Since you guys have enjoyed the past messy house tour videos that we’ve shared (like this one from our last house in 2011), we seized the opportunity to remind everyone that we’re not all carefully folded towels and meticulously placed pillows 24/7 (not even close). With our attention focused mostly on the showhouse & some last minute nursery updates, many of our other house projects have been put on hold (some are literally halfway done) and a handful of rooms have quickly devolved into chaos. And when your house is a mess, why not video tape it for the whole internet to see?
A few notes:
- There is no rapping in this video. I am both relieved and somewhat disappointed.
- I hate narrating these things and usually just hold the camera (I have steadier hands) while Sherry talks, but she was doing showhouse stuff so I put on my big boy pants and went for it.
- Burger is all over this thing like a helicopter in a P.Diddy video.
- Don’t worry about the droopy figs in the office. They bounce right back after getting some water… although they do seem to be suspiciously thirsty.
- If there truly were a wedding between a sabre toothed tiger and a pony, I would have given anything to attend it as a child (I was a huge fan of any type of tiger, and checked out a library book about tigers every week for two years straight in elementary school)
- Look at those gleaming hardwood floors after the climb to the second floor. They make my chest swell with pride.
- For everyone asking what’s on the fourth wall of the nursery, you catch a quick glimpse of it in the video (it’s just a floor lamp and the doorway to the hall for now, but we might add a “wall of fun” like we did in Clara’s room eventually)
- There’s some rarely seen footage of the unfinished storage room at the end of the upstairs hallway (and – surprise! – that’s a mess too)
- I edited the end of the video to cut off myself shouting “keeping it real” because something possessed me to yell that out and the end of the video like a Backstreet Boy circa 1995 and I couldn’t not let it see the light of day. You understand, right?
In case you can’t watch the video at work (it would still pretty much tell the story sans sound), here’s a quick tour-via-screengrab of some of the highlights.
If everything stays on schedule, we should have a few days between our big Homearama deadline and our baby arrival date when we can hopefully wrap up a couple of projects and return things to some semblance of order. You know, right before Barnacle comes along and throws us all out of whack again…
Does anyone else have any messes to fess up to? Is there some half-finished project that’s causing a ripple effect into other rooms around it? We can’t be the only ones.
Psst – Showhouse deadlines have kept us even crazier than expected this week, so we’re not going to have a post for you tomorrow, but we hope to be back at it again on Monday.
Lisa in Seattle says
John, this should make you feel better: At least your Christmas tree is not still up. Yeah, you heard me. (It’s an artificial tree, so it’s not like we have some moribund vegetable matter hanging around.) The new plan is to take it down by Easter, since I missed the previous deadlines of Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
YoungHouseLove says
That is awesome.
-John
Kristen says
This blog entry makes me want to buy a plane ticket to come help you guys clean up! Sherry, aren’t your nesting instinct alarms going off on high alert? Haha. I want to come help!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m nesting at the showhouse and in the nursery. Apparently I can compartmentalize it. Haha! I also think I’m delusional because I’m convinced it’ll all be in order by the time the baby comes…
xo
s
Kimberly Hughes says
I love that you guys do this. Makes me feel so much better when people don’t believe that my house does get messy because, ya know, we LIVE there and all. Crazy as that sounds. Ahem. ;) And I love the tiger/pony wedding, so romantic and forward-thinking ;) x
Katrina says
I just really love this post haha! We are in the middle of painting our trim and baseboards in our whole downstairs, and we have three little girls (including a 4 month old), so our house is a disaster right now! Okay not a disaster, but definitely messier than I’d like it to be! Thanks for being real with all of us! :)
Becca says
Great job on the tour John.
Off topic question: Will you guys please come to Seattle/Tacoma again for your next book tour!? I would love to meet you!
Sherry, I hope you’re feeling okay today! Home stretch!
YoungHouseLove says
We would love to! We did a signing there for our first book so I hope we get to go back :)
xo
s
Sarah says
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that you guys keep so true to life. We are moving on Saturday to our new house that just had half the kitchen torn out and the asbestos popcorn ceilings removed. I feel like we’ll be living this way for a while and I feel better knowing we’re not the only ones.
Sasha says
Was beginning to feel I was the only one with a pile of clothes in the corner of my bedroom, so thank you for keeping it real… Now I feel better about my messy apartment ;)
Cheyenne says
Forgive me if you’ve answered this question 100 times but do you have any tricks to keep your dark hardwoods clean? We just put some in and they are driving me crazy showing every scrap of dust and pet hair! I don’t have time to clean my floors every day lol help a new mama out!
YoungHouseLove says
I usually just vacuum them on the hardwood setting and occasionally stiffer or mop them.
xo
s
Laurel says
You have a beautiful house. I am truly in awe if what you two manage to accomplish. I would think you had O.C.D. If your rooms weren’t anything other than what they are with all that you do. Clara seems like such a sweetheart and really well adjusted. Can’t wait to see your new guy.
Olivia says
Just imagining the “Keeping it real!” is cracking me up. Sounds like something I would do – aaand would have cut out as well.
Amanda K. says
love this. even though bloggers CONSTANTLY say “look, our blog is just a portion of our lives! we’re normal people!!” it’s sometimes hard to remember.
i did a post about winter, with photos of how we spend our time ( http://www.thekriegers.org/2014/03/winter/) and a friend was so amazed at how many activities we do…but they’re all carefully selected vignettes of my best moments! no one wants 100 pics of my so zoned out watching tv!!!
(also, i’m proud of you guys for taking a “day off” of posting to work on the show house! i hope you’ll feel freedom to do that when baby boy comes, too!)
Melissa says
I’m one of those people who can’t see the video at work, but from the pictures its not so bad!
P.S. I spotted your book in the Flea Market Style magazine out this month! I got all excited for you. :)
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Thanks for the tip!
xo
s
Cori says
This is why. This is why we love you. Because you’re REAL! Busy, hardworking, super talented, but also regular (albeit awesome) people! Thank you for this. Seriously. I love it when my house is nice and neat, but sometimes it’s just a mess…and that’s ok!
Two weeks to go! Aaaaa! I’m praying you and your sweet bun stay safe and healthy and have a normal, uneventful delivery/c-section. Can you believe you’ll be able to kiss his sweet face in just a little while??? SO exciting!
carrie_b says
I love you guys for inviting us into your messy house, because
a) it is just so nice to actually see the house in 3-d instead of just 2-d
b) we get to see Burger running around excitedly, which is so cute
c) it makes me feel a lot better about my own messy house… it was a nice reminder that no, not even Sherry an John’s house is clean, organized and all put together at all times.
thanks for keeping it real for us, guys!
Rachel says
Thanks for the tour! I probably should have realized this but never noticed the door between the dining room and kitchen until this video since your photos are usually from that view. Best wishes for the new little guy and safe and healthy delivery!!
Jane says
Haven’t watched the video yet , but i just wanted to drop by and say, you guys are awesome for doing so many things at once and keeping it SO real here. But you are also doing great things like donating your showhouse earnings to charity having put SOO much effort into it. Kudos folks.
I really really do hope you guys would take a little break when Barnacle comes. You deserve a maternity & paternity break! And I am sure when you come back after that short break , I think your blog will be even more awesome a “rejuvenated J&S” :-) But ofcourse , I will terribly miss my fav morning blog read..!
Heather {A Fire Pole in the Dining Room} says
At least half our house is in utter chaos from renovations (or spaces that need to be renovated so we don’t even try). The rest stays kind of clean… but not so much that I’d tape it and put it on the internet ;) Thanks for sharing though! It always helps to know your favorite bloggers don’t live in a state of perfect staging.
Melanie says
It’s still a beautiful mess because you guy’s personality shines through with each post you write. I’m with some of the other commenters–I feel better about the lived-in state that my home looks like at the end of the day. We all have to live in our homes, and especially when you’re doing projects, it sometimes gets worse before it gets better! Y’all have a great day!
lynne says
ok i didn’t watch the video YET i am just so happy you posted this. we have a mattress that’s been living in our KITCHEN for OVER A YEAR AND A HALF. also if you don’t have another couch that is dedicated solely to unfolded laundry… well, you lose. hahaha. glad to know you guys are real people!
Rachel says
I love it when you post stuff like this. Makes me feel normal! :) Love your “realness.”
Erin says
Thanks for doing this! So what I needed to see today. I’m buried here under drywall dust because of a kitchen reno- no oven and a huge island waiting to be moved so we can have an eat-in kitchen. Glad I’m not the only one living in the land of unfinished projects!
Kim S says
Oh man I am so jealous of your upstairs storage room! It would probably be dangerous if I had that kind of a stash spot because the only thing keeping me from stockpiling pillows, table runners, candleholders, etc. is that I tell myself (as I walk through HomeGoods), “You have NO PLACE to put that!!”
Lisa says
I feel so normal now that I see your house looks like mine!
Sydnie F. says
Thanks so much for keeping it real guys! It is so great to see “behind the scenes” in addition to finished, perfectly staged spaces to remind all of us of what’s normal. Good luck with the show house and all of your last minute projects! And if things get overwhelming, hire a maid service for a few hours. It’s not as expensive as you’d think (we did it when moving out of an apartment two days after I broke three bones in my foot) and it might be the perfect way to alleviate some stress. Keep up the great work Petersiks!
Lindsay says
So,I love the latest house tour (even the messiness), but this comment has to do with your collection at Target. Where is it??? I went to Target today specifically to see the goods in person and couldn’t find them anywhere. I even checked the website to make sure that this specific store had them in stock, and it said they were, but alas, no YHL goodies were found. Is it just taking a few days for all the stores to catch up and get them out onto the floor? Just curious cause I’m really excited to see them in person!
YoungHouseLove says
You’re so sweet! We hear it takes them a week to roll them out so maybe it’s still being set in the next few days? They just hit Richmond today (ahhhh!) so I hope it’s coming! They also have a store locator at libertyhardware.com to track down which stores carry it if that helps.
xo
s
Lisa says
So jealous of that that pillow pile in your storage room! I dream of having pillows I can switch in and out. Or even just a few nice pillows beyond the four I have right now (only one of which I love).
Alison says
So I’m sure you have answered this question probably numerous times before but what are your plans with the storage room? Can it become another room? can it be finished with plastered walls or anything? Or will you just leave it like it is so you can use it as storage?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes we’d love to drywall and add flooring (it already has electrical and ductwork) so it’s a finished space down the line. We think a media room/bunk room for older kid sleepovers and hanging out would be awesome.
xo
s
Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says
You’re busy bees so your house looks like I’d imagine parents with a toddler, a baby on the way, a new line of products in Target, a fixer-upper to update, a new home to decorate and doing it all with many deadlines looming to look like. :oD Just take it one day at a time and don’t forget to stay hydrated and start juicing. It will help keep you satiated during the day without that crazy 2 or 3:00 lull. (where did that last bit of advice come from!? I’ve been sick and on webmd far too many nights.)
My best, Lynn
* Oh! And I am on team “Run a week of “The Best Of the John & Sherry Show” when Barnacle arrives” just so you BOTH can take a breather from this baby to enjoy that baby.
Casey {The Maine Mrs.} says
I’m so glad to see we’re not the only slob kabobs! :)
Sayward says
I love all of this. Sometimes my house is like a magazine and sometimes it’s a total wreck. I just roll with it and try hard not to make apologies to people. The line about helicopters in a Diddy video has been killing me all day and since 10:15am I’ve been shouting “keeping it real!” in my head in various boy band tones of voice.
Some reflection on the tones of voice are as follows, because that’s what’s important here:
At first I was picturing it all hyped up like a white guy in oversized athletic clothes trying to rap and shoot extra testosterone at you, but I think I’ve settled on the sultry/seductive tone as my favorite. Like the opening lines of D*ck in a Box. Probably with some slow jam finger snapping and side to side bobbing. And one instance of slowly and soulfully pressing my hand against my heart. While I make direct eye contact with you.
Hey girl… I’m just keeping it real…
Yep, I’m still writing about this.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Rachel Robinson says
Glad to know you are real people just like the rest of us! :)
erin says
Thank you a million times over for posting this. Honestly, sometimes (usually one time a month) it’s hard to read DIY and lifestyle blogs because you (I) do start to compare and think everyone else just has it together. I love reading your blog and I’m glad you showed what’s on the other side of the camera. I think most of us are living in disaster zone most days!
Leslie @ Oh, the Fun of It says
This is great! Thanks for keeping it real :) Every time I step back from a project, I have to laugh at the mess I’ve made… that’s the price of creating, I guess.
Janice Gardner says
I’m glad that other people’s homes get messy and have piles
(at times) like my house. However – I noticed that your piles and messes are full of beautiful things. Thanks for sharing!!!!
Leigh says
My living room looks like Toys R Us moved in. I think it’s funny how people love to see a mess. Everyone’s house gets messy but when we’re in the middle of it, we forget we’re all normal and busy. And some of us third trimester pregnant ladies just don’t feel like bending over to pick up the rest of the mess after our 2 year old did his best to pick up.
katalina says
Don’t know how you do it!
speaking of which– do you ever think some things are worth it at this point to hire out since you are so busy with the show house, second book, blog, mystery projects and 2 weeks shy of bambino boy– such as cleaning, massages, painting the rest of the blue trim or office and dining room?
so proud of you both–reader from the start and tell everyone about your blog and book!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Katalina! I think we might be crazy but we actually work pretty well under pressure so we think once we finish sealing those counters we will get the kitchen back and then we can tackle the guest room before the baby and just deal with the dining room later. Here’s hoping!
xo
s
Stacey says
Messy/disorganized house reporting for duty. I am counting the days until the renovation is done and the three of us are no longer sharing one closet and we do not have things randomly placed wherever we could put them due to lack of room. Any day now…..I hope.
Leslie says
Thank you for this. I read a lot of DIY/Decor blogs and am always left feeling a little deflated and inadequate because my house would only look like the pictures posted for about 5 minutes before the baseboard paint would start to get chipped from the matchbox car races, the lego/junk mail piles would overtake the kitchen table, etc. Thank you for KEEPING IT REAL!
Melissa says
Just wanted to say thanks for thinking of us people who read your blog at work! Although you nearly made me LOL at your captions! Look forward to watching this when i get home :)
Katie says
I guess you’re not nesting then?
YoungHouseLove says
I’m definitely going crazy washing all his clothes (see them all laid out by size in the guest room?) and feathering his little nursery and the showhouse, but I guess I can compartmentalize so other rooms fall by the wayside? Haha! Or I’m just in deep deep denial (I’m convinced before he comes it’ll all make sense again…)
xo
s
Miranda says
Where did you get the large cement vases on the fireplace in the living room? LOVE THEM!
YoungHouseLove says
Those are woven baskets from HomeGoods.
xo
s
Traci says
I think a lot of people, myself included, can understand that dining room mess!
Amanda says
long time stalker first time poster ;)
Love you guys doing vids!!! Its been way too long!
Theresa says
I have been working on a project at my house and it made me think of you guys and your office…which seems creepy as I am fairly new to blogs and so I know you but I don’t know you and now I thinking about you. Anyhoo. I am currently choosing between Craigslist desks for my office and I am looking at partner desks which are like double desks with drawers on both sides and look like the desk you have but wider for two. Maybe it would help your space if you didn’t know about them. I am excited about the large space to work on as they are at least 5 feet by 4 feet. Just a thought…
By the way, amen to what the rest of the house looks like…it is for the greater good.
jill says
You guys are so great and your blog always brings a smile to my face – especially this post! Nobody is perfect! :)
P.S. My husband and I are about to close on our first house and I can’t wait to dig into your archives to help us with anything and everything house related!!
Beth says
Love your beautiful house! Have followed for quite some time now. Messy house tour makes me feel so much better about my own messiness :) Great for people to see how real people live!
Jace says
Whats going on with your chalkboard? Did it break??
YoungHouseLove says
That’s the back of it (in that old post about us making it you can see that we painted it that bright color in the back). John just carried it in there that way and leaned it up on the wall instead of turning it around.
xo
s
Marcia says
OMG. Thank you for posting this so that I don’t feel like I’m the. worst. housekeeper. ever. We are mid-renovation in three (because I am loco) rooms and the clutter is beginning to impinge on my self-worth. It’s nice to know that my cluttered dining table and guest bedroom of a thousand pillows and clothes on the bed puts me in the company of superstars like y’all!
Jenelle says
Thanks for keeping it real! I am in awe of what you are accomplishing 2 weeks out from your sweet little one’s arrival! Wishing you the best in the coming days and just wanted to say don’t be afraid to take a break…we’ll understand and after all this craziness you just might need one! Thinking of all 4(!) of you!
Jennifer says
Dear Sherry and John,
I have a feeling others have informed you of this already but I’ll say it too just in case no one has.
Today while reading the April/May issue of Garden & Gun I turned the page to see a great huge advertisement for Travel Virginia. And the best part is, there’s a gigantic beautiful two page picture of you all and clara bean!! If you haven’t already seen the issue I suggest getting a copy!!
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that amazing?! We were honored when VA Tourism asked us to be in their real people campaign – Clara had a blast on that beach!
xo
s