The Clean Oven Door Solution – For Realz!

Hi Friends!

You can go ahead and give me the title of “Worst Blogger Ever” since I disappear for weeks on end without notice… yet you’re still here, faithful and waiting. I have many things to share with you including photos from a lovely trip to Belgium and Paris. But for now, I MUST share with you this wealth of knowledge that recently fell into my lap!

Have you ever spilled something between the glass of your oven door? I did! It all started a few months ago when I was quickly taking a bowl of oatmeal out of the microwave (which is above my oven). Whoops! Down it went, behind the microwave door and directly into the grated vent holes and between the impossible-to-get-to glass panes inside the oven door! Ugh! I immediately took to Pinterest in search of someone’s tutorial on how to possibly get in there to clean it out. I read many articles and crazy MacGyver tricks like sticking a rag in and using a hanger to move it around to completely disassembling the entire unit. Nothing worked for me! No matter how many screws I unscrewed, I could not get that darn oven door open! So I lived with a gross oven door for a while. Until…

My friend and homemaking genius Eryn posted a funny photo on Facebook on how she got a rag stuck between her oven door glass in an attempt to clean it out (see MacGyver reference above). She had a service man come out to retrieve the rag for her and he showed her how easy it is to disassemble the oven door for future cleanings.

She shared this wealth of info with me and I nearly fell over finding out how EASY it is to remove and disassemble my oven door! Well I couldn’t keep this knowledge to myself so here it is. Are you ready? The key is unlocking the door hinges so that you can lift the door off of the frame. See photos below showing step-by-step.

This is what your hinge should look like now:

Place fingers as shown as far back as possible:

Pull upward as shown:

Pull all the way back:

This is what your unlocked hinge should look like:

Once both sides are unlocked, place your oven door upright but not completely closed. Pull upward and out to remove the door from the frame (this is difficult and requires a little muscle). Once the door is removed, you should be able to access all the screws to disassemble the door and access all window panes for washing. I would advise to take photos as you go along so that you know how everything goes back together. Also, keep your screws in the same place as to not lose them.

WARNING: Oven doors are very heavy! Remove with caution and solicit help if needed. Be extremely careful handling glass. Aside from the obvious risk of cutting yourself, this glass is very expensive to replace.

Happy cleaning!

Lots of love,
Mary

The Busy Mom’s Guide to a Successful Garage Sale!

We had a garage sale this past Saturday, and it was a HUGE success! We made way more money than we expected, and the best part was getting rid of stuff that had been cluttering the house! It went so well that I think we may put out what’s left for round two this next weekend. I figure it’s already organized in the garage and ready to go. I’ve learned there are some misconceptions when it comes to having a successful garage sale. There are also some things that we could have done better — things we plan to do next weekend for round two. So here I’m going to share with you my HOW TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL GARAGE SALE — FOR BUSY MOMS!

1. Start gathering your garage sale items. First step is to go through everything in the house and set aside stuff to sell. Don’t be a hoarder — if you haven’t used it (or worn it) in a year, you probably don’t need it. Identify space in the house or garage where you’re going to collect your garage sale items so that they are all in one place and ready to go. I have a space in the garage where I collect garage sale items year-round.

2. Don’t price your items ahead of time. That’s right, you didn’t hear me wrong. Who has the time? Most people will tell you to price everything out and have it neatly organized, right? Well, I’m telling you NOT to price your items. Why, you ask? Well, how many times have you been at a garage sale and passed something up because the sticker price was more than you were willing to spend and you never spoke a word to the owner? By NOT pricing your items, it forces the buyer to ask you what the price is. You then know they are interested and can open up a dialogue and get to a price that they are willing to spend. I sold so many items just by a little negotiating. Garage sale customers like to get good deals… that’s why they’re shopping at garage sales! Which brings me to number 3…

3. Don’t price things too high! Discuss high-ticket items ahead of time to identify your starting price and your lowest price for the item. But remember, this is a garage sale and people expect a deal. It’s okay to hold firm to a price if you know that you could sell it on eBay or Craigslist for more. But otherwise, remember the goal is to get rid of stuff!

4. Display items neatly. I could have done way better with this one! Display like items together on tables and when possible hang your nicer clothing items. When your items are displayed neatly, it gives the impression that you take care of your things and that they are nicer items and people will pay more and be more likely to buy.

5. Advertise. Piggy back alongside a neighborhood sale or neighbors who are also having yard sales. This garners more traffic to your home. You will also want to post some of your high-ticket items individually onto Craigslist ads and direct traffic to your garage sale through those ads.

6. Create good signage. Have you ever seen those garage sale signs that are barely readable? The ones where you have to slow down and squint just to see where to go? Don’t be one of those! The best signs are simple, large print signs on brightly colored paper. I just write “SALE” in large capital letters and draw an arrow to show the direction they need to go. Neon colored card stock is inexpensive and will do the trick. Don’t over-think it!

7. Involve the kids! We kept the girls busy by giving them something to sell — Gatorade was the perfect treat in 100 degree weather! And it was a fantastic learning experience for them. They just loved being a part of the whole thing!

8. Donate what you don’t sell! You’ve already gone through the trouble to de-clutter your home, so why bring the stuff that doesn’t sell back in? There are many organizations that will come pickup your items curbside and even give you a tax write-off slip for your goods. And if that’s too much trouble, post a quick ad in the “Free” section of Craigslist and you will have someone with a truck at your door usually within the hour.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Lots of love,
Mary

Joy in the Ordinary

I’ve had zero time for projects or painting. Instead, my week has been filled with dishes, laundry, cleaning, organizing, diapers, more laundry, character training, scrubbing, trying to fit in some exercise, cooking, prepping for a garage sale, more laundry, kissing owies, grocery shopping, and yes… more laundry.

 

 

Then I noticed a little grumbling in my heart when both the refrigerator and dishwasher broke down at the same time [face palm]. But, I have decided to choose joy!

 

 

Lots of love,
Mary

I forgot!

Am I the only one who does this? Ugh! Something tells me that I’m not alone…

Lots of love,
Mary