This post was 3,000 words long. They all felt overly complicated and heavy and weird. I clicked delete. Then I just typed what we’re really feeling, complete with things we’ve never said out loud and even a few things we’ve never fully admitted to ourselves before.
The truth is that we love you guys. Like for real. Even for the tough love. We know you say it because you care (or hopefully you did at some point), and we want you to know we care right back. We want to do a good job. We want to do this with joy and excitement. We want to inspire you. We know this is an incredible way to have made a living and we are full of gratitude for the experience to have shared the last seven years of our lives with you guys online.
We would NEVER be here without you, and not a day goes by that we don’t know that. It’s why we asked for your feedback last week and read every last comment. We appreciate the honesty and the passion you guys have on the topic of making this blog great. And we agree with a lot of what was being said. We have been feeling off for a while – like we have lost our rhythm and we’re somehow missing the mark for ourselves and for you guys. We too miss the good old days when we did this for the love and were full of such obvious joy and spontaneity. This felt like a place we all hung out and it just doesn’t have that vibe anymore.
Over the years many amazing opportunities popped up for us. Things we never dreamed of doing in a million years, and things we’re incredibly grateful to have had the chance to experience. A book deal, curating paint picks with Benjamin Moore, a line sold at Target, a showhouse, etc. But in hindsight those things also made this feel a lot more like a business than a personal blog to many of you, and to us as well. We have actually ramped those down behind the scenes in an attempt to get back to our roots (we no longer do the BM color collection, the second book is mostly written, our products at Target have completed their run, and we finished the showhouse) but we never really made a big announcement about that – so it’s completely understandable that some of you might think we’ve moved on to those greener pastures and left the blog in the dust, so to speak. The reality is that our site propels the success of any outside project like a product or book, so we could never turn our backs on the blog and expect those items to continue to sell as well.
Not only have we felt this shift from “John and Sherry” to “Young House Love: The Brand”, but the blogosphere as a whole has become increasingly sponsored/corporate lately. We can see from the outside prospective as a reader, or even a fellow blogger, that it’s hard to read a blog post without suspecting some ulterior motive or money-making system behind it. Last week a few of you mentioned that we might need to keep giveaways around because they pay us well, which surprised us since they’re never something we accept payment for (we like to pass free things along to you as a thank you for reading).
Along with the whole business/brand thing that’s going on, and the side gigs that felt like they muddied the water for some of you, there are certainly other things we wish we had handled differently in hindsight. Just to name a few, there’s: being too defensive, over-explaining, letting things get in our heads and change our lighthearted approach, and the internal struggle between being transparent and oversharing personal details like a vacant new house without an alarm system (looking back we wish we’d handled our third house announcement differently). We know many of you felt insulted that we didn’t share more freely about that house, and we truly apologize.
Anyway, back to that whole “we’re sexy stumbling and you know it” thing. It’s endlessly frustrating to do a job that you love poorly, especially when it’s a blog baby that you’ve birthed yourself and nurtured for seven years. And especially when it’s such an amazing job that we once felt so inspired and joyful to wake up and do each day. What’s wrong with us? We know this is a dream job. We acknowledge it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. We know most people who have built something like this would be more inspired than ever. It’s not that we lost the gratitude, I think it’s that we feel like we’ve fallen out of our groove. We feel like we’re letting you guys down repeatedly. It got to the point that every time we pressed “publish” we braced ourselves.
So in an attempt to stop stumbling around and feeling like we just can’t get it back, we’re taking a break. We don’t know exactly how long we’ll be stepping away, but our guess would be at least a month. We will certainly be exploring other options for supporting our family (something we mentioned we were considering back in April). We had that fiery blog-spark back when we had day jobs and did this as a hobby, so we think it could be a good change. We’ll also be taking a break on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, but the blog will stay public so you guys can access the archives whenever you’d like.
Our internal struggle and the state of this blog is entirely of our making, and we completely own that. Please don’t get mad at anyone for being honest with their feedback last week or accuse them of sending us packing. We have been struggling with that “something is off” feeling for a while now, and after way too much denial and “we’ll turn it around” pep talks, we finally asked for your feedback because we truly wanted to hear what you were thinking. It was cathartic and helpful for us. It has allowed us to very clearly see that if we have any respect for this blog and our love of it, and for you guys and what you’d like to see, we need to take a break if we ever want any hope of getting back to that fun/real/spontaneous place it used to be when this was something we did for the love instead of the high stakes game of supporting a family.
In summary: we love you, we thank you, and we hope you understand.
V says
Hope y’all are enjoying the break. We hope you come back!
Amy says
I miss you guys so much, I just reserved your book from the library. I am a cheapo just like you guys!
Hayley says
I miss you from way over here in New Zealand, i really liked your blog and do miss it more than i anticipated…………. please come back
Maria says
I’m checking the website from way over here in New Zealand, too :). Every few days I come here wondering, are they back yet? I miss the blog…
tamihagglund says
Confession: I keep checking every few days…or hours…because you guys are so very missed. I hope the break has been so great and restful!
Carol says
I check everyday too….maybe tomorrow we will get an update?
Cindy says
I check everyday, too. :-/
Nelle says
Has it been a month yet…. miss you guys. Hope you are having a good break!
Lora K. says
I’m just dropping in to let you know that you are missed John and Sherry! I hope that you are getting the break that you deserve including lots of rest, snuggles with your kids, and some time with each other! I’ve been a reader since before Clara was born so in a way you have always felt like friends. I look forward to any update, even if it’s just an instagram photo. I’m thinking about your family and hoping that you have found some answers in your time off!
Lucy says
Never commented before, but I’ve read your blog every morning – was really nice to check it each day. Really hope you’re coming back soon and are feeling refreshed and recharged. Still checking it each day and hoping! Lucy
Michelle says
Miss you guys! Hope you’re having an awesome break together, and coming up with some wonderfully creative ideas for your future careers (crossing my fingers that some of that incorporates the blog). x
Beth says
One more day!! We are missing you.
Silke says
One month without my daily “John&Sherry-fix”. Seemed so long, and yet so short! You know what has struck me in this time? That there is absolutely NO other DIY-blog that posts so regularly as you guys do (I refuse to say ‘did’!), so I guess that says it all…
Hope you are feeling recharged and have figured out a good plan to come back in a new way.
I miss you guys, a lot!
Lots of love from Belgium,
Silke xoxoxo
Stevara says
I have enjoyed reading your blog for the last 3 years. I enjoyed meeting you all here in Richmond and having my book signed and a picture taken. I hope you have enjoyed your break and I hope you come back to us. We miss you! You both have inspired me to do so many things in my home that I wouldn’t have ever tried. Thank you so much for giving us what you’ve already given and here’s hoping you have so much more to offer when you return! Love you guys!!!
Eryn says
Please come back soon! Missing your personalities and inspiration! Hope you are recharging in every way you need. :)
Mari says
So many people sending so much love..hope when you get to read all these lovely comments it will help to mask the nasty ones from people who would be wiser to keep their opinions to themselves. Perhaps their parents never taught them this great rule of life…”If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all”…I only recently found out this was said by Thumper in Bambi….but thanks Mum for making sure I learnt this :). Good luck to you and your lovely family…I miss you but follow your hearts and do what is best for you..love and best wishes from the U.K. xx
choateparkfriends says
Tomorrow is a month. I wonder if you’ll be back. I keep inadvertently checking every day even though you said at least a month. I don’t want to go back in the archives. I’m hoping for a check in from my friends the Petersiks. I do hope you return in some capacity. I also hope all of us clicking on your site just to check to see if you’re back doesn’t create enough income for you to not need to come back!! I do hope you have enjoyed your break and all the positive feedback you’ve been getting. Don’t let this bicycle saying be true for you: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but eventually it gets replaced. So, being mean sorta works.” Don’t let the squeaky wheel keep you from hearing all the positive! We are all along for the ride. Whatever it may be!!
Alie says
Hi JSCT&B, hope all is well with you. and I hope you’re enjoying a much needed break. I know everyone is waiting for “one month” and of course that’s tomorrow. Of course I’m hoping that you’ll go back to posting. Regularly, Irregularly, Intermittently. But mostly, I want this crazy little thing called YHL won’t wear you out. Best to you all!
~~Alie
Lindsay J says
Just wanted to say, “Hi!” I still check the blog every morning and have had fun looking in the archives. But I really did want to say you are more than just bloggers. You have kept me in the know with pop music! The “Thrift Shop” song reminds me of you. You used their lyrics in a post. When I hear “Chandelieeeer” song, I think of Clara! I didn’t know of these songs until you write using them. Thanks for keeping me up to date (in more areas than one)!
Beckie says
I am patiently waiting for you guys to come back and I have also been checking on here daily for a new post, probably out of habit. I hope you guys enjoy your break and are able to figure out what is best for you and your family. I rarely (maybe twice) post on here and maybe I should have posted more to let you guys know how much I enjoy your posts. I started reading your blog in 2011 and when I started I was hooked, I even went back to the beginning of the blog, so I didn’t miss anything. I am a huge “project” person, but can’t think outside of the box (I’m more of a numbers person, not creative at all) and YHL helped me with that. I still remember my first YHL moment, I was searching for curtains for our bedroom and couldn’t find anything that I liked, but I found some cloth shower curtains and thought I was the most brilliant person ever because I thought outside of the box and the shower curtains were cheaper than regular curtains and I owe it to you guys for the inspiration! Since then, I have completed projects using your posts and videos and it has saved me a lot of time in the guess work and helped save a few fights with my husband;) Thank you!
Paulette says
ILOVE your blog and everything you’ve done. Frankly, I don’t know how you did it all and you definitely deserve a break! Hope you come back! Enjoy.
Kadee says
Hope you’ve enjoyed some time off with your fam, but I am having some serious withdraws now! ;) I got a little excited today when I looked at the date you wrote this post as tomorrow is a month, so I’m hoping you’re going to come back with a bang! :) I’ve checked almost daily since you wrote this post and I’m waiting to squeal with delight for a new post from my most favorite DIYers! These people (haters) trying to make you feel bad for scaling back are crazy, why don’t they start their own blog to be criticized?! A lot of people don’t realize what goes into one blog post and it’s almost like some of your followers have gotten a little greedy wanting more, more, more… When you just had a baby! Most all people take some time off or scale things back a little when they have a new addition to their family… I guess you just happen to have a lot of people who really, really, love you guys and some of them don’t understand that, but I think the majority of them do understand. Come on home guys, we miss you! :)
Kate says
Just wanted to contribute to the overall comment total so you guys could see how much you mean to all of us! Eagerly awaiting your comeback!
Allison says
Come back!!!!! We miss you!! It’s like waiting anxiously for an encore from your favorite band! Love y’all and hope you’re doing well!! Ps I still check about once a week just in case ;)
ANN COOK says
I keep singing “COME BACK TO BLOGGING” to the tune of “COME BACK TO TEXAS!’
Come back to BLOGGING
It’s just not the same since you went away
I bet you missed your PASSWORD
And drove right on through the LOG IN STATE
There’s a seat for you at the HOME DEPOT
And I’ve got every DIY saved
Besides the Mexican food sucks north of here anyway
Troy Aikmen wants you back
Willie Nelson wants you back
NASA wants you back
And the Bush twins want you back (la la la la)
And Pantera wants you back (la la la la)
And Blue Bell wants you back
Kate says
Honestly, I’m just testing to see if these comments are still being moderated. I’ve been curious to see if/when you’ll be back!
Courtney says
Come back soon pleeeaaase!!! Where do you get the clothes for Teddy? They are so cute in his photos.
Amy says
Dying.
Lisa says
Miss you guys!! I really really hope you aren’t gone for good! The internet is better with you in it!
Angela says
I miss you!
stacy says
I keep checking to see if you’ve come back, even if it was for one little “hi” post (and to give you some ad revenue love, lol). I keep thinking about what projects you guys are doing, mostly because I need to get motivated to do my own. Hope you are well!
Rebecca says
So glad I’m not the only one who is counting down the days!!
John & Sherry — you are missed! Can’t wait for the next installment of all things YHL.
Melissa says
Please please come back! We miss you!
KimB says
I keep checking and hoping for a post! Think of this blog often and miss it alot. Can’t say I blame you though for taking a step back and re-prioritizing. Our kids are only young once, and life is too short to be doing something that you don’t love. HUGS TO YOU ALL!! xo
Megan says
see you tomorrow??
stacy says
Miss y’all. Hope you are enjoying your time away.
Mahareen says
Miss you guys!! xxxx
Alona F says
I miss you guys! I guess it hasn’t technically been a month yet – but I am very much looking forward to your return. I hope you decide to keep the blog in some form!
CMB says
Can’t wait to hear from you tomorrow ;)
Jenn says
Long time reader, newbie commenter. I’ve read your page daily for years now. It’s funny.. I’ve moved away from following a lot of DIY blogs, with the exception of yours. I’ve always enjoyed the warmth and heart that you guys have used to build your site. I hope you have been enjoying time as a family, but I have to say that I, like many others out here, have been checking in daily.. hoping you’ll pop in.
Regardless of where you guys land decision wise for your next steps, you’ve got my respect. And, thanks for all you’ve done!
xo Jenn
Heather says
Tomorrow? We are dying waiting to hear something! It has been the.longest.month.ever I will be up early and clicking on your site with my fingers and toes crossed.
June says
I keep checking your site as one month approaches… hoping you come back feeling refreshed and refocused. Wishing you well in the meantime!
Katie says
Anxiously anticipating your return tomorrow….I HOPE. Miss you 5! :)
Amy says
Petersik Family,
I hope all is well in your corner of the world!
You’re missed and thought of fondly.
Jen says
Tomorrow, right? See you tomorrow?!? For the love of pumpkin spice lattes…..please!
Sarah says
Roses are red.
The exterior to your showhouse was blue.
It’s been a month since you left us,
And your YHL family is missing you.
A crappy poem with lots of truth in it.
Lila says
Best poem ever :)
Kali says
Ok, total dork moment…I just got a little teary-eyed reading that poem! That’s how much I miss you guys!!!
Theresa W says
Had my own “Dude, Get on That!” this past weekend. Your Large Wire Globe Lantern (black lol) was gifted to us last April for our anniversary. It was the first thing I ever pinned :) and my sister was super pumped to give it to us. Well, we finally wired a spot for it in the stairwell & hung it up – drumroll – it looks AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for making style affordable :) and for everything else that you do and share!
Miss you guys, but hope that your sweet little family is doing well!
Keely D says
Can you guys come back now?!
Andrea says
I keep checking back hoping that you will have posted and that you are BACK! Miss you and your awesome blog :) PLEASE COME BACK!!
Ellen says
Glad to see I’m not the only one counting down to tomorrow! We miss you soooooo much! Please, come back! Even if it’s just to post one picture and say “hi”!
Kristi says
I totally had a dream the other night that you guys posted! The title was “We’re baaaaaaaaaaaack!” I woke up literally thinking maybe I didn’t dream and that it was real. Sigh. Anyways – I know you said a month, and although I would love to see you back that quickly – I say take another month! Enjoy Teddy’s first Halloween! I have been thinking about what type of costumes you will choose for a three-some!
Jamie says
I cannot wait for tomorrow – I hope that you can give us an update – It does not matter how long it is – at least let us know that you are okay. Regardless of what you decide we just miss you so much.
Kelly says
Still checking every day… I need to know what you’re doing with your pumpkins this year! And how are you decorating for Halloween in the new house…. and how big is Teddy now…. and what about halloween costumes… please come back before Halloween!
Terri says
I feel like Smalls, from the movie Sand Lot, “I can’t take it anymore!” Teddy is stuck at 19 weeks, Clara is stuck in the sand, and the blue trim and corner cabinets in the dining room???? Seriously, you are both so talented and gifted, I cannot imagine the offers that must be coming your way. Do what is best for you and yours. We support you, miss you, and adore you!