. Those boys were murdered and their blood was found in Lewis' limo. He will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Ohio, a few miles from where those two boys were buried. How miserable and sad is that.

Just to keep this in houzz form, I hate B's colors. Really, the equipment manager needs a visit from a houzz color consultant.

bobbi, 14-3 say your prayers.

Ez...I try to eat very healthy as I have arterial disease. I had the first stroke when I was only 49. I look for products grown in the US and or Canada and seldom by items from China. That includes pet supplies!

Even though the package may say 'Product of Italy' the bar code tells where the product ORIGINATED and that is why I posted this. I have lived in a third world country and have seen how the food is processed and handled. I would rather err on the side of caution than eat some of the garbage that passes for food.

And, believe me, I don't hesitate to eat dessert first! lol It's my favorite part of the meal.

I don't know how you ladies put up with some of the stuff you are sharing. I have to say A is easy. He seldom gets ruffled and never yells. It simply isn't his nature.

We have had a rather lazy day - for a change. First weekend I have had off in at least 2 months. Hope everyone else has had time to relax as well.

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Oh Lordy.

bob, sorry about the game so far....
but at least the half-time show is groovin!!! :)

please dont stop olld on houzz. me loves it and all of you.

i need to get off the computer. just wanted to check in since i've been busy all day!
made gumbo and i have on my mardi gras beads and gold sequinned mask for my own little super bowl party.

Ohhhh - Downton Abbey, it starts here next Sunday. Can't wait.

OK, so I have heard of gumbo - usually in context with New Orleans cuisine. What is it exactly?

bobbi, i love olld and I don't want it to change. If some of us want to share more personal info, by all means go ahead. Like right now, If i knew you were on and waiting for my e-mail, I'd add it to a comment and you'd write it down, confirm you have it and then I'd edit my comment to remove it. I'm with mp and for me, see no need to go else where. As you all know, I'm not American and not retired, tired but not retired.....Maybe it's just the name that puts me off. I think we have a special group from around the world, sharing many different experiences, that's why it's so much fun.

michi 25 of the 29, GET OUT!!!! Are they all registered in Pope and Young, that's some serious dedication to achieve that. So what are the four that are left, since he's so close please tell me he's going for it. I put on many miles in the bush, rain, snow, hail you name it. I remember being deep in a coulee and it was so hot that day. As i was climbing out, basically vertical, I was throwing up with heat stroke. My knees are aching and head pounding just thinking about it. My black bear was 19 5/8", large enough to make P&Y but I have seen much larger than that, just couldn't get the shot. There used to be a cinnamon bear that would visit me, tiny little thing was so cute. One night she climbed the tree I was in and was trying to get up on the base of my tree stand, there so curious. I would tap my knock on the steel base and she would try to touch it, it fascinated her somehow. One snort from mama and she was down and gone in a flash. Mama must have winded me but baby cinnamon, couldn't have cared less.

bobbi, I shut the power off so the NINERS could catch up, hope it works :)

Thank you olldcan, it almost worked........there's always next year :((

Is it over?

Bobbi! I checked in...kind of a girl party isn't it? I mean...I was a husband at one point! So, yes...it's over and our Niners lost. Crap. I feel like hell. With all my meds, the extra adrenaline makes me shake. You know I'm recovering from a bone marrow transplant, right? Anyway, if you want a weird male perspective...hopped up,on prednisone, hit me on the forums. I turned the notifications all off and there doesn't seem to be a way to turn them back on!

It's over, roo, the fat lady has sung :((

Astraea, I was just able to delete a discussion I started - can you delete this one? Is this something new from Houzz?????

Bobbi, finally got some news on our broadcast tonight but it was mainly focussed on Beyonce actually singing and not lip-syncing. Commisserations, I was thinking about you. Sounds like it was close though and very exciting. I must look up how you score. OK just Googled that and do not understand a word of it - I should have known better.

Bobbi - I never tried to delete a discussion, and wouldn't want to attempt it .. unless everyone wanted me too. It could be a "test" we'd be sorry was too successful!!

David, no, I didn't know that, I'm so sorry! When did you have the transplant? Are you ok now? And is the prognosis good? I'm sure it is, you look like a healthy kinda guy.

It is kind of a hen house but we def need some roosters! Most of the OLLD's have gone to another site and soon I will be here talking to myself.

I hate it that the Niners lost, especially that we came so close. Another 5 minutes and the Raven fans would be crying in their beaks. Dang it!

Bob..you will never be alone here.

Thank you Janis! I don't mind talking to myself but I worry when I talk back!

@ironwood.To receive or change mail notifications, go to your Houzz page...click "edit" and click "advanced settings" and make changes. Sorry to hear of your health issues. Welcome. Weird views are the norm here. ;)