Is Evey around here any more? I wonder how all her stuff came back this past summer.. haven't heard/seen from her in a thousand years... I know that she was in the same boat as you, PPal, with the unseasonable cold snap that filtered down from us down to y'all there in the heatbelt.
Topsoil would work much better, but it doesn't breathe and would do the expand/contract with the freezes & thaws. That's why I go with mulch, not to mention a lot lighter to move!!
Plus I still have a bit left from my mountain of mulch to work with (plus the 20+ bags I just bought to complete my yard).