Hi, I am a new homeowner looking for some help with a couple of problems. All complicated by the fact that I am having a party in a few weeks and would love to get things cleaned up in time for it.

Firstly, I attempted to overseed my lawn this spring (I know) and while I was letting the seed take and watering heavily, I did not cut the grass for several weeks. When I went out to cut the grass, it was VERY long and I made a huge mistake and cut it down fairly low. In addition, I did not bag the grass as I cut and left a huge amount of grass clipping "clumps" on the grass. These areas are now in really bad shape and I can't seem to fix the problem by cutting the grass and sucking these clippings up. The yard looks absolutely terrible and I am freaking out that I have really made a mess of things. I can't hand rake the yard (way too big) and I am not sure what I can do to salvage this mess. The clumps are really matted down now and the grass underneath them is rellowed and thin. Any thoughts?

Secondly, I have a dog who is allowed to pee in the yard. During the early part of the spring, those were the lushest spots on my lawn, but they have now turned brown. Is there anything I can do in the short term to help these parts of my lawn turn green again?

Thanks for any help you can give me.