It’s time for some annual goal declaring (because nothing lights a fire under your arse like a big ol’ public proclamation). Let’s do this thang.
Goal #1: Find Balance- We mentioned that we were aiming for more balance in our lives during this 2011 resolutions post. We basically said that we’re going to try our darndest not to fall into the trap of putting all of our time, money, and energy into the house to the point that we have no life, no savings, and Clara is trapped in our casa for her entire childhood (we actually haven’t been on a big vacation since our honeymoon four and a half years ago other than some low key road trips and family beach weeks). Well, we’re bringing it up again because we need to be better about it.
We’ve had a very busy and exciting year (John came on full time, we moved, Clara is running and talking, we’re writing columns for BabyCenter and Do It Yourself magazine along with a 260+ page book, we’ve tackled tons of house projects, we redesigned the site, etc). But what has slipped to make room for all those amazing opportunities is recharging away-from-the-computer time. Since the internet is 24/7, we’re still plugged in on nights and weekends and even on vacations and over the holidays. Heck I had a baby last year and didn’t even miss a post. So one reason that we started Young House Life was to remind ourselves to take a minute to actually live and have fun and be spontaneous and step.away.from.the.laptop.
Goal #2: Not drone on in every post. This actually might be the key to accomplishing more of the balance that we crave above. See, some of our favorite posts don’t have 2,000 words and 20 pics. We even admit that we skim each other’s posts when they’re too long. So we know everyone at home probably doesn’t read every word of every post that we write either. The point is that sometimes short and sweet is a-ok. And not every post needs to be a novel. Sometimes an update is quick, or we buy something simple that we want to share, or something funny happens and we catch it on video and slap it up. That’s the joy of blogging. Not everything has to be super polished and verbose. Ooh, I just used the word verbose. Ten points? Anyone?
Goal #3: Bring back before & after inspiration. A year ago we used to share Reader Redesigns twice a week along with two weekly giveaway posts (one to announce the giveaway and a second one to announce the winner) and a little poll post on Fridays that we called a Burning Question (about something decor-related, like if you prefer painted cabinets or wood ones, or if you’re a wall-to-wall carpet person or into tile or hardwood floors). But at our last blogiversary we realized that five posts a week about not-our-house stuff was really taking our blog away from the good ol’ DIY diary feel (which is definitely how it started, and something that we wanted to maintain).
So during our last blogiversary we decided to turn the focus back to our house (since we had a big move ahead of us, and a lot to talk about). We eliminated those Friday Burning Questions, along with our weekly follow up giveaway winner post (we just post that info as a p.s. at the bottom of another post), and we bid a fond farewell to both of our weekly Reader Redesigns (we invited folks to share their before & afters on our Facebook page instead). We didn’t miss the giveaway winner post or our weekly Burning Question, but we definitely mourned the loss of Reader Redesigns since they’re so inspiring and full of eye candy and ideas. So we’ve decided to bring them back. Not two a week, and maybe not even once a week – but they’re going to be making regular appearances again. There’s just too much amazing stuff that can leave us all inspired/encouraged. So if you have any awesome transformations to submit for consideration (like the stunning card-catalog-turned-buffet seen below), just send them to [email protected].
Goal #4: Be Secure In Our Own Bloghood. Sure, we’d love for every single person who drops by to love every single one of our 2,000+ posts, but we’d also love a goose chihuahua that lays golden eggs. The truth is that in putting our lives out there for everyone to see, we have to be ok with not everyone loving everything, or even anything. And in turn they’ll hopefully understand that projects, decor choices, and post-writing is as subjective as favorite foods and hairstyles. So there’s not really one right way to do it.
This is just our personal DIY diary of sorts (the good, the bad, the ugly, and the blissfully mundane). One day we’re gutting a bathroom & one day we’re organizing a junk drawer or even talking about breastfeeding (tangents definitely occur). Strangely enough, four years of that “blogging formula” is exactly what got us here. Over four million hits a month?! We’re humbled and so very thankful. My brain actually threatens to explode when I think about it (I pretend I’m writing to ten people to combat blog stage fright). So sure, some folks might do things differently if this were their blog, but that’s the beauty of blogging: everyone can do it in their own way.
Goal #5: Be Grateful. Sometimes the stress of a harder-than-we-thought project or 150 pending comments to respond to can make us momentarily forget that this is a dream job. Because as much as we love what we do, at the end of a day it’s still a job. We do it because we love it (heck, it was born from pure never-thought-we’d-make-a-dime passion), but we also currently rely on it to feed our family – so there’s definitely pressure sometimes (as anyone who runs their own business will tell ya). So this goal is more of a mental shift than anything else. Whenever we’re feeling overwhelmed by looming projects or mounting comments or magazine assignments and book chapters to complete, we just want to remember to stop, breathe, and remind ourselves that we’re living the dream (corny but true). So in those oh-crap-I’m-stressing moments we just have to think about how geeky giddy we are over this amazing opportunity that has somehow materialized (no one is more surprised about where we have ended up than we are – and we lay awake in bed at night perma-smiling and excitedly chattering about our next project). Life is good. Even when it’s busy and full of chaos. We are oh so grateful.
Goal #6: Try New Things. Whatever they are. Maybe it’s just having an open mind about some weird half-baked decorating idea that pops into our heads. Or embarking on some other new adventure like House Crashing or Window Shopping (who the heck knows what that could be). With our book coming out next fall we imagine that will open up a ton of new (aka: potentially scary) experiences for us (starting with a bunch of photoshoots in the next few months for hundreds of secret projects that will be photographed). So we just want to be open to those new (aka: potentially scary) experiences. And try not to fear them or dread them or turn into a big ol’ ball of stress. I guess this goes hand in hand with being grateful. We want to remember to try new things and take chances and be spontaneous (all of which are what got us here in the first place).
So there they are. Six probably-won’t-all-be-accomplished-but-we’ll-try-our-darndest goals for year five of blogging our pants off (figuratively speaking). While we’re on the goal tending topic, we also like to annually revisit the prior year’s goals to see how we did.
You can read them a bit more in depth right here, but we thought we’d just summarize the ones from last year in bullets to evaluate our progress:
Last Year’s Goal #1: Move On – This goal was all about moving into a new house and enjoying it and documenting our adventures and projects and tribulations, which we definitely did. Yay. The verdict: Mission accomplished.
Last Year’s Goal #2: Loosen Up – This goal was about feeling less machine-like and blogging in a looser more real-time format (we were doing projects so far in advance that things sat in the hopper for up to two weeks before we could share them) so we could get back to posting things as they happened. Now things usually go up a day or two after they’re done (just because editing pics and post writing takes some time). So we definitely accomplished the less-lag-time thing. Score! But we also mentioned getting back to the balance of long meaty posts interspersed with quick updates and small real-life details that weren’t 2,000 words long (sometimes short and sweet beats heavy and wordy, so we wanted to get back to a nice balance of both). The verdict: Still gotta work on that. Hence goal #2 this year.
Last Year’s Goal #3: Get Real – In the first year of blogging we shared ordinary in-progress and spur-of-the-moment stuff all the time (like this, this, this, this and this), but somehow we fell off. So we couldn’t wait to get back to chronicling those real & random moments between before & after (you know, the stuff that you don’t get to see on 30 minute makeover shows). This year we definitely kept it real (sharing messy house tours, fridge before & afters, and even a cloth diaper update) but a lot of the fun off-the-cuff posts that we linked to as inspiration were quick and random (everything doesn’t have to be 20 photos long and full of wordy breakdowns). The verdict: 50% accomplished. Still gotta work on tossing things up that are light and spur-of-the-moment like the good ol’ days.
Now we’re turning the love train in your direction. We appreciate you all so much and thank you violently profusely for dropping in on us. Without you guys our goal would be: get back into the advertising thing because we’d be out of a job. Haha. All in all we can’t believe where we are four years after starting a tiny blog for friends and family members to watch our little kitchen makeover back in 2007. Life is crazy like that. But I better stop waxing poetic about the whole who-woulda-thought-we’d-be-here thing. We could talk about how shockingly random our little blog’s evolution has been for days, but this post is already 1,819 words. Looks like we’ll have to keep working on the old “short and sweet” aspiration. Is anyone really surprised?
Psst- First image found here and last image found here (without our heads on them of course, we added those). Oh and that cute photo of the bean was taken by Katie B.
Psssst- We announced this week’s big $500 West Elm gift card winner. Click here to see if it’s you.
Crystal S says
It’s great that you set goals for yourselves. Short and sweet is just as satisfiying to read as your longer posts. I personally love love love the short and sweet post over on YHLife Cheers For the Freakin Weekend…she even sings along!!!!! How freakin adorable, I’ll drink to that;) milk that is, haha
Tyson says
FYI, your sponsor ads aren’t showing up when using Google Chrome.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, maybe it’s ad blocking software that you have running? Anyone else having this glitch?
xo,
s
Erica says
Congrats on all your hard work. I’ve been reading your blog for about a year now and I NEVER get bored with it. It’s so easy to relate to. I’m sure you’ll have many more successful years to come. Truly an inspiration – yours is one of two major blogs that was the tipping point for me to start my own blog. It’s a big rough around the edges and I don’t update nearly as frequency, but it’s a fantastic outlet.
Kitty says
Thank you for addressing the verbose nature of some of your post. I wanted to comment but didn’t want to seem mean-spirited. Yes, I do skim your overly long posts sometimes. I know you have the quality, so lose the quantity! You guys are great and your blog is one of my daily “must reads.” Keep it up and keep it concise!
Julie says
I’m curious how your book projects will work. Will you remodel a carbon copy of your house in an alternate universe so we readers won’t see everything ahead of book publishing time in the background of your blog photos? Or secretly fix-up your playroom? Or complete all of your projects in a lucky neighbor’s house?
YoungHouseLove says
They’re mostly going to be furniture makeovers and smaller DIY projects along with some general tutorials like applying wallpaper, upholstering, painting tips, layout planning, curtain hanging, etc. The whole book is about getting “unstuck” and showing your house some love in easy and doable ways (that are budget friendly too). So we’ll do a variety of projects that we plan to secretly store in the sunroom/playroom/guest bedroom/basement and bring them out only to shoot them for the book. Not at all sure what will happen to them after the shoot but we can’t share them until the book comes out! Should be interesting/insane.
xo,
s
Kitty says
Thank you for addressing the verbose nature of some of your posts. I wanted to comment but didn’t want to seem mean-spirited. Yes, I do skim your overly long posts sometimes. I know you have the quality, so lose the quantity! You guys are great and your blog is one of my daily “must reads.” Keep it up and keep it concise!
Kitty says
I am a dork! Here I comment about keeping it concise and then I post twice! Wait, now it’s three times!
Newness says
lmao! @ those muscular calves, Sherry. It’s even more funny since they are more muscular than John’s.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, I’m clearly the athlete in this relationship.
xo,
s
Allison says
Ok, I’m a planner so I went ahead and planned your life.
You pick a 1-2 week period to be away from the blog and you put up a fun little post about being gone and you say in there that you’ve turned comments off for old posts. That way you don’t feel like you need to go back and read them all as they won’t be there. You can probably even have a message saying “comments are closed because we’re on blogcation…” and whatever little personal touch you can add to “soften the blow” of no comments.
While you’re gone you could plan ahead and have a quick little post come up once a day or every other day — something like a quiz or poll or “didya see this” and remind people you’re in vacation and won’t be responding to comments today. You can still leave them in b/c thus community loves to talk with each other! Another idea is to pop in a couple times with a quick photo of where you are and say that you’re having a great time. But if I were you I’d rather just stay away or you’ll be tempted to respond to comments. Oh yeah, and you’d let comments be approved automatically.
Ok, so I guess all that’s left is for you to buy the tickets! Haha.
You can leave comments on
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love that you planned my life. Great ideas one and all.
xo,
s
Jane says
Reading Goal #1 again made me want to share this with you. My husband and I are working parents (a 2 year old and one on the way). We struggle to balance things too so I’m always asking for advice. I’ve asked a lot of my colleagues that have older kids (highschool and college age) if they have any advice on working and raising kids. They all say that they wish they had taken more family vacations when the kids were young! I’m not trying to put pressure on you but just wanted to share so that we don’t all have the same regret one day! BTW, I love your blog and think that Clara has such a great little face and a great big personality!
Kyley at Painting Pony says
I think I need to follow in your footsteps so to speak and take a break myself. I have a really hard time “unplugging” and I too haven’t had a REAL vacation since my honeymoon 3 years ago. Any of my real days off end up being combined with work related stuff.
Honestly I can’t help it. Sigh. The major peril of being your own boss – your work always comes home with you…and in your case you live with your work!
Anyway, I wish you guys the best of luck in conquering your goals this coming year!
kate says
ya, you’re loosing me with all your lengthy posts. i prefer blogs that do quick posts but give me something to think about design wise. i can’t believe all the time you put into this blog! into comments! it’s blowing my mind.
Brittany says
Hey, $herdog. Just a thought…have you guys checked out the Getaways featured on Living Social or Groupon? I am not affiliated with them, just a fan…but they really have some good deals on vacations I would never afford otherwise. You guys definitely deserve a vacation, but we all understand that the nature of blog-tending isn’t exactly something you can easily walk away from for an entire week. We do appreciate your dedication! :)
We have considered some of their shorter trips but their timing hasn’t worked out. Perhaps you guys might find a getaway that works for you (most of theirs featured are 3-5 days-and they have them for resorts all over the world!). Just wanted to share. Hope you can take some time and get out of town to relax with your sweet family!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! We’ll have to check them out!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
Like any business from home, it’s hard to get away. And with todays technology it’s even hard to force yourself. And like everyones daily life we all crave more balance and it’s hard to get it.
Good for you guys for putting your goals out there and trying to stick to them!
When you want to take a break do you ever think about having guest posters? Or just writing a short post about what someone else has on their blog (maybe one of your faves and what they are up to)? It’s still sharing your ideas and inspirations!
I LOVE reader redesigns! I like the before and after site and a few local ones. Probably bc it’s what I focus mine on!! I’m a sucker for a refresh & repurpose! My husband is always hoping that one day I will walk into a new furniture store and get something no one has ever used before! (I do have my rules, um mattresses, couches, etc)
Good Luck guys!!
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely love highlighting inspiration from other folks (we’re so excited to welcome Reader Redesigns again!) so that’s definitely a possibility for when we go on vacation too (a special week of mood boards and Reader Redesigns maybe?).
xo,
s
rayr77 says
Loving the top picture hehe. Hope you manage to get some family time away from blogland :)
Julia says
HOORAH for bringing reader redesigns back. I have missed them. I found many a blog for my reader through ya’ll and that feature.
Marlayna says
howdy guys! :) You guys dont have to approve this – its gunna be so long! I dont usually comment ’cause i dont want to take your time away from DIYing and the rest of your life but I feel like its important to tell you why I come back to your site all the time! I’ve visited your site for a loong time and I come back not because you guys are sweet “bloggers” but because you are sweet PEOPLE! I like your creativity in life, your spunky personalities, your different-than-mine lifestyle down in VA, your hilarious dog, and, now, that awesome kiddo you have. But it was enough for me when it was totally organic. No worries about typos, posting on time everyday or the PERFECT pics-just having them has always been good enough. Id rather see you guys coming back and sharing for years (not worn out) as your life changes just ’cause i think your all fun and interesting! So, maybe that means pulling back – as in, less time prepping, less time polishing, more time living, more time vacationing, more chaotic posts about half done projects, etc. ?? I hope this comes across as: you are great just the way you are and that you dont have to keep doing so much more and being so much better to keep me coming back. I hope the squeeze to be professional as your business grows doesn’t make you lose what was attractive in the first place: you were relateable (sp?), a small family (or a young couple if you go way back) just plodding along doing daily life things but in your own fun-petersik way. Lots of love! You’re great :)
Venita Michelle says
That is the cutest picture of Clara! I love it; in fact, I think I’ll try to recreate it with my kiddos. :) And, for the record, I love the long posts, but do understand they must take an inordinate amount of time to write and publish. It sounds like a happy middle ground of moderation will really help y’all meet the goals. Happy Goal Achieving! :)
Heidi P. says
Just to comment on others’ comments: GO TO LONDON!!! It’s one of my favorite places in the world. Hello! free place to stay?!? Awesome. It’s a taste of Europe – but they speak English! Best of both worlds. And while you’re there, take a drive to Ireland, too. Absolutely sublimely, peacefully beautiful. (Hawaii and Switzerland are my other two favorites, but nothing beats free room-n-board.)
And I support the idea of turning off comments while you’re gone. We can wait. And you need a REAL break, not just a push-it-off-to-the-side-until-you’re-back break.
But if London’s a bit far, you could take a few days in each city of your book tour to check out the sites :). There’s TONS to see and do in Utah *nudge nudge, wink wink* ;).
YoungHouseLove says
London is fun! Though I was only there as a 16 year old (my marching band walked in the New Year’s Day Parade) so I’m sure it would be quite different now.
-John
Robyn says
Don’t reply to this post! In fact, don’t even read this post, because I’m feeling guilty about how much moderation these things require! :)
But I have to say that I’m thrilled you’re bringing reader redesigns back–they were always one of my favorite parts about your blog! I think they reflect how you inspire the little guy (haha!) to do great things!
Cheers, and happy blogiversary!
Holly says
I’m definitely excited for your book. Could you give us more details on it?
YoungHouseLove says
We owe you guys a huge post about that! It’s basically a giant collection of ideas to show your home some love (hundreds of them) with photos and tutorials and big projects and small ones. Just a bunch of ideas so you can flip open to any page and try something fun!
xo,
s
Lauren says
Hahaha I know a lot of people have commented on the goalie picture, but I just want to point on those calf muscles are insane on you Sherry!! Literally loling right now!!
YoungHouseLove says
Blogging really works those leg muscles, what can we say…
-John
Stephanie says
Lets go Flames!! Love you guys!
Robyn in Chicago says
Hooray for the Reader Redesigns coming back! I was just thinking of those the other day and wishing you still did them. And then my wish came true. That. is awesome. And also kind of sad that I daydream about your blog. haha. Love you guys. xo
Meredith K A says
OK this has nothing to do with anything, I just had to share: I’m about 4.5 months pregnant with my first kiddo, and I’ve definitely been having some of those more vivid dreams from time to time, but what’s especially strange is how clear and unusual the things in my dreams have been lately. I usually have pretty generic dreams that include a lot of my husband, family members, and occasionally a co-worker or two. But last night, I dreamed about The Ghost Whisperer (it’s a guilty pleasure a la Netflix streaming), except that Jennifer Love Hewitt was replaced by Sherry Petersik. No lie. It was after I watched your Q&A video yesterday afternoon (not even near bed time!), but I haven’t watched The Ghost Whisperer since May or June! So I just have no idea where that came from. But anyhoo, apparently you can see the dead who haven’t yet crossed over, Sherry. FYI. Could be a whole new source of decorating tips.
YoungHouseLove says
LOLOLOL. Ohmygoodness that is my favorite thing ever. Sherry is going to die when she reads she was a Ghost Whisperer.
-John
*camp1899* says
john & sherry this is such an amazing post,
i know it is such an enormous job on your end to not only do such great posts but how you keep up with comments & emails, etc. is amazing. you are both incredibly thoughtful and quick to respond.. i applaud the load you balance and your to do post reminds us all of the same!
Ashley says
Geez Sherry, check out those calves!!! Ow ow!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, I’ve really amped up my workout since you last saw me on Wednesday’s video. Haha.
xo,
s
Wendy says
I read your goals today during my planning period, and the ones on balance and being graetful really struck a chord. So.. take these ideas for whatever they may be worth… and note that not all are the result of middle-school-teaching brain!
* What about creating a mobile for above your desk or somewhere else with what you have to BALANCE in life? See what connects, where things innately go, what shapes, colors, etc. you are drawn to.
Then as you put it together, see what sparks inside? Hanging it somewhere (or nowhere) might provide that visual reminder of “Balance” and maybe one thing will shout out that needs (wants?) attention.
*Gratitude journal or wall- 1 thing, 3 things, etc. daily and note them. Or perhaps it’s a Family Gratitude Journal/wall thingy/other… each person contributes and then there’s a family contribution.
Perhaps a nightly (or morning or mid-afternoon) time after a meal. Then you could open the book/wall thingy (?) and remember when times get tough.
Added bonus- Clara (and any future siblings) would have that base and eventually (should you choose) contribute once she/they are old enough.
*Gratitude Nook in a room. Simple enough- post it notes, pictures, bubbled captions, other.
*Balance for me = being realistic and listening to my gut voice. Like today when I planned next week in colors for my Spanish 2s.
Today we found that balance: review/work for 40 minutes… brain break with Duck Duck Goose in Spanish… partner reading and vocabulary for 30 minutes. In taking the break, another class joined us and learned too, as they are all level 1 and 2 ESOL kids (aka new to the country). The laughter and smiles pushed the reading to a new level afterwards…and students saw each other in a whole new way!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the tips Wendy! I actually have kept a gratitude journal for years and love it! John and I also made a “thanks” jar where we put things that we’re thankful for in (usually in the month leading up to Thanksgiving and then we open it and read them on that holiday). Making a mobile or gratitude nook could be fun too! Thanks.
xo,
s
Sarah H says
Hi guys
Everyone probably already knows how to do this but please help!
How do you photoshop your heads onto other people’s bodies (like your heads on the hockey bodies)? I need to figure out how to do this ASAP – I have a Macbook.
Thanks! :)
YoungHouseLove says
We use the line tool to draw a jagged line around our faces and then use the cut command and then we use the paste command and put the head on top of another level (which would be the background image of the athletes in this case). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Denise Stark says
Yeah for the return of the Reader Redesigns! They are my fave and is actually how I found you guys 2 years ago.
Mona Alicia says
Great goals, I’m looking forward to seeing Reader Redesigns again, I loved those!
Lou says
Hi guys! I just wanted to participate, and tell you how excited I am about two specific resolutions of yours. First, reader redesigns. I started reading your blog after they had already stopped, and I’m totally on board for seeing some cool stuff. People can be so creative, can’t they? Also, at least a few of your resolutions involved getting more “you” time. This might sound mildly creepy, (because I don’t know you) but when I read your hour-by-hour post, I worried about you! I know you love your job, but there is a line. You guys are awesome. Don’t work too hard. We will still love you. Promise.
Catherine says
Just had to tell you that my heart skipped a beat when I read your entry and the winner of the contest this morning. My name is Catherine, but, alas, I’m from Austin, not Richmond. Thanks for the laugh, though, and congratulations on your anniversary!
YoungHouseLove says
I knew that was gonna happen as I saw how common the winner’s name was. Sorry!
-John
Jessie says
Do you ever just not feel like doing this (by “this”, I mean blogging, replying to comments, rehabbing…) you know, a day when you wake up and just want to play and not think?! Also, do you have any advice for a blogger that enjoys writing but sometimes wonders if it’s worth it without many followers? How long did it take you before you had a large group of people interested in what you had to say?
YoungHouseLove says
I definitely have those days when I’m sick (you know if I get the flu or am exhausted from having a newborn and breastfeeding every two hours) and I think “oh man, in my old profession (advertising) I’d call in sick today and not do a thing. But then I drag my tired arse to the computer and someone somewhere says something sweet or links to something super amazing and I snap out of it and get sucked right back in! And it feels good to be there. Haha.
As for writing without followers, we’re the king and queen of that. I think we had published at least 100 posts before we even had two or three comments on a single one of them. We were basically talking to nobody, but my theory is that it’s the universe’s way of making sure you’re doing it because you love it. We stuck with it because it was a fun creative outlet and then about a year in we noticed that we really had grown a lot and from then on we just kept growing. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Cindy says
Hi John and Sherry,
I’ve loved all of your blogiversary posts this week (heck, I love all your posts!). I seldom comment, but read your blog first of all my blogs everyday, and have for years. Since learning how much time you guys devote to your blog everyday, I wanted to let you know a couple of things about the way I, a loyal reader, view your blog:
1) While I love all your posts, I admittedly skim a lot of them. I read your blog every single day and could not love it more, but I probably only read word-for-word about 40% of your posts. Your goal of not needing to be overly verbose makes sense, and if it meant you got more family time, all the better. Even if you were say… 65% less “verbose,” you’d still have me completely devoted.
2) I never read the comments section. Well, maybe I read them about 1% of the time I’m on your blog, but if I do, I’m skimming them. I don’t consider the comments section to be the “meat” of your blog. I think its awesome that you guys care so much about responding to comments, but if you never spent another minute responding to comments on your blog, you’d still have me 100% devoted. :-)
3) Your schedule is impressive. I don’t know how you keep up with it all. You guys deserve a vacation! If you took a two-week + vacation every year, you would STILL have me completely devoted!
My point is that your readers are loyal, you’re not just expendable or easily replaceable. Most of your readers think of you as their friends, I’m sure. I’m sure we all read a collection of other DIY blogs too, but as long as you guys write this blog, you will continue to have me as a daily reader!
Zoe says
Love it that you are bringing back reader transformations…I have just emailed you a basement room I tackled. Fingers crossed you will pick it to feature!
Susan Emory says
Thanks for reminding me that the dream job isn’t always going to be a dream and that what we’ve been doing has gotten us where we are. Just what I needed to hear today!
P.S. Give Burger a kiss from Pixie.
Sara says
Just my $0.02:
Love the reader redesigns.
Love the long wordy posts (but understand they’re a lot of work and love the short ones too).
I don’t understand the haters – you guys are awesome. I’m glad you recognize that you can’t please everybody all the time and that’s ok.
So yeah, I am a big fan of your goals. And that picture of Clara sitting on the box. So zen!
Lauren Hollingsworth says
LOVE your blog. 2 comments (or rather, one comment and one question)
1) I’m excited you are bringing back before/after!!
2) Why is Clara still bald? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, your guess is as good as mine! We hear people say “my son/daughter didn’t have hair until they were three!” – I sure hope it comes in soon but you never know! Haha.
xo,
s
Anne says
Just a few thoughts:
1). I read every one of your posts, long-winded or not.
2). I love that you guys are constantly reviewing and revising your process, in spite of how successful your blog has become.
3). One of my favorite elements of Young House Love is your willingness to document what *not* to do. I appreciate that you poke fun at your mishaps rather than pretending that each of your projects goes off without a hitch. My little family and I just moved into our 4th house and will be embarking on a lot of new projects. It is helpful to hear firsthand what works as well as what doesn’t work.
Congrats!
Jacque says
Just want to say how much I love the “get real” stuff. Your blog has served as inspiration for me… but I would always think “how do they keep it so perfect all the time?!” And being a little… on the perfectionist side ;) … I felt like I might just suck at owning a home. So getting that peek into what a normal day is made me feel like I might not be doing a bad job after all!
Keep it up! I read your blog every day!
decoratica says
Well, I do love your long posts. I read almost all of them and I must admit that I sometimes get dissapointed when they’re short… :) I love reading you twice a day. I especially enjoy DIY posts (like everybody else I suppouse) and I sometimes skip a paragraph or two from the non-decorating-related posts (kids, travels, parties…) but I enjoy the pictures anyway… (though I read about the cloth diapers thing- I was just curious :)
As a non-native english speaker/reader/learner, I’ve found blogging the better way to learn “real” english and I must say that thanks to you guys I learn a new word every day (like verbose :)
So, I think it’s worth it! At least for me! I appreciate every word :)
Happy birthday and thanks for sharing your life with us!
Emma says
On the vacation front I TOTALLY think you should take an extended book tour downunder and come and visit us! You can stay in our spare bedroom, it would whip my butt into gear into overhauling it ala your guest room. Burger could play with my Tessa, Sherry and I could wear black shirts together and my fiance and John could not drink together and saw/hammer things and we’d live happily ever after. Yes yes, grand idea!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like a good time to us!
-John
Monique says
Loved that pic of you and your daughter. So sweet. I enjoy reading your blog but I don’t feel interspersing shorter pieces would take away from your blog. The return of reader design would be great. Maybe a short bloopers post (I’m sure you don’t have many of those) educating what not to do? Or post about pet peeve design questions every so often to your readers, i.e. pic of bunny ear pillows – Peeve or Not.
Just some thoughts. I’m sure you guys can do way better.
Sarah says
You guys are the prime example of the phrase, “good things happen to good people.” Congrats on four years and cheers to many more… or whatever else is in store for you and your future. We’ll all be here to support you!
PS- That picture of Clara makes me melt :)
Desirai says
That picture of clara is SOOOO appropriately zen! Love it!
Santina says
I love your long lengthy posts! And I truely appreciate the time you take to post everyday. Also so far there has not been a post that has not been awesome, you guys have great style and while all of it may not be true to individual preference you can’t make the whole world happy, just be true to you. It is how I start each morning, before getting to the office! BTW amazing picture of Clara, she is darling. And I agree w/ above comments lol, way to represent Canada ;)
Briel K. says
Sherry, I pretend that you pretend that I’m one of the ten people you are writing to. haha
I’m glad you’ll be bringing reader redesigns/before & afters back! Those were always fun!
Re: Goal #1 – Whenever you take a vacation to CA (LA, San Diego or more northern toward SF) let me know if you want any tips, a tour guide or to grab a bite sometime!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw Briel, you’re so sweet! You actually are one of the people I pretend I’m writing to. You always have something sweet and encouraging to say and I love you for it!
xo,
s
Briel K. says
Aww shucks! I’m blushing over here. :)
Deirdre McM says
You two are the cutest things ever! I am now just learning of your blog (and your life) through Pinterest. I dedicate my life outside of my full time job and parenting two boys and my husband (well, not really parenting him but sometimes) to figuring out how to live a good life outside of Brooklyn, if possible. And sharing that with others on my blog.
I am way older than you both and that makes it harder to make a break (and might lead to some serious envy). But you’re an inspiration, regardless!
jja says
I wish you another 40 blog years! And a wish for me more shorter posts :-)since for all of those non-americans it is maybe not easy to read a long text….