More autumn decorations and a plea for gardening help

Yesterday was great! I was unusually productive. Here's a not-so-quick recap:

I dropped a chipper Andrew off at preschool, and Benjamin and I headed first to Sonic. There's something about having coupons for fast food that makes me think I have to have it! Plus I was super hungry.

So I used my $0.99 breakfast burrito coupon and got a bacon/cheese breakfast burrito. And let me tell you; there was no shortage of bacon, and that made the baby and me very happy. I also ordered a medium Dr. Pepper. It was cold and fizzy. When I placed my order, the lady asked me if I'd like to add a small tator tots for $0.99. I had a Napoleon Dynamite flashback and then answered, "Yes, I would." I put a dollop of ketchup on each individual tot as I savored their crispy goodness.

Then we went to Hobby Lobby where I bought some more autumn decorations. Everything was on sale!

Then it was 10:00 and the mall was open. Benjamin was starting to get fussy, but we had one more stop before he could snooze a little in the car. We ran into Dillard's where I picked up my pre-ordered Clinique makeup and bonus at customer service. And a quick elevator ride so mommy could go to the potty.

Benjamin fell asleep literally as soon as I put him in the car seat. He slept for about twenty minutes as I drove home and ran inside to collect Andrew's library books, which were due yesterday.

Then we drove 1/2 mile down the road to the library where he woke up b/c they were doing yardwork and it was super loud. He was content in the stroller while I found some more books for Andrew.

Then it was off to fill up the van with gas and grocery shop. (I told you we were productive!!) I fed him a snack while the van filled up with gas, and he managed to do well at Walmart b/c he had just had a snack and a quick nap.

Only one more stop! I had to stop by my parents' house to drop off some groceries for my mom and some library books for my dad.

We then had one hour at home for lunch before we had to leave to get Andrew from preschool! I tell you what I learned from this day:

1. I don't know why I ever thought having one kid was hard.

2. I love preschool.

3. I am so glad I chose the preschool that is five hours long (twice a week). There's no way I could do that much in three hours. I mean, what is the point??

4. Sonic is really, really good when it's 9 a.m. and you're pregnant and starving and minus a kid.

Next week I don't have anything planned on A's preschool days, and I rarely have that many errands to run, so I'm not sure what we'll do. The following week, I have a doctor's appt on Tues during preschool (measurements for the nuchal fold), and Benjamin has a follow-up appt with his surgeon on Thurs during preschool.

Another great thing about preschool is that I can very often schedule doctor's appointments for when Andrew is there. Which is a good thing, because between my pregnancy and Benjamin's issues, we have quite a few of those pesky appointments.

OKAY! (I warned you that it was a long recap!)

Here are my added autumn decorations. I'm not horribly crazy about their size. I wish they were twice the size they are, but I just couldn't afford the really big stuff. Maybe I'll add a couple of bales of hay somewhere later and that will help.

This morning, it has been very overcast and about 70 degrees. Ahhhh...lovely. So this morning before I showered and before Andrew even changed out of his pajamas, we went out to put out the new decorations.

It took a few tries to get the position right, so Andrew and I ran up and down the driveway (to see the view from the road) about ten times before I was satisfied.

Here is the close-up view:







From the yard:



From the road: (Notice the barren and pitiful flowerbox around my mailbox...)



Okay, my green-thumbed friends. I need help. Surely it can't be that hard. It's just some sparse mulch and weeds that are close to the surface b/c we just pulled them.



I need very dumbed-down, step-by-step advice about what to do to prepare the ground, and very specific advice about what to buy. (Preferably something inexpensive and VERY low-maintenance!) I'm envisioning maybe two brightly colored flowering plants, one on each side. But nothing that I have to fool with a lot. It doesn't have to be the kind that comes back each year. I don't mind removing it and/or replacing it if that's easier than cutting it back. Or whatever that thing is called.

HELP!!!



And now a few fun shots.

Andrew in his pajamas and generic Target Crocs.









My favorite shot of the day, which is now my desktop wallpaper. After running up and down the driveway almost a dozen times, I was happy with the position of everything. So I went inside to get the camera. I took several shots and Andrew said, "Take a picture of us running!!!" So I set the timer, and got a perfect shot the first time!! Please pardon my frumpiness. :)



Thanks!!