Two Minute Garage Door Makeover - No Tools Needed!

A few years ago we built a detached garage on our property which we nicknamed “the barn.” We were on a tight budget when we had it built so we kept everything very basic - basic windows, basic doors, etc. Now that we’ve lived with it for a few years we’re slowly upgrading what we can with easy and cheap DIYs, like this two minute garage door makeover - no tools needed! | This post contains affiliate links |

The front of our barn just looked so plain and boring... it definitely needed "something" to give it more character and the basic builder-grade garage door just wasn't cutting it. One day while I was on Amazon I came across these magnetic faux hinges and handles with amazing reviews and thought that was perfect!

To install them I wiped down the garage door real quick first to remove any dirt and then just stuck the hinges to the door right from the box. There are several magnets on the back of each item so they’re easy to stick on and reposition as needed.

| Magnetic Faux Hinges and Handles for Garage Doors |

The faux hinges and handles are made from thick plastic so they won’t rust - but they certainly don’t look plastic! Even up close they have a lot of texture and really look like forged metal. The handles even fooled my kids and they totally thought they were real! And if you want to keep your doors more simple you could easily just put the hinges up or just the handles and leave it at that.

This quick addition to our plain garage door really has made a difference in making our “barn” look more finished and giving it better curb appeal. Hopefully next year we’ll get the driveway paved up to it and add some landscaping and then it really will be done.

Looking for more cheap and easy DIY’s? See our previous Blog Post on how I added “window panes” to our basic builder-grade windows and it’s made such a difference. They’re still up years later and look as good as the day I first put them up.

One Minute Fluffy Egg Sandwich Hack

Now that we’re always eating at home and not going out for breakfast it’s great to have a fast and easy no-mess egg sandwich that you can make quicker than than it would take you to sit in the drive-thru line. This trick will make the perfect fluffy egg sandwich start-to-finish in just about ONE MINUTE. For reals. | This post contains affiliate links. |

Really, this “recipe” couldn’t be any easier… the bottom line is you will need an egg, an English muffin (or some type of bread), a microwave-safe coffee mug, and a microwave. That’s it!

You might also want some shredded cheese handy, small diced precooked veggies (leftovers from the night before work great), hot sauce - or any other topping of your choice.

First, crack the egg into your microwave-safe coffee mug and “whisk” with a fork to break up the yolk. Now is also the time to add a generous pinch of shredded cheese (shown here) or a small amount of chopped pre-cooked veggies (leftovers work great). Put the mug in the microwave and cook on high/normal for one minute* (*please note that depending on your microwave model and what you add, you may need to adjust your cook time. Also DO NOT microwave fork.) While the egg is cooking you can toast your bread, if desired.

Once the egg is done make sure it is cooked throughly (it’s opaque with no runny spots and steaming all the way through) by checking with a clean fork and loosen it from the mug. Then simply turn the egg out onto your bread and add any condiments you desire - I personally can’t eat eggs without hot sauce.

And that is it! Once the coffee mug cools, just soak it in the sink to loosen any stuck-on egg and run through the dishwasher like normal. No pans to heat up or clean after which is a huge plus in my book. Enjoy your easy breakfast :)

Disclaimer: Please note that depending on your microwave model and what you add, you may need to adjust your cook time. Make sure your egg is fully cooked before eating.

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Things I Wish I Knew Before my C-Section

I thought I knew what to expect going into our planned c-section. After all, I read all the books and thought I knew all the steps and heard all the stories - but I soon found out I didn’t feel prepared at all and it was VERY different than I expected. Our first baby we had naturally - in fact I was able to hypnobirth her pain-free (and drug free!) and remain calm, cool, and collected (you can read more about that in my previous post HERE). However our second baby was wedged in breech and would not turn so we opted for a planned c-section. The c-section was SUCH a different experience, with a lot of surprises (for me anyways)… | This post contains affiliate links |

Disclaimer: This post shares my personal experiences and realizations and is not medical advice. Please always check with your doctors for the best advice/recommendations and know that your experiences can be very different from mine.

Things I Wish I Knew Before my C-Section

The IV Fluids will Make You Puffy.
Prior to going into the OR, they will give you IV fluids as part of your prep to make sure you’re well hydrated. For me, they made me quite puffy (thanks water retention), especially around my face and neck. Seeing myself in photos after I was surprised how puffy and swollen I looked. (I also could not take my wedding rings off and thankfully they didn’t make me as my hands somehow didn’t swell.)

The Operating Room (OR) is Intensely White.
To be frank, this totally freaked me out. Walking down a normal hallway with decor and warm lighting into a very bright, very starkly white room was absolutely jarring. It kind of felt like that scene from the original Willy Wonka when they try to send Mike Teavee through Wonka Vision. Everything was just so white and so harsh-looking. I understand the need for it (for cleanliness and sterilization purposes) but if you’re not expecting it, it can kind of set you on edge.

You Can Feel So Helpless and Not in Control.
Inserting the epidural was thankfully very fast and not bad, but once they laid me down and it kicked in I felt so helpless. I HATED not being able to feel or move anything from my chest down. I felt groggy, extremely emotional (thanks hormones), and totally helpless.

You May Feel Non-Pain Sensations After The Epidural.
Right before they got started, they pulled a piece of tape off my stomach (I think they were repositioning the drape), but I could feel the tape pulling off. This scared me and I spoke up, but they assured me it was okay. Apparently epidurals numb your ability to feel pain, but sometimes you can feel other sensations (like tape being pulled off).

You’ll Feel Like You’re Being Dissected by Aliens.
Okay, so this sounds a little dramatic but it was the most accurate description for me. Even though everything was going well, the doctors and assistants were all cheery, and everything was perfect and professional - I still couldn’t help but feel like I was in some sci-fi movie in a stark white spaceship, being dissected while I was still alive.

They Squeeze the Baby Out.
Somehow I was not aware of this… they make the incision for the baby to come out, but then they push (and push hard) down on your uterus/upper abdomen/lower ribs so the baby starts to squeeze out of the incision, then they help guide and pull the baby out. Our baby was really wedged in there, so the assist had to jump and put all her weight on me to get the baby to come out.

The Whole Procedure is FAST.
The doctors and team were very skilled and experienced and very fast. Our doula had warned us it would feel like everything was urgent and rushed but that’s just how they go (and she said during an emergency c-section they can go even quicker which is incredible). From the time we walked into the OR to the time I was being stitched up it was maybe 20 mins tops. They were fast, efficient, and experts at this.

Those Moments After Delivery Can Feel so Lonely.
Immediately after delivery they showed me the baby but then she went over to a warming table to get a quick exam and her vitals checked. She was totally fine but it’s pretty standard for baby to be checked over nearby while they finish working on you and sewing you up. My husband understandably went over to stand with the new baby and watch her, and even though he and the baby were only feet away it felt like miles. I was emotional, numb from the chest down, and felt abandoned (dramatic, huh?)… I was crying and everyone was busy (taking care of me and baby) but I just felt so alone.

You Might Have a Catheter Longer Than You Think.
They leave the catheter in until the epidural wears off and you feel strong enough to get up which was quite a while for me. And even once they do take it out, be aware that sometimes your bladder is the last thing to “wake up” - it took a long time for me to be able to pee on my own.

You’ll Get an IV Port for Most of Your Stay.
Even though I was done with the IV right after the c-section procedure, they tend to leave the IV port (in my case it was in the side of my wrist) in for the remainder of your stay in the unlikely event you need an IV for an infection, dehydration, medication, etc. And every day they need to flush it with saline to make sure it stays clear and clean… the flushing feels very weird and extremely uncomfortable which I was not expecting.

Getting the Staples Out Surprisingly Didn’t Hurt (Whew!)
I was dreading the day when they removed the staples from my incision. I thought for sure it was going to hurt or pull or there would be blood but none of those things were true. For me it didn’t hurt at all thankfully and the doctor removed them quickly and easily.

You Will Regret Standing Too Long.
For me, especially in those early days, standing or walking for just a few minutes was HARD. I would be standing - feeling fine and great - and then all at once I would suddenly feel warm and get a deep burning sensation around my incision and I would have to immediately sit down because I felt like I was going to pass out.

You Will Still Have Postpartum Bleeding.

Even though they “clean you out” during the c-section there will still be residual material that will have to run it’s course and be shed just like from a normal delivery. So get those Depends ready and be prepared to still deal with that. For me, it definitely wasn't as heavy but it still lasted several weeks.

Your Incision Can Have No Feeling For a Long Time.
For weeks my incision felt numb or very “weird” to the touch… like I was touching it through a thick quilt even tough I was touching my own skin. Apparently sometimes it takes awhile for the nerves to reconnect so that numb feeling around the incision can linger for quite a long time. It slowly wore off though and I regained my feeling there over time.

You Will Be Defensive of Your Incision for Months.
My incision healed beautifully and well but even months after the surgery I was very subconsciously protective of it. Even much later when I picked up my kids, if they pressed their foot on my incision I thought for sure they were going to pull it apart. It was all in my head though.

Overall, my c-section and recovery were all textbook and went perfectly without any real setbacks thankfully. Still, in the moment and as I recovered I realized I wasn’t as mentally prepared for the c-section as I had thought. Just because a mama goes through a c-section and not a vaginal delivery doesn’t make it feel any less emotional. It definitely helps being prepared and asking questions ahead of time so you (hopefully) won’t have as many surprises.

Best of luck, Mamas!!

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Related Post:

• “Pain-Free Childbirth: My Hypnobirthing Experience”

• Important Tips on Creating Your Baby Registry

• Our Top Baby Registry Must-Haves

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Disclaimer: This post shares my personal experiences and realizations and is not medical advice. Please always check with your doctors for the best advice/recommendations and know that your experiences can be very different from mine.