nandina - actually, our house was traditional 3-coat cement stucco, it was just done completely wrong by a builder who had no clue what he was doing. We actually had one expert who flew up from Wilmington to assess our house - he was one of the guys that discovered the synthetic stucco problem. But the problem is not just confined to synthetic stucco - now that I've learned more than I ever wanted to about stucco and proper flashing practices, I see tons of houses around here that have (or are going to have) the same problems. Sad. karin - The root problem is solved - we ripped every bit of stucco, sheathing, and insulation out of the house and had it down to studs and drywall. Everything that went back on was properly flashed and we took extra precautions such as a rainscreen to insure that water that gets behind the siding will be able to drain. Your question of how much foundation planting we really need is a good one - that's why I was thinking more of perennials (ferns and hostas) along the front - if it dies back in the winter, so be it. I think the house looks much better with no landscaping than it did with the big overgrown bushes. I know that I definitely don't want the traditional yew, holly, and barberry bushes that everybody seems to have around here. However, since you seem to know a lot about evergreens, can you recommend a few that won't grow much more than 3-5 ft tall and are very dense? I'd like to at least get the bushes in to screen the A/C units before winter as they're quite ugly. And I wouldn't mind one or two in the front just so it's not completely bare in the winter, but I'd want them to stay lower than the windows. I'm in zone 6 (think I forgot to say that in my first post). I do have to do something - we don't get a ton of snow and the lawn will be a muddy disaster if I don't get something done - it's only been a few weeks since the drainage work started and I'm vacuuming and cleaning floors about five times as much as I used to. What don't you like about the vinca lawn idea? My landscaper isn't fond of it either, but that's because he told me he hates spending 3 days planting thousands of vinca plants. I don't mind if it spreads - I've got about 3 acres of lawn and another 2 of meadow (lawn I don't mow, basically), and I really want to add something else interesting to break up the sea of grass.

Hmmm, so I fuss over "girl" AND "guy" stuff. When it came time to have our electrical box upgraded from the old 100 amp service to the 200 amp service...I was the one asking the questions to the electrician. When our electrician was here this weekend to replace an old light switch that sizzled and fried (littlerally...black smoke coming out and everything!), I was right there, asking him about it. And I LOVE that he explained it to me as a human and not as "okay, little lady, here's what's up with it." When we were getting ready to build a house a few years ago...it was me that fussed over the dual zone heating. And me that fussed over the geothermal heat pump. And me that was asking about the relative advantages and disadvantages of Superior Walls vs. standard foundations. My husband came along for the ride on most of that. In our house, in many cases, I do the research (be it "male" or "female" based. Narrow down the choices to what I find acceptable. Present findings to DH and then we work on finding a decision. But, me, heck yeah, I'm going to be SO excited (seriously!) when it comes time for us to have the HVAC people in to replace our old furnace. But, I'm a little odd like that.

LOL chickadee. DH threw, dog caught and when he brought the ball back they collided when DH was bending over to get it. Same thing happened to me years ago when I bent down to get the ball and my Pointer got me smack in the back of the head, and almost knocked me out. Morz, I don't have room for another gadget in the bathroom but it looks like a nice setup. Joanie, before the gum started receding I only brushed twice a day and was a lazy flosser. Since switching to the soft bristles which won't thoroughly clean my teeth I have to brush after I eat, unless it's pudding or yogurt. lol The brush is so soft there's no damage being done, and the bristles are the same length and type. The new brush has different lengths which should help tremendously. I only use toothpaste in the morning and evening, daytime is water only along with rinsing. I really don't want to use anything that takes up more of my time, but I will if the toothbrush isn't a 100%.

Even though waxing is something I do professionally, I do not wax myself. My skin is too delicate for that. Luckily I didn't need that sort of help on my face. Then the lovely 'change'. Oh, it's so fun waiting on all the new kicks life throws your way after The Change. haha. It took some years, but the peach fuzz on the cheeks happened. It was slow, then a case of...am I seeing that correctly? Argh. Then the realization that yes, this has happened. I am a bit fuzzy now. I do use an epilator on my legs a couple times a year. Zoe is right, big owww the first few times, then your nerve endings get pulled out too, so doesn't hurt anymore. I tried the epilator on the peach fuzz because it seemed like creams and potions weren't getting to the skin as well as they used it. I did that every couple of months and I was pretty well pleased. Then the dermo said men have nicer skin than us ladies for lots of reasons, but shaving is one of them. She recommends shaving the face to her female patients for the benefits. It took me a while to get used to it and I usually forget for too long, but when I remember, the skin is rejuvinated to a point and the creams and potions sink in nicely. I remember about twice a month. I'm shooting for at least 3 times a week, but oh well. The return of the peach fuzz is the reminder call I need.