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How to get Oven Racks to Slide Easily

This is an easy tip, using common household items, to clean oven racks and get them to slide easily, after a self-cleaning cycle. Question After using the self cleaning cycle on my oven, the racks never glide smooth and the finish inside the oven isn’t shiny any more, it’s kind of dull. Mostly the oven racks sticking really bothers me. Is there anything I can do to fix them and make the oven look new again? Answer It’s funny because I’ve never really thought about it but this totally bothers me too! I actually laughed when I got this question… Read More

Black Front Door Makeover

Ever since we moved in to this house {1year & 3months ago} my front porch has been a total snooze-fest. To be honest it has made me crazy but I haven’t put any time or real effort into making it fabulous. B-O-R-I-N-G! About a month ago I decided that I needed to paint the front door to get really inspired. The previous owners installed slate on the front porch so I wanted to pull a color from that, I debated between Eggplant purple, dark blue and slate gray, but none of those were really getting me inspired. That’s when I… Read More

Makeover Updates {Kitchen and Bathroom}

So I’ve been telling you that I’ve been doing a lot of painting but I haven’t actually “revealed” anything to you yet. The reason is that I’m not quite done with either project. When I get back from vacation I need to make a trip down to IKEA to buy some light fixtures and I also want to save up so that I can paint our counter tops. However even though the kitchen and our bathroom are not quite finished I am dying to share them with you. So I decided to do a Projects in Progress post today. I… Read More

Mason Jar Brownies with Caramel Icing

Friday night my friends and I got together for a slumber party! I know that seams silly since all of us are around 30 but it was so much fun, in fact I think we should do it more often. The best party: all of the amazing food {Pinterest inspired recipes}! I’m going to share with you the most amazing dessert I made, and let me tell you it was amazing!!! I’m not going to lie, I think the icing on these Mason Jar brownies was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten! Mason Jar Dark Chocolate… Read More

How to Get Rid of Mildew Smell

Source Question: I have a question that I don’t think you have blogged yet. Some of my towels smell mildew-ish! After I wash them, they smell good. After they get wet the first time, they smell awful! How can I get this smell out of my towels? Answer: I know exactly what you are talking about and I hate that smell, it’s awful! If this is an ongoing problem for you start by making sure that your towels are hung well after each use, so that they can dry out quickly. If your bathroom is musty or damp,… Read More

Dorm Room Organization Tips

Question: “I was hoping you could help me. My daughter is moving into her dorm room and we need ways to fit things into a small space. We can’t hang things on the wall because they are cement so we can’t go up with ways to organize. If you could help us that would be AWESOME!!!” Answer: This is such an exciting time of year for many students! Packing up, buying new bedding and moving away to college is a fun time in our lives. Here are a few dorm room organization tips that will get your student organized for… Read More

Laundry Room Makeover

This week I am so excited to show you my laundry room makeover! I’m not quite finished yet, I still have to buy and put in the light fixture, but other than that I’m done. Here’s the light fixture I’m going to buy. It’s from IKEA so I need to plan a trip down to Sacramento to pick it up. Here is what the laundry room looked like back in April: This is what it looked like after we painted the cabinets in April: Here’s what it looks like now: I painted it last Sunday and then this week I… Read More

How to Clean a Stone Fireplace Surround

Reader submitted photo Question: How can I clean the stone that surrounds my wood burning fireplace? Answer: We have a brick fireplace surround in our home but we have never used the fireplace so I haven’t had to clean it yet. However if I were going to clean it here is what I would do. Step 1: Purchase a stiff-bristled brush like one of these, pictured below. If you click on the pictures it will take you to the details about the brushes. You can purchase them on Amazon.com or you can find very similar brushes at your local Lowes… Read More