certifiably ocd when it comes to my flowerbed?

perhaps... but i'm not about to pay a shrink for the diagnosis. i trimmed my shrubs today... and my birch tree. it had dead branches which were irritating me. the holly bush had weird protruding branches that made it look really crooked. the red shrubs (not sure what they are called) still had frost burn from the pre-easter freeze and were blocking the light to a couple of my verbena. the spirea were taking over. i hesitated to trim them because i like the blooms, but i'm hoping that maybe trimming will actually encourage more blossoms? maybe? i should read up on that. and i rescued a casualty of the wind.. one of my gladiola stalks bent, so i cut it and put it on a vase on the mantle. it sure is purdy. so is its reflection in the mirror.

hubby found a way to save almost $700 on our auto and home insurance. 1) change old car's coverage to liability only 2) switch companies because Ameriprise (which we got through Costco) raised our rates 52% in 2 years for no decent reason. we will soon be insured by the same company that hubby's brother's family has been with for a few years. and the dude that dave ramsey recommended on his website came through for us in finding good quotes. woo hoo! we also sent costco customer service a nice little email sharing our experience with this partner company, as we know they strive for excellence and value.... something that disappeared from our insurance coverage with the alst declaration we received.

laundry is in process. i will actually cook dinner tomorrow. i promise. pinky swear. that reminds me, i need to take the chicken out to thaw and marinate in italian seasoning.

debating on whether to attempt a big tackle for tackle it tuesday; i feel like i'm bearly keeping up. i think i may transplant the chinese lantern plant into a bigger pot that only has dead stuff in it. i suppose i should dig out the dead stuff first. anyway, the chinese lantern plant has grown quite a bit since i got it, and i'd like to keep it alive even longer. just maybe? plus, the patio could use a plant on it. oh, have i mentioned that i am proud of myself because the nickname i gave it is the name that i found for it in the michigan bulb co. catalog that just came in the mail? go, me!

gotta go post a cute story on my daughter's blog. hope all is well with my blogger buds tonight!