In gardens, some species (Pawlonia, Cotinus) are sometimes pruned back hard every year to induce large luscious foliage. I know this is not a topiary question, but does anyone know the name of this technique or have a suggestion where I might look? Thanks, Rob.

I could be entirely off base, but I think there is a more affordable solution for this that is more of a different way (and possibly material) used during the final portion of the stucco process which leads to this looks. There some new homes in my area built by large tract builders that have this finish, so that leads me to guess there is a reasonable cost involved. All three of your photos are ones in my own inspiration book (or I should say, folder on houzz) and I was hoping for the same type of finish. I am meeting with our designer next Thursday so I'll ask him for some more information about it post here then.

I don't use bookmarks. I made myself an "intranet." (The local-drive version of an internet.) I got that habit from work, where I used an intranet to store all the links and priceless info such as tried-and-true procedures, contact information for suppliers, etc. That was how I documented my job responsibilities. As I left each job, I told my replacement to "read the intranet." I was leaving him/her with established procedures and much more information than I had when I started the job! I used Netscape's HTML editor to make my intranet. I update it whenever I find new info. (It's not just quilting. It has info for all my hobbies and interests, and info I need to run the household such as: local government, the different insurance we carry, etc.) My intranet is simple. The frame on the left is for navigation. It contains all the categories, in alphabetical order. When I click on a category, the frame of the right displays all links and notations for that category. I find this very handy, because instead of just a single URL, I can store my login and password right next to the link that takes me there. I can store links to multiple pages of a large website. I can store any other info relating to the website or blog, with notations such as "she does a lot of applique." Lately, I have been visiting the blogs of quilters, to see photos of their projects. I don't think I'm ever gonna have a blog of my own. I like our little forum much better. Instead of post after post about me, it's a threaded discussion, and I get to learn sooo much from everyone else.

If it makes you feel better, Hoboken, my main early labor symptom for my last kid (#3) was extreme crankiness. When we got to the hospital, I told my husband that I'd changed my mind, we weren't really having this baby after all. We looked at each other and said, "But we don't have a name for a girl!" This was the days before ultrasounds and I was sure this baby was a girl. He wasn't, so we had a name after all. It could have been like my brother and SIL - it took them several more days after the birth of their kids to agree on names. That really causes issues on the birth certificate front. Good luck, keep breathing, she'll be here soon.