Bobbi - good to know! I don't use fabric softener, but that sounds odd, since the detergent & bleach are usually liquid these days too.

Roo: I had never heard of winterizing either before...it's where you get literally all the water out of the house...pipes, toilets etc because you are shutting the heat off, and everything freezes in the house and can cause things to burst if not taken care of.
I was worried about that last week here if we lost power, thankfully we didn't!!
'Bobbi: that downy fabric softener did a job on my machine too...gunked up and hard to get it out ! I don't use that brand anymore,, I like Method fabric softener now.

BTW Happy StV Day ladies....hope you all got something nice!!

Bobbi, what is an HE washer? How is it different? There should be a warning on the machine if that is an issue and really comes down to lack of care on the part of the manufacturer.

I have given up on using fabric softener, we don't really need it here and it was getting too expensive. If I feel something needs it I usually soak it separately before washing.

Solve the agitator problem - get an LG they don't have them. So much kinder on clothes too.

Julie, how do you get all the water out of your pipes? Does turning it off at the main and then running taps suffice? What about hot water heater tanks?? Boy what a learning experience this is.

Well my handyman finished up after 4 hours and he did so many pesty little things and did them so well and easily, he was really great value. His name goes on my permanent list.

He is going to give us a quote for the painting - actually he has aready done a lot of the prep work on the walls. I'm really worried now he could come in pretty cheap, like over $1,000 cheaper than the others. He will probably do a good job, but I had to tell him how I wanted things done, whereas the painter just knew, like there was no other way. We have a funny problem with the cornice in the kids' bedroom right opposite the door that is really annoying me. It looks like we might have a water problem but have never seen any wet evidence of it. BH is going to get up in the roof tomorrow and really check it out but the handyman and the first painter reckon once it is all painted over I will hardly notice it, whereas Mr. Finicky said he will even replace the bit of cornice if necessary to get it right. It is a lot of extra cash to satisfy my picky ways. Just have to wait on his quote and see.

Roo: it's what they call a front loader here. Front loaders have become popular in the last 10 years here, not much before that. HE is high efficiency, and they make HE detergents that don't suds up much...like the ones you have there for front loaders. I had a great front loader in Sydney, but have an old Maytag top loader fhere rom the 80's would you believe , that thing just won't die. And I refuse to get rid of it until it does. Uses way too much water though.

Roo: do you have rising damp???? Had it bad in my house in Bondi Junction. I know of lot of the older sydney houses have it. Not that that is what's wrong with your cornice...it is plaster i take it?

You have to drain everything.....hot water, toilets, all the pipes. Maybe there's other stuff you have to do too, I've never had to do it, fingers crossed.

Gee, I'm glad you are there to translate for me Julie, but now I am even more confused, I didn't think front loaders had agitators?? I had a Hoover front loader many moons ago as it was only tiny and could be moved around when we were in an apartment that had a communal laundry and this way I could keep it in a spare bedroom and push it into the bathroom to use. It absolutely killed clothes though but that and all others I have ever seen had like a wheel agitator at the back that sits almost flush with the back of the machine. I haven't looked at them for years now as I will not consider anything that means bending or stooping. From what I have heard the older Maytag machines don't die, only the price put me off buying one once as they were always considered industrial machines, had them in caravan parks and the like, so they were built to last.

No, no rising damp probs at all Julie, the house is very well ventilated at ground level and we are on just enough slope for good drainage, despite the Sydney sandstone. I have a feeling this may be connected to the mould problem we had in the bathroom and it is spreading as the rooms adjoin. We gutted the bathroom to get rid of it but then the builder decided to leave the ceiling and just put the Villaboard over it. BH said he is going to get up and smash all the gyprock out and get rid of it. It is a bit crazy really when we put extractor fans in to get the steam out of the bathrooms but then where does it go in the ceiling??? We didn't have a ceiling fan originally and the mould problem started after we put one in. I have suggested for years now we put whirlybirds in the roof to help cool the house a bit too but BH has resisted. I think I will push for at least one now over the bathroom.

Yes, the cornice is just normal gyprock which makes it easy to cut out a bit and stick a new bit in.

From what I've seen in the ones here there is like raised bars inside which act as an agitator but they can beat the clothes up I'm told. I don't remember mine having anything inside it?
The Maytag I got through an antique sale, they were liquidating a summer house that had this washer for sale for $75 !!! I've had it for over 14 years, and it was old when I got it but not used much. I've had one repair call on it when I went on vacation for a while and one of the rubber gaskets inside dried up and cracked and it flooded the floor, that was 8 years ago and still going strong.

On another note..I'm floored about Oscar Pistorius. You hearing anything over there?

I have one bathroom here that has to be gutted due to mold in ceiling. I need to address that very soon...it's a nightmare, not ventilated, and was going to get it ventilated but now I'm worried after what you just said. I am going ot have to rip everything out back to joists I think. New tile to look forward to though !

Happy Birthday and Happy Valentines Ironwood! Hope you did something to celebrate today! I got myself a lovely box of Godiva Chocolates that I will be eating while laying in bed tonight while literally watching them go to my hips...but I will enjoy every bite!!! Hope you treated yourself to something nice, maybe a glass of wine or movie on demand while vegging out! I would share my chocolates but I can't get them through the computer!

S.Thomas, you're going to love our story! It's very similar!! My husband used to be my brothers boss and while riding home with him and my sister-in-law from just coming off of a deployment he asked "why can't I meet a good woman?". My brother and sister-in-law looked at each other and then my brother started rattling off about having a sister, etc and whipped out a photo of me with my DD. He said he would love to meet me, asked if it would be okay. Brother called me (and mom) to ask for permission to give my info out so some strange fellow could call me from 7000 miles away (they were stationed in Okinawa at the time). Long story short, he emailed and we talked for thirty days straight via email before the first call (he was back out on the ship so couldn't call freely). We talked via phone and email for another month then he came to the states for a two week visit, went back to Okinawa and proposed a month later (over the phone while flowers were being delivered). We got married 8 weeks after that with a small, beautiful ceremony on a Tuesday evening. Left the next day of 10 days in Okinawa. Came home without my husband for one more year. Then he made it back to the states but for 10 years now we have been living this way with him only being home about 40 days of the year. This July he comes home for good and we couldn't be more excited. For our first anniversary, my husband made a scrapbook of our first 30 days of emails back and forth while he was on the boat. We have so many stories that I could tell you. We've had to be very creative due to distance. For the first three birthdays he took it upon himself to have a public official sing or wish me a happy birthday...if you can believe that! First year Mayor Barnes sang me happy bday, next year Congressman Moore sang to me, third year I received cards from two senators...always makes me chuckle!! We should collaborate on a book of stories!!

Soooo, Ironwoods, I guess what I'm saying is...you never know what God has in store for you. It can happen with a simple email or phone call....all in due time. But, when you find her, pick her up off her feet so she doesn't know what hit her!

Winterizing is getting all the water out of the pipes so they don't freeze. You have to shut off the water - usually disconnect the meter also, then open all the faucets and drain the hot water heater. Then you have to put RV antifreeze in the toilet bowl and cover it with plastic wrap which keeps the antifreeze from evaporating and letting sewer gases get through the trap in the toilet.

The first foreclosure house I bought wasn't winterized properly and the entire toilet tank was cracked. We were looking at it to see if the toilet was going to work and the entire front of the tank came off in my hands. We also had tons of leaks where the water pipes had frozen.

One of the other problems with vacant homes is when the utilities get shut off and the sump pump doesn't run. That happened to a home down the block from mine and the new owners had to remove everything in the basement and start over.

Roo - doesn't your extractor fan vent to the exterior? If it vents into an attic space, you're just moving the problem from one location to another. Another problem with some bathroom vents is a low spot in the venting will have condensation problems in cold attics and stagnant water collecting in the venting.

trasgorshek - Do you have young children? If so, you definitely get a medal for surviving almost single parenthood.
bobbi - so what is the status on the washer? Did it actually get fixed this time?

Linda - goodness I only think of snow and ice when it comes to trying to go out in it, never thought of all these issues within the home. We don't have sump pumps either - what do they do?

It is standard for exhaust fans to vent into the ceiling space here, even in winter it can be pretty warm up there, so I guess the assumption is that the heat would dry things out very quickly and the whole attic space is wide open. I feel I am the odd one out around here with the problem, it isn't that normal so I don't know why it picked on us. We have stored a lot of things in the attic over the years and nothing has ever got mould on it, possum droppings yes, before we wired them out, so it definitely isn't damp up there. Don't quite know what you mean about low spots, the fan sits in a hole in the ceiling so when it is switched on part of it opens to the ceiling space and the fan sucks the air up.

Awww, Tras, what a lovely story, bet your brother takes credit at every opportunity - as only a male would.

Lol, oh yes he does Roo!...on many occasions. But the funny thing is, it goes the other way around too. He gets blamed when trouble comes.

Now that is a TRUE Sister!!!!

Hey ladies and gent(s), I treated myself all right today! Got a bunch done, opened some ebay purchases I'd made while in the hospital..my gift to myself for surviving! Two new rugs, one Navajo and one Oriental..a really nice Kuba cloth and a Haida cedar box...Eclectic? You bet! Took almost he entire day off Houzz. Went for a walk with my son (my current caregiver) for an hour and a half on a local railtrail. Sunny and GORGEOUS in Sonoma County today...70 degrees and the flowers are out! BTW, not sure any gal will be interested in my baggage...critically ill and fussy about the house decor? I mean really? Tomorrow I'm off again...Doctors and blood tests...but a trip to my framers for that Kuba cloth. Have a very romantic evening..all of you!

;] LOL! There's three girls and one boy in our family. My poor brother has dealt with a lot of estrogen through the years. But he has dished out his fair share of brotherhood. Last time he was home, he gave me a bruise on my right shoulder that took weeks to disappear.

So glad to hear you had a good day!! Would love to see your rugs, I bet they are beautiful!! And a framed Kuba cloth would be beautiful. No romantic evening here, just trying to stay awake until my daughter gets home. But I did enjoy my chocolates while sitting here zooming through Houzz and talking with Roo.

our Houzz addiction!

As a newcomer ( um, addict?), may I say I already enjoy the great advice you give on houzz - so happy birthday and valentines day today. It sounds to have been a very good day. Cheers, Antoinette

Hi Antoinette, care to join us?? This is the time of day I hate, everyone is bedding down or has bedded down for the night and my evening is just beginning. Of course just as everyone wakes for the day I have to go to bed!!!! This sure is an addiction.

Dave, glad you had a great day. An hour and a half is a long walk, hope you didn't overdo it but there is nothing like a good dose of Mother Nature to help you get back on your feet.

You know, there are a lot of women with very strong mother/nursing traits, you just never know - think Anna Nicole Smith, teehee.

Tras, how dare you eat chocolate when you are talking to me............. well not without a warning so I can grab some too.

My SIL often brings me out chocolates that are really nice, just don't get enough in a box. No idea what the brand is now, very well known, might have a woman's name or grandma or something. Nothing beats the Bavarian Chocolate German dd brings home with her - that is true decadence............ and way too many inches on the hips.

Olldroo, Thanks for the invite! Yes please to anything! I am caught in the middle, I gather you are in Australia, others in the US, and I am in Europe but I suppose at some time we are all caught in the middle!!!

My goodness everyone has been so busy and talkative! Roo, an HE washer is a high efficiency washer. It weighs the clothes and adds only enough water as needed, instead of a pre-set amount. It's supposed to save on water, but the most common complaint is that it doesn't use enough water to thoroughly clean the clothes. The repairman replaced a rusty bolt and cleaned all the gunk out of the fabric softener dispenser, I need to run an empty load with washing machine cleaner and vinegar before I'll know if the fix worked!

I've never heard of winterizing to that extent, that's some serious stuff. The closest we come is wrapping the outside pipes with foam insulation and covering the plants.

Dave, I'm glad you had a fun birthday, please make sure you get some rest, too, ok?

I'll open 2/15 if no one else has.

Antoinette, the OLLD here stands for Old Ladies Love Design and we just all came together via this website and our love of design. Naturally half our chat is about life, old age and grandkids but we do have a couple of younger members - our trainees as we call them. We have also had a couple of roosters join us in the hen house which adds to the fun. Yes, I'm an Aussie, we have one Canadian and 2 Scottish ladies and the rest are US. Where are you from?

We are very cautious here as this is a very open website so don't give out much in really personal information but we would love to hear a bit about you.

We start a new thread each day (each US day that is), Bobbi usually does it, so if you are looking for us you check discussions, other, and search OLLD and the day's date - as you see Bobbi is opening OLLD 2/15.

Bobbi, didn't realize your machine actually wieghed the clothes!? Very cool, but I can see the shortcomings of that. What brand?

Sorry, Julie, you asked me before about Oscar Pistorius. Yes it has been very big here - well being a top sports person what else would you expect :). So much is coming out though, his previous girlfriend apparently had domestic violence issues with him and he even had a machine gun. Sounds like a bit of a Jeckyl and Hyde character. One of the Channel 7 reporters tonight said he interviewed him at the London Olympics and how meek and quietly spoken he was - couldn't believe it was the same person but of course now that would not be surprising. His home looked amazing too.

Julie, my washer is a General Electric. Nothing fancy, no real bells and whistles, but it's just the two of us (and the dog!) so it's not like we generate a lot of laundry. Actually, I have more household laundry than clothes, you know, sheets, towels, etc. I think I do four loads a week or less.

Roo - Good grief; I’m a whole day late! My HE front loader does not have an agitator, just a drum that rotates back & forth. As Julie said, there are 4 bars around the drum, but I can’t imagine that they do much to agitate anything. They say that the agitation is causes by the drum going in one direction, then going in the other, so everything gets plopped back & forth.

Julie/Roo – I was stunned by the Oscar Pistorius story too this morning, but haven’t read any further details.

My old machine did the flopping and plopping thing but didn't have any bars, but I think that was what cause the clothes to wear very quickly, either that or the spin cycle, the clothes came out almost dry but that is also wearing on fabric.

He was arrested as the only possible suspect, then was howling in court and his family said that he is innocent in the strongest terms...waahhh???? None of any of this makes any sense,guess it ail all be revealed soon enough.

It's been a strange week on Houzz here too!!!

Julie, the problem these days is that innocence and guilt is all relevant - it all depends how good your lawyers are. Having worked in the justice system for 20 years it never ceases to amaze me the technicalities that can be used to manipulate the law . One story I saw, he was in the bath and heard his door open .............. so does he take his gun into the bath with him??? Seems he supposedly had quite an arsenal of weapons from a machine gun down to a baseball bat as crime is high where he lives and with his high profile he felt in constant danger. Of course at times like this all sorts of stories come out from supposed people in the know, one can never believe anything. His howling in court is very beneficial too, he has to be seen as distressed and remorseful, who knows they may even find him mentally unfit to stand trial.

I note also that if he does go to jail, his blades will be a major issue as they can be considered dangerous weapons. Don't know what SA is like regarding discrimination and rights these days but certainly here that would be a huge issue with his sentencing - whose rights win???? Take away his ability to walk and he would be at the mercy of other prisoners.

It is certainly the most interesting case.....I am shocked totally..not shocked about Lance, but really shocked about this. Comes at an interesting time for this country here re gun violence. I live 20 mins away from Sandy Hook and went to a large anti gun rally here yesterday. I don't want to open that can of worms on this site though.

I have not seen the footage of Pistorius' house..but I'm sure it's nice...locked away in a compound I hear.

Julie, we were all devestated by Sandy Hook here my LA dd was so distressed as Miss 6 fitted the profile of the kids lost so to speak, that she went and took her out of school for the rest of that day. She just couldn't stand the thought of her being there, particulary when their school was built in a similarly open manner.

I guess in this case it does highlight what people are saying that guns breed violence, gun violence starts people then buy guns to protect themselves and more violence happens. Fortunately we do have very strict control here but the internet is bringing it all undone. Customs is flat out trying to stem the flow of guns into the country through the mail. Our biggest problem at the moment is the Middle Eastern lot, they seem to have taken over all the bikie gangs and are at constant war with each other. It is really getting bad. I think the general attitude is fine if they shoot each other but unfortunately one day some innocent bystander will cop the brunt of it.

Unfortunately I can't find the article with the photo of the house, if I see it again I will post it. Lots of stories coming out about his childhood now.

Sad to hear its deteriorating over there....I look at back home as the model of how it should be. Its a mess here, but a very tense subject and don't want to talk about it here. It was the second most scary day after sept 11 since I've been here.

I loved your target set of pirate bedding very cute. Colors are good and I could see a whole room designed around it. I know that what Target sells here is quite different, not worse or better, but just different. Target is immensely popular over here. We only got Target stores within the last 8 years here, but LOVE it...great bedding and china, and clothes.

Did you say you were making roman shades?

Roman shades - no way, I don't mind doing curtains but am getting past anything intricate these days. I was thinking blinds would be nice for the room when I can't have the curtain full length but I would want a nice fabric one. The cushion is from a pirate bedding set they had but I didn't want kids stuff as such and with a boy and a girl I have to keep it a little neutral. Also will be set up if any of the other grands want to sleep over and they are older.

I was automatically thinking of painting the room blue but now I have unwrapped the doona cover, I think it will be too much and am thinking now of going back to green - a slightly paler shade than in the fabric, it seems to make all the colours pop, where the blue just goes into blue overkill and I think will look drab. I have found a Dulux colour called Fresh Frappe but on screen it looks nothing like the book I have but I know from past experience that the colours in the book are way out too. BH has just gone down to Bunnings and I asked him to pick me up some colour chips - looked at me like I was talking a foreign language!!!

Target kids clothes have always been brilliant although some seasons can be a little weird, what they have so far for this winter is positively drab. I stopped making my joey's clothes when they opened, for the price, it just wasn't worth the work. Can't get much in clothes for myself unfortunately, they seem to only cater for young ones. They use a lot of polyester too and polyester and our humidity just don't go. I do love their homewares stuff too, I always check that out when I am near, they just have odd little things that look great.

Don't know if you read my post where I got that lining tape I was having problems with. Damned Spotlight have shelves of boxes of tapes but the one I wanted is under the counter............. yeah that sells. Has to be the worst place to shop but unfortunately they have so many necessities.

I don't think that shop was around when I was there. The only one I remember was Lincraft. Offer still stands if you need any of that stuff, happy to send it over.

I find with Target clothes they look awesome on the peg but as i'm getting older and the body is less than ideal..they just don't fit nice at all like more expensive stuff does. Clothes are way cheaper over here anyway. I remember I used to sew a lot of my clothes when I was over there , but here it's not worth it.

I once painted a room a blue that I thought was light enough on the chip..but blue is one of those colours that seems to intensify on the wall...it was such a downer going into that room. The green sounds nice!!

We are lucky we have a relatively new SupaCentre near us now that has both Spotlight and Lincraft so I flit between both. Neither shop is well managed though which is so frustrating. I do appeciate your offer, but it looks like things are coming together now.

I would so love to get across to the States for a shopping spree, the things dd gets for the kids are just amazing. I am really getting to the point I am thinking of going back to sewing seriously, I am sick of trying to find things that fit, are a nice fabric, and suitable for an OLLD. We already had a discussion on here one time about the shrinking sizes in clothes too.

I'm back on blue again with the paint, have to make up my mind in a hurry, painter is starting tomorrow. I found the right shade today and I can have it mixed in 1/4 strength but it is too pale to do a sample pot.

When I was doing my lounge room in the blue, dd was absolutely adamant it was way too pale and would look wishy washy. I said no more to her about it and when she came over after it was done, announced it looked so much better and she was glad I had gone for a darker shade. Got the shock of her life when I put the paint card up to it.

Roo! Did you pick a painter?

Roo - I always find it amazing how many people from other countries come to America for the shopping, or make it a big part of their trip. And often what they buy isn't American .. but less expensive here than elsewhere. When my cousins were here from Israel, I think they sent back a bunch of pair of Nike running shoes .. much cheaper than back home.

Astraea, R's brother and family did that exact thing! Right after we moved in (we hadn't even unpacked!) they came and stayed with us for three weeks and spent the entire time shopping. Name brands are revered in their part of the world and they went home with enough Oakley and Nike, etc., to open their own store.

I opened 2/17.

Bobbi - Where I lived before, I was about a 1/2 hour drive from Woodbury Common Premium Outlets: http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=7. It's probably the largest outlet center in the area. When they redid the place & expanded years ago (it's all outdoors, unfortunately), they did their signs & public announcements in about 4 or 5 languages, because they get a lot of tourist buses coming thru. They come with collapsable luggage, and leave with it filled!

Yeah, Bobbi, I posted it somewhere, have been over so many threads today, I'm lost. We only got two of the four people quote but BH liked Mr. Finicky too. When we broke the quotes down to compare them he was about $400 dearer but is doing more coats which is what I wanted. The other guy was nice but tended to be a bit 'good enough'. Still trying to decide on the blue for the kids' room. I have been backwards and forwards between the green and the blue, really getting myself into a knot. If I go blue it will only be a very pale blue, unfortunately too pale to be able to get a sample pot.

There was a piece on TV the other day how we are just the most expensive country for buying anything and they were really shooting the stores down for their pricing. If we go over there, it isn't so much for brands or anything or even where it is made, it is just to have some choice, especially when our choice isn't just limited, it plain doesn't exist.

Roo, denim is sort of 'universal' for boys and girls. Can you look for a denim blue color, light denim?

Wrong shade bobbi, needs to be softer.