[Cob] Earthberming a cob house?

[Sharon Cox]

I am interested to know if you can earthberm a cob house?  If yes, how 
do you prevent water from deteriorating the cob wall? (I know you could 
use something to divert the water away from the home, inside the berm, 
but the earth would still be against the cob wall)

I am looking at both cob and earthship home building and like that the 
earthship can be earthbermed, but I also like cob structures. 

The other question I have is I realize that the cob breathes and that it 
has great thermal mass, but what about insulation for colder climates?  
If you were to put say straw bales on the outside and then a thinner 
layer of cob, would the cob still breathe?

Thank you for your help!
Sharon