The Blog Begins
If we were really on top of our game, we would’ve started this blog 16 months ago when we bought our beautiful, one-story brick ranch here in Richmond, Virginia. But I guess we were too caught up with home work (literally) to even think about recording our progress online.
When we bought the place in May of 2006, we were its 3rd owners in its 50 year old history. We were completely charmed by its strong bones, and happily challenged by its complete lack of style (the beautiful backyard was also a plus). We moved in with big dreams of what it could become. And a mere 12 hours after closing, it was already on its way…
Just to get a sense of where we were starting – check out this shot of our old den. No wonder we often referred to that room as the hunting lodge in the first few weeks of homeownership. But if there’s anything we’ve learned throughout the process of making our old house a home, it’s that you should never underestimate the power of a few coats of paint.
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Good Luck “on your new baby” ! Blogs take a lot time and attention just like the real thing. I’ll keep an eye on you and see how she grows !!
Thanks! We’re about a month into blogging and we’re still loving it. It’s a lot easier than writing a million email updates about our various house projects and now everyone can be privy to all of our adventures (and misadventures). Thanks for the comment!
I just found your blog today and I am totally smitten!! I just spent a few hours looking through in awe. My first attraction was that you have a 50 yr old ranch house that is so very similar to what I just purchased back in Oct. Then I loved your backyard wedding!! So simple and beautiful. And then your decorating taste – totally love it. So, I hope you don’t mind if I pilfer a bunch of your ideas!! My house is in DC so no one will know! :-)
But seriously, I love it all. Definitely one to bookmark.
Hey guys!
I don’t even know how I got here (I think I was looking at the chairs in your den and link after link I found my way to the beginning!) so I just had to leave a comment on your very first post. :) You know I’m a fan…see ya’!
xo, L.
PS – As I’m in California, I don’t really know the East Coast geography that well, but I just realized that you’re not too far from where my dad lives – he’s in Maryland, works in DC. Let me know if you’re ever on the West Coast (not that I live on the coast, but you know what I mean!).
ha! this is the first one! how great!
Hi I am another who has finally reached all the way back to your first post after a month of catch up :)
Just wanted to let you know that I am loving your blog and have had so much inspiration from it even though here in South Africa we don’t have all the great home stores that you seem to!
This Christmas my table was much admired, thanks to the great ideas from you and there are many home improvements planned for the future including the biggest… a complete kitchen renovation!
Wishing you luck with your growing family x
Thanks Cas! We’re so glad you’re enjoying our blog all the way across the globe!
xo,
s
Wow, seeing this first post is like opening an old library copy of a classic book. Always seems like no checkouts since the 50s or 70s or something. I wonder how many of your recent fans have seen this.
all right! i found the first post! now i’m going to start reading ALL of them!!!! YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!
all right! i found the first post! now i’m going to start reading ALL of them!!!! YAYYYYYYY!!!!!! [2]
What incredible growth and passion. I’ve started reading backwards, and am only now jumping to the beginning, but you have both inspired me. Although it is in no way the same, as I am only 21 and am merely renting my first home on my own, I am excited all the same to put as many loving touches to my home as you have to yours. Thank you for sharing and allowing strangers to join in your love and joy of life and each other!
I just wanted to leave a comment on your very first blog. I found your blog a few weeks ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. I was reading backwards, but then decided to try to find the beginning. I love it! You guys are so inspiring!
I stumbled upon your blog about a month ago (through apartmenttherapy.com) Today, (call me a creep…) I have reached the end of the YHL internet. If my boss ever found out how many hours were spent on here…well…I probably wouldn’t still have a job….
Keep up the great work! I love you guys!
Congrats for making it alllll the way back. You made good time! Over a thousand posts in just a month!
xo,
s
I did the same thing! I don’t even remember how I found YHL – probably through another home decor blog – and I read through all the posts from the very beginning and loved it! Here’s to hoping your boss (and mine!) don’t have trackers on how many hours we’ve spent here!
Its fun to have found your first post!! Love, Love your blog!!
Found your blog while planning my wedding and got a lot of inspiration from yours! Now that wedding planning is over it is nice to have a blog to go to for real life things! My husband and I are renting a townhouse right now but we are still doing things to make it feel more like “ours”. I am getting a lot of great ideas from your blog – not just for the house, but for married life as well! Thanks to you both!
So earlier this year my husband and I were in the process of purchasing a house and one fateful day I was searching for info on patio renovations and stumbled across your blog with your one about the new patio lounge chairs and I must say that I was hooked (I think Burger may have been the driving force to begin with but I later found all of the tutorials for different projects which is great…and now my husband has the joy of listening to all the things I have found on YHL). Anyways we have now been in our house for a few months and the advise on here has been great for us to see things in different ways when it comes to home improvement. And since I have been enjoying it so much and things at work have been kinda slow I must admit that I went back into the archives and read myself from blog one to the current and just had to come back to this first fateful blog and say a big THANKS for all the time you put into this :) Happy blogging!!!!
Angela
Hiiiii! One of my friends recommended Burger’s blog to me….cute idea by the way (:, then I found your blog, and as is my tradition when I find a new blog, I start at the beginning and read through the blog’s entirety…you seem to have lots of faithful followers, you can now add one more…ME! Have a great day !
It is remarkable, very valuable phrase
I’ve been following your blog for a few months now. I decided to start from the begining as well as following the new posts. Great to see how far you have come in just a few years :)
Hi youngsters,
You really have inspired me! This blog has become some sort of daily ritual, if there is no new post that I have not read i start reading some older ones. I thought that I would search for your first post and see how it looks…it looks great!!
Thank you for sharing your ideas and all your hard work with us.
luv,
It took me about 7 months. But I read every last post. I can’t believe how much you have grown. I started following your blog about 9 months ago and I am so glad I back tracked to your humble beginnings where your pictures are smaller, the posts are shorter but it is the same YHL voice that I check in on twice a day. You have a friend who feels like she’s your sister, in Utah. :)
Chris Loves Julia
Aw thanks so much for reading all the way back Julia! You guys deserve some sort of medal for making it through! It’s almost 2,000 posts!
xo,
s
Found you guys about a month ago and read you backwards…a little disappointed I got to the first one and now have to wait like everyone else for the daily posts to get more SherryJohniliciousness! Hugs and Kisses to Clara and Burger.
Haha, congrats on making it allll the way back. That’s dedication!
xo,
s
Read you every day! LOVE your posts :) Had to go back and see where you began! Keep up the good work. <3
Holy Cow! I just finished going through your entire archives… only took me 3 months :)(definitely dont tell my boss!) How appropriate that I finished just in time for your 4th blogiversary…which also happens to be the same day as my birthday! I have to say that I tend to jump from blog to blog and very rarely check the same blogs every single day…but can’t go a day without YHL. (Haha as writing this comment I’m imagining myself as a buck-toothed 13-year old girl wearing a t-shirt with your faces and “#1 fan” asking for your autograph on the red carpet for some reason…) Anyway, love you guys!
Congrats Becca! I feel like we should make t-shirts for folks who have made it back this far. It’s quite the commitment! And Happy Early Birthday too!
-John
I just moved to a new town with my husband. We moved for a new job-for him. I haven’t found one yet, so I’ve been keeping myself busy with obsessively monitoring the real estate market here (we too, soon hope to be in a YHL situation :D), learning to sew and knit, and starting to blog about it. There are SO many blogs out there, and I’ve been looking at through those almost as obsessively as real estate listings. Yours is by far my favorite so far. I haven’t quite pinpointed the why. But you add good fun to the blogoverse! Please keep it up and congratulations to you both!
Aw thanks Kat!
xo,
s
Hello from Greece!
I’m Irene…I dont exactly remember how I found out about your blog (I read many decoration-dyi blogs, probably one of them recommended yours for a dyi project and I kept you in my favorites).
Today I decided to read your story from the beggining!!! So here I am, and although 428 pages are a lot of work for me I just feel that I want to watch your life from the beggining and dont miss a thing!!!
I wish you are always in love, always inspired and have a wonderful life with your adorable little girl!
So see you again through your posts, cause I’m definately gonna have questions about your dyi projects!!!!
Kisses!
Wow! Congrats on the accomplishment of making it all of the way back. We’re grateful for dedicated readers like you, Irene!
-John