removing and reinstalling a head is not difficult it just takes time. I've done it on many vehicles and I am probably less mechanically inclined than you, in fact I know so. Best advice I can give you is to place each part that you remove in Glad zip loc bags, if you take off 6 cylinder head bolts keep them all together in one bag, same thing for manifold bolts, etc..... . Keep things organized and clean. Learn the proper bolt removal and reinstallation procedure for main bolts such as head bolts and mainfold bolts, there is always a particular routine for removing and reinstalling such things. It is tedious to get all of the ancillary parts removed before you get to the head, but the head itself is relatively easy. If you can get a real Ford shop manual for the vehicle that would help best as they tend to have more diagrams and descriptoins, but the Haynes should suffice too. Good luck , and follow all of the proper torque specs when reinstalling parts and bolts. Torquing down the head to proper spec and keeping the mating surfaces clean will ensure long term reliability.
As for plugs in the future, try to remove and install them when the engine is cold, always use anti-sieze on the threads, and always torque them to spec, this should help reduce the chance of future thread damage on the head. I believe the factory puts them in dry and this can cause issues when the plugs are left in place for long periods of time, I never leave the same plug in place for 100,000 miles like the factory recommends, I think that is asking for trouble. | 
