How to Build a Retaining Wall Border

Last year I fancied up my front porch by building a DIY Corner Bench with a Built-in Table (you can find that project here: http://www.pinspirationmommy.com/diy-corner-bench-with-built-in-table/) and a Firewood Rack. This year I decided the rest of the front of my house needs to be spiced up a bit as well. The paint on my house is dark brown with light brown trim and the grass (okay, yes, they are weeds

Here is a brief description of how I built the concrete block border. For full details, please visit my blog at the link at the bottom of this post.
I purchased the concrete blocks from Home Depot. First, I laid out one row of blocks to figure out the layout of the bricks.