LOL, My wife has strick orders that I am to do nothing that involves plumbing or electricity.

Seriously though, you'd be amazed what the following steps can do....
Flower Bed;
1. Use a can of spray paint to outline on your grass where you want your flower bed(s).
2. Take a flat ended shovel and remove the grass from with in that area.
3. I use a "Garden Claw" type hand operated weed tool to loosen up my soil.
4. Work in some fertilizer (liquid or pellets).
5. Trim the border of your flower bed(s). I like the simple black rubber/vinyl edging. Get the kind at HomeDepot that doesn't have to be trenched (you'll thank me for that). You simple lay it out in the sun to get flexible, outline your flowerbed (curves are nice) and stake it into the ground. Looks just like the kind you have to trench when you are done.
6. Lay down some weed screen (best price is Sam's Club - get the screen stables at Wal-Mart).
7. Cut some holes in the screen (once installed) to accomodate plants.
8. Fill in the rest with mulch.

Tools Needed:
Spray paint (outline beds)
Flat ended shovel (to remove unwanted grass and a little bit of soil and for digging holes for shrubs)
Small potting shovel (to plant smaller plants)
Hand saw (to cut edging to size)
Rake or even the Garden Claw! (to break up the soil in the flower bed and level the area)
Utility knife (to cut weed screen and holes in weed screen)
Rubber mallet or hammer (to drive edging stakes into ground)

TADA! - satisfaction.

If going with landscaping blocks, and you have no experience, I'd call in some experts. To do it right takes several steps and equipment. Otherwise you get leaning/unlevel walls and problems in the future.