Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Blogiversary 5: Post Apocalypse

With over 2,300 posts under our belts, it’s becoming a Herculean task to read all the way back through our archives (although several of you deserve an “I survived the YHL archives and all I got was this lousy bumper sticker” bumper sticker). So we’re using our fifth blogiversary as an excuse to pull out some highlights from those 260 weeks of content. Sit back and enjoy this somewhat weird trip down memory lane full of firsts, favorites, and fun times.

First Makeover Reveal: Even before the kitchen reno that started this whole site, our first before and after was actually our laundry nook in November 2007 (since the kitchen was still very much a work in progress). And clearly we hadn’t gotten the before thing down yet, since it’s actually a mid-demo pic instead. That was a valuable lesson in remembering to photograph things before breaking out the sledgehammer…

First Before N After Laundry

Weirdest Wardrobe (both human and canine): In this December 2007 post about how long our first kitchen’s cabinet installation was taking, we included this photo to demonstrate how surprisingly cabinet-sized Sherry is… especially when wearing coordinating Christmas pajamas with a then 1-year-old Burger.

Weird Wardrobe

Most Ridiculous Styling: It was 2007. We were still finding our decorating groove. Sherry was only a year or so removed from her time in New York / New Jersey. So when we “revealed” these pictures of our guest bedroom (a room that later became Clara’s nursery) we managed to sneak fuzzy leopard slippers into it. Not sure what kind of guests we were expecting…

Leopard Slippers

The Most Never Before Seen Video: Part of the prize from winning a blogging contest in 2007 was a video interview on Ask The Decorator. It was our first video interview so we were over-prepared (Sherry even wore non-black!) and were probably a bucket of nerves and stutters on camera. We’ll never know because the site went on hiatus shortly after the interview (for a few years actually!) and the footage never saw the light of day… which might have been for the best.

First Meghan Carter

First Ikea Hack: Just as the calendar rolled around to 2008, we took on our first adaptation of Ikea furniture by creating the built-in closets around our bed with doorless wardrobes, some curtains, and a wood header to make it all look built-in.

First Ikea Hack

First Burning Question: Anyone remember when we used to do these posts? Every Friday we’d pose a decor or home improvement related question like: “What’s your favorite countertop surface?” “What’s your ideal view from your house?” “To paint or not to paint your switch plates and wall registers?” – you know, heavy hitting stuff. But our first question in May 2008 was whether or not you should have your table perpetually set. It garnered a whopping 18 responses.

First Mood Board: Also around the time we started Burning Questions, we began offering design help by providing online mood boards. Our first one was for Manisha to help with her living room.

2966217344 5c37e285d0

First Press Mention:  Our local paper, the Richmond Times-Dispatch featured us in their new “I Did It Myself” section on May 15, 2008. What had we done? Made a pedestal table out of a thrift store base and a stock round top from the home improvement store. Our parents were so proud.

First Press

Favorite Little Craft: We’ve taken on a lot of little projects and crafts around here (hello “Dude Get On That Already” challenge) but one of our all-time faves is still the vacation memory jars that we did way back in the summer of 2008.

First Vacation Jars

First House Crashing: Before we worked up the nerve to ask strangers if we could come over, we kept House Crashings in the family by photographing my sister’s recently constructed home here in Richmond. That was 2008 and she’s done lots of painting, decorating and landscaping, so a Re-House Crashing is actually on the agenda!

Emshouseexterior

First Reader Redesign: In addition to busting out the House Crashings in 2008, we also featured our first Reader Redesign – which for some reason compelled me to make a Grey Poupon reference in the post title.

First Reader Redesign

First Design Dilemma That Was Solved: Admittedly we made a lot more mood boards over the years than we ever received after photos for. So when we did, it was always a special treat. Our first person to provide them was Stacie, a local friend who sent us pics of her lovely bedroom that was based on a little YHL mood board that we whipped up for her. It actually ended up spawning a House Crashing… or two… or three.

First Design Dilemma Solved

First Wedding Week: It shouldn’t be any surprise that our first “Wedding Week” (a week dedicated to our wedding as well as lovey-dovey stuff in general) started on our first anniversary: July 7, 2008. And the content from that first week is pretty much what lives currently on the Wedding tab at the top of our page.

First Wedding Week

The Biggest Turning Point: You’ve heard us say before that the main reason we decided to turn this hobby into something more was randomly and completely unexpectedly winning a contest that gave us a little let’s-keep-at-this confidence boost. We were barely two months into blogging, which may be why we celebrated the win by Photoshopping this pageant-esque image. I like my Queen Elizabeth wave.

First Thank Academy

Hardest Post For Sherry To Write: This is probably a tie between two more recent events – Clara’s birth in 2010 and the death of her Aunt Kay Kay this summer. Both were deeply personal, but almost equally therapeutic for her to write (even though it took nearly a full year for Sherry to muster the words to describe Clara’s entry into to the world).

Family Shot

Hardest Post For John To Write: While not nearly as emotional as Sherry’s picks, owning up to my failed deck inspection this summer was a tough one for me. The failure was a big blow to my confidence about the project as a whole, so it took just about all that I had to keep moving forward on it – let alone having to write about it for all to see.

Fail Waiting By Truck

Most Random: We definitely stray off topic every now and then around here… parenting, running, breastfeeding, haircuts. You know, the usual. But perhaps our most random, yet much commented tangent was this January 2011 post about what other names our parents considered for each of us when we were born.

Lars Gina Pic

Most Embarrassing: It should come as no surprise that the most blush-inducing post was Sherry’s admission earlier this year that back in high school she met Eminem… on MTV… and there’s a YouTube video to prove it. Not only does she freestyle rap and say the word “phat” during the episode, now that I’ve mentioned it again, she’s hiding under her desk.

Fan Limo

Least Wordy: We don’t have an easy way of double-checking this, but we’re pretty sure this post about readying ourselves for some door widening (our 8th post ever) clocks in at our shortest. At just under 125 words, the entire thing can be viewed without ever touching your scroll bar. Three cheers for someday getting back to short & sweet posts like this among our chatty longer ones.

First Shortest

Most Wordy: Again, don’t quote us on this – but we know last year’s blogiversary post about how we make money and how we spend our time clocked in at nearly 4,000 words, which we believe is our longest. It could also take the cake for “most pie charts” (or should I say take the pie?).

PieChart Blog Break No2

Weirdest: The title of this “Purloined” post should be a clue that Sherry’s was in a weird mood – which she owns up to several times during the post itself. It just a quick little ditty about pillows, but it spawned a hilarious string of comments where people rallied around the phrase “No Ham, No Fowl.” You’ll just have to read it to understand… if it can be understood. (PS: Runner up for this award goes to this post about Sherry’s dream that involved elephant faucets).

First Purloined

Most Unusual Format: If you browse our early posts, you can tell we’re open to being experimental when it comes to their format, like this post that was written entirely as a dialogue between the two of us. We actually loved looking back at it, so here’s hoping more random convos like this pop up from time to time…

Biggest Dud: We like taking bets on who’s gonna win whatever reality TV show we’re watching. So we figured everyone would love joining in our guesses as to who would win 2008’s Top Design on Bravo (the one with Eddie Ross). Well, it wasn’t so hot of an idea. A whopping five people played along, and one of them didn’t event get the channel. Womp womp.

First Biggest Dud

Biggest Reveal: Perhaps our biggest house-related revelation on the blog was the news that we were moving in 2010, but we decided to give this title to some other big news: Clara’s birth. Even though it was something everyone knew was coming, Clara’s early arrival (by about a week) and the fact that we didn’t miss a beat posting (she conveniently timed her arrival on a Friday night, and we had some pre-written posts ready for right after she came) made the casual Tuesday morning announcement a pretty big surprise.

Clara Little Feet

Most Commented: Continuing the Clara’s birth theme, the non-giveaway post with the most comments goes to Sherry’s story of her labor and subsequent emergency C-section with Clara. It garnered over 2,200 words of comfort, congrats, and encouragement. You guys are the best.

Least Commented: This is actually a 14-way tie between several posts that got the big goose egg in the comments category. From this post about a wind storm that threw a tree on my sister’s rental house to this unfortunately titled post about a local white elephant sale, there are still more than a dozen opportunities for one of you to be the first commenter on one of our posts.

First Zero Comments

Most Active Comments Over Time: New comments on any given post usually dry up within a few weeks of it being posted. But the comments section on three posts in particular are still very much alive and kicking: this one about curtain-hanging 101, this one about picking the perfect paint color, and this one about painting furniture. They all went up around three years ago but tend to receive at least a few fresh comments each week or two.

Whiniest: We generally try to keep things upbeat around here (this is our happy place) but we do get our sourpuss on every now and then. Perhaps our finest moment of that would be in 2008’s dramatically titled “You Know What Sucks?” post that’s all about painting the grody ceiling in our first house’s den.

First Whiniest

Biggest Budget Breakdown: Coming in at $17,500 – our most expensive project (by far!) to date was the one that kicked off this blog: our first kitchen remodel. Since that job was largely hired out, it was over ten grand more than our second kitchen reno.

Worst Photos: Looking through our archives reveals plenty of less-than-steller demonstrations of our photography skills, especially in our early days of uploading tiny photos taken with our little point-and-shoot. But Sherry and I both agreed that this post (about how our open shelves looked when they suddenly had to house items from our then-demolished kitchen) took the cake for ugliest. Please accept our heartfelt apology.

First Worst Photo

Favorite Punny Post Title: We’ll be the first to admit that our pun-tastic post titles are cheesy, but we’re oddly entertained by just how weird they can be. A few all time favorites are “Oh My Gourd” (about a gourd lamp purchase), “What’s The Commode-tion?” (about matters of the toilet kind), “Hosta La Vista” (about digging up some hostas in the yard), “There’s A New Chair-riff In Town” (about getting a new chair), and “What Up, Succa” (about repotting succulents).

First Gourd Pun

Favorite Hip-Hop Title: We also have a tendency to let song lyrics – often of the hip hop variety – sneak into our post titles as well. So we have to give the gold to last November’s “Wanna Be A Baller, Shot Caller, Drywaller…” (about putting drywall around our new kitchen opening) and the silver to “I Like Big Globes And I Cannot Lie” (about hanging some globe pendants in the kitchen). Lil’ Troy and Sir Mix A Lot would be so proud.

Most Over-Used Post Title: This goes to “Light My Fire” which actually only appears on two posts – this one about a light fixture and this one about actually lighting a fire. Two may not seem like over-use, but note that these posts came within just weeks of each other back in October 2007. And to this day Sherry still has to fight the urge to break it out again (probably because I give her so much grief about running out of fire-related puns less than two months into blogging).

Sexiest Video: You know that moment when you finish a project and you’re so proud of it you just wanna make a sultry video of it? What? Just me? Well, that’s what we did in the midst of another weird mood following the completion of our living room console last year. Forgive us if this gets you all hot and bothered…

Favorite Video: It’s not decor related (though there is a stylish wedding about halfway in!), but Sherry and I still love watching this road trip video of our 41-hour drive to Texas back in 2009. It may be 17 minutes long, but it just makes us smile every time we play it. Oh to be able to take a road trip again and not have to worry about a certain restless toddler in the backseat…

John’s All-Time Favorite Project: It’s gotta be our hallway frame wall that we completed in 2011. It was right at the sweet spot of not-too-difficult, but not-too-simple and to this day we still love the impact and personality that it has. I dunno, it just feels like us. The only thing missing is a ceramic dog. Oops, my bad.

FrameWall Wash Post

Sherry’s All-Time Favorite Project: That’s easy, it’s the time we painted the back of our built-ins a dark teal color (one of the first things we tackled after we moved in). It only took an evening and a quart of paint, and it was such a room-changer.

Painted Built Ins6

John’s All-Time Favorite Post: This is a weird answer, but this post about our first day in our current house has a special place in my heart. It was such an exciting moment for us – full of promise, ideas, and a little stress for good measure. It was even more thrilling to start from scratch knowing that we’d get to take you guys with us every step of the way. Not to mention how crazy it is to look back and realize how much has changed since then.

DayOne Living Room

Sherry’s All-Time Favorite Post: Sherry’s answer is full of sentiment – and decor: it’s the reveal of Clara’s nursery in our old house. Of course we love the transformation that took place in the room, but we think it’s the much greater change in our lives that the post symbolizes which earns it the prize. Look how naive we look – especially in that before picture – so happily clueless about what was ahead.

First Nursery Reveal

Now that we’ve outlined our favorites, firsts, and a fair amount of general post-writing weirdness, what about you? Do you have a favorite entry on your own blog (or in your diary)? Was there a moment where you were particularly wacky and random? Or something that you look back on and cringe?

Psst- Speaking of posts about everything and anything, we’re over here chatting about color theory (who knew certain colors can supposedly raise IQ points and even help with digestion?).

Comments

  1. Jessica says

    When I bought my house in the summer of 2011, my aunt told me about your site. I started reading it religiously in the Fall and in the Spring I sat for a few nights and read through ALL of your archives. I went through withdrawal when I was caught up!

    Reply

  2. Jess @ Little House. Big Heart. says

    My favorite post I’ve written was definitely our “getting to know you” post on our first blogiversary. It was so much fun getting to know our readers!

    I love your first house bathroom makeover posts and your blogging-how-tos!

    What’s the all-time most read post on YHL?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ooh that’s a good question! Maybe the one about curtain 101 or how to paint furniture. Seems like a lot of folks find us through those (by searching google). And your getting to know you post for your blogiversary sounds like so much fun!

      xo
      s

  3. Tonya Lynn Bridges says

    I had ankle surgery 5 weeks ago and have been stuck in bed since for recovery.

    Over the past month I have read through your archives (I started following your blog just over two years ago so I read up til that point.)

    Thank you for giving me tons of inspiration to run with in my rental!

    Reply

  4. Jessica says

    ummmm….I used to have those fuzzy leopard slippers. And…..this one time in college I woke up around 2am to my roomie crying because this girl had said mean things to her at a party. Well, for whatever reason, I got out of bed, threw on a sweatshirt with my plaid boxer shorts and some fuzzy leopard slippers and marched right down to that frat house to give that girl a piece of my mind. My boyfriend later made me apologize to her and I went to her house around 3:30 am (same outfit) and found her crying on the phone to her mom. I’d say I’m not proud of that moment, but that’s what you get when you’re mean to my friends. lol. Sorry….anytime I see fuzzy leopard slippers I think of that night. It’s a moment my college friends have never ever let me forget….hahaha! Happy Blog-iversary guys!

    Reply

  6. Meghan, UK says

    The blogiversary posts are among my favourite over the years, and this one is a humdinger! It’s great to have a look back at some of the old posts, especially remembering when you had so few reader / commenters! Here’s hoping for at least 5 more years of glorious technic-colour blogging from your family :)

    Reply

  8. Sarah says

    I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but this post makes me stupid happy. It’s so neat to remember where I was when I read that Clara had been born (and was healthy!), when I read you were moving and when I read Clara’s birth story. Like most of your readers, I’m sure, lots has happened the last five years and it’s so exciting to think what will happen in the next five years. All of this to say, thanks for always being fun to read and easy to relate to!

    Reply

  9. Meghan W says

    I just discovered you guys about a year ago, but I have definitely dug around to get myself caught up. You guys do a great job with this site. I always look forward to reading your post each day. Oh, and thanks for turning me onto to other blogs like Katie B’s too. I am turning into a blogging nut!

    Reply

  12. Katy says

    I was one of the five people that played along with guessing who would win Top Design! I can’t remember when I started reading your blog, but I was surprised to see that it’s been more than four years now. Congratulations on your blogiversary!

    Reply

  13. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    Nice highlights. I love dipping into your archives. It’s like when Scrooge McDuck jumps into his vault of money and he’s just having a grand old time swimming around. It’s cozy and I like comparing things from back in the day to now and see how your tastes have changed and how many things you feel like you can confidently do on your own. In the word of Sherry: “Me-ow.”

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  14. Allisen says

    Love this post! So much fun taking walks down memory lane!

    Question about your vacation jars. Are you guys still keeping up with them? We started the same tradition after we got married last year and we have so much fun finding the little things to put in them from our trips. One “problem” we have is, what do you do with the places you go more often? Like for you, John’s parent’s on the coast (for us, my parent’s condo in Florida). Do you make a jar each time, or only when you find particularly jar-worthy objects?

    Reply

    • Brandy says

      I saw your vacation jar post awhile back and was wondering if you still did that. Now I know. But where do you keep them in your new house??

    • YoungHouseLove says

      They’re actually on a dresser in our guest room. Someday we’d love to get the playroom and guest room and sunroom finished and find a better spot for them – maybe on a hanging shelf somewhere?

      xo
      s

  16. Kim says

    The console porn video still has me giggling. I think my favorite post of yours was when you showed the tour of your new house. I was so excited when you guys announced you bought a house–so much potential! :)

    Reply

  20. Emily says

    Wow! I just forced myself through Clara’s birth story. Normally I would just read and have a good cry, but I’m in the library on campus. Haha had a few close calls for out-loud crying. What a crazy experience. I’m so glad you all came out of it healthy and happy. I can’t imagine how terrifying that must’ve been. Thank you for sharing…and continuing to share so much with so many.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Emily. You’re so sweet. I didn’t know it at the time, but that post was so cathartic for me, not just writing it but hearing from other people who make me feel less alone in that stuff. It’s amazing what this little online group of friends can do for someone.

      xo
      s

  22. tammy says

    Those old post recaps made me realize I found your blog (back when it was called something else!) in, 2008? Whoa. I remember having an email exchange with Sherry like it was in real time. (Girl is QUICK.) So glad y’all have done so well! Should I feel like a stalker or do we just go with dedicated reader? ;)

    Reply

  23. Ann Marie says

    One of the girls I work was having a hard time when her son began to stop breast feeding after 14 months. She was so sad, she would cry just thinking about it. This was at the very same time you posted when Clara stopped breastfeeding. Your post had such an impact on my co-worker. She was so glad I had showed it to her. She printed it out and carried it around all day.

    I am addicted to YHL, I check it every day, I feel like I know you guys! I love your humor and all of your projects but your non-DIY posts really hit home and connect with a lot of people.

    Reply

  24. lori says

    I am not a blogger, I am a reader!! There is not one particular post that stands out that I have read…but what I most enjoy in all your posts is how you keep it real. No matter how “big” you guys get…you are still Sherry and John…and I love it! I love the humor in everything…and you guys feel like family at a distance. Its just awesome!

    Reply

  25. Ali says

    My favorite entry on my blog has to be the video I found of myself when I was bored and googling my own name. While in Iraq, we made these “hometown holiday greetings” for local news channels to play. I don’t think it ever got aired, but it was somewhere stored on the internet and I found it. Makes me amazed that I ever spent multiple holidays in the middle of a desert carrying a weapon!

    Check it out here: http://www.alitary.com/2009/05/merry-christmas-4-years-ago.html

    Reply

  26. Crystal says

    My favorite project that you guys have done is painting the industrial stools for the kitchen. So simple, but I loved the impact. And I always love your house crashing tours!

    My favorite posts on my blog is about “the one that got away” which is about how a location scout for the Emmy award winning Homeland knocked on our front door and asked if he could come in to look around. Because I was afraid he might be a serial killer making up a silly story, I said, “no”. Silly, cautious me. He was telling the truth and they ended up using a house one neighborhood over :(
    http://theweekendhomemaker.com/almost-famous-2

    Reply

  27. Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says

    I cringe now reading some of my early posts. I was definitely still finding my “blog voice.” I still dont have it quite figured out but it’s getting better. The pictures are also wayyyyy better than when I started out with my crappy flip phone ;)

    Loved seeing this recap! :)

    Reply

  28. Brenda says

    I think I finished reading the archives back in Dec 2011, so it’s fun to revisit old posts. How much fun did you have reminiscing as you looked through old posts? :)

    As for my blog, I’m only an occasional blogger, so I don’t have a ton of posts up. I think my favorite blogging moment was getting my first official comment. It was confirmation that somebody took the time to read what I wrote, and that felt so special (even though I think the post was a question about if the fonts looked strange to anyone else).

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It was a lot of fun to look back! The crazy thing for us was just how many posts there were- so many we had completely forgot about! It’s kind of crazy to see something that you wrote every day for five years- it’s like a time capsule, you know?

      xo
      s

  29. Nina says

    wow!!! This is the largest post ever…but soooo good!! I love your site…and the efforts you put on every single piece of information you post!!! Thanks a bunch :)

    Reply

  31. Stephanie says

    I am totally one of those readers who went back and read your entire archive. I found you earlier in the year and I was in the process of attempting to close on my first place. I was so nervous and stressed out and being able to read your blog kept me relatively sane. I would totally rock that bumper sticker. (Although not on my car, no stickers on my baby.)

    Anyway, total fan now. Read you guys every day and have already done a couple YHL-inspired projects.

    Is it weird that you guys make me want to blog? I have this odd feeling that I’d enjoy the relative process of blogging but I’m so bad at keeping up with it when I try. Somehow seeing how dedicated you are makes me want to try.

    This comment is long. I will stop now. :)

    Reply

  32. Britta says

    My favorite post was the one where you gave me $2500 worth of merchandise this week!

    Other favorites: the magnet wall in your old office. I’m still thinking about adding that to the girls’ room. Also your stencil post. I didn’t know what to do with the windowless wall in the dining room and that solved it! I did it over two weeks worth of naps on maternity leave and I get so much satisfaction from it.

    Reply

  33. Meredith says

    I found you guys in 2008, so I definitely read my way through the archives when it was a much easier job. :) I will say it’s an excellent way to spend some time at a desk job—read a little YHL, work a little, read a little YHL, work a little…what did people do before blogs? Work without breaks? Madness!

    Reply

  34. Carli says

    That road trip video puts a warm, fuzzy smile on my face!! I’ve watched it before, but just couldn’t resist watching it again. Adorable!

    And so fun about all your favorites and firsts. So neat looking back on this blog, everything you’ve experienced and accomplished. Such a great reminder to journal and document our lives. There’s lots of lovely stuff to remember :)

    Reply

  35. Shana says

    While you’re on the topic of paint colors, here’s the link I forgot to copy and send you the other day. It was published the same day as a post about your new bedroom paint color, which gave me a good laugh! But I’m sure ya’ll do just fine. You guys are totally my faves, and seriously the post about your aunt and Clara made me cry like I was watching Oprah. Thanks for sharing the good and the tough stuff.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2197609/Forget-Christian-Greys-Red-Room-Pain-people-PURPLE-bedrooms-sex.html

    Reply

  36. Allyn says

    I love seeing the difference in photo quality in so many blogs through the years. It always reminds me that my decision to not post many pictures is actually a good one, especially when it comes to recipes. Bad pictures of food are REALLY bad. Bleh. Hopefully one day I can get a decent camera. Oh, and a kitchen with some natural light would be great too.
    For what it’s worth, I really love all your puns and cheesy humor. And the fact that you get terrible songs stuck in my head on the regular.

    Reply

  37. Kayleigh says

    My boyfriend and I have “First House Style” and “Current House Style” conflicts ALL THE TIME.

    He’s your first house. I’m your current house. I was so pumped when you announced the big move – he was devastated.

    We’ve compromised. There’s a lot of greige walls and breezy white curtains in our place – BUT, lord knows I’ve gotten my pop of color on in every room somehow.

    Best part?

    He hates my fuzzy leopard slippers ;)

    Reply

  38. Holly Marie says

    Ahhh I’m just loving all this blogiversary love!! These posts every day are fabulous and they just keep getting better and better! I LOVE this recap- ‘Hosta La Vista’, the road trip video to TX (LOVE it!), the follow-up design dilemma (from stacie!)- it’s so fun to relive reading these fabulous posts! I feel like a giddy kid on Christmas morning waiting for the next blogiversary post!

    Reply

  39. Kyle Elizabeth says

    I went through all of your posts from the beginning this spring after I found you in Dec/January. I would read you both at home and work and then email the link of where I was to myself…I had a very long on-going thread with myself where it’s interesting to go back and say, “Oh, I read 3 months of posts in one sitting…I’m a dork.” But it was so much fun!
    (In fact, I was curious, so I went to check–it looks like it took me from April9 to July5 and 27 sittings to read it all the way through to July 5…which is especially remarkable because I moved states in May, started a new job in June, and got married in July. You were my escape from the crazy stressful times and I may have been a little obsessed).
    I keep trying to find new blogs to read from the beginning too but no one is as engaging and awesome as you guys!
    All this to say…keep up the good work and thanks for distracting me this spring =)

    Reply

  40. Claudie says

    Love this post! Burger’s panting in your road trip video was the cutest thing! I have to say that the biggest laugh for me was when you talked about the hip hop title “Wanna Be A Baller, Shot Caller, Drywaller.” See…I bought that album when I was in high school and seeing that you’d referenced it just brought back that song and the fact that I still remember most of the lyrics. What a strange talent I have. :)

    As for my own blog, I like to think that I’m always wacky and random. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing for a blog, but it’s how I am!

    Reply

  41. christine says

    this is off topic, but my husband and i just moved into our first house and for christmas i was thinking of getting our house drawn like you guys did in an earlier post but cannot seem to find it. can you tell me what the site or person you used was for that? thank you in advance!

    Reply

  42. Mizden says

    There are actually a couple of post that I haven’t seen yet (both of 2009) but since I started the adventure of going all the way back to the beginning on Labor day…I’m sure I’ll see them pretty soon (I’m on January 26th 2009 :D )

    It’s amazing how much and how little has change over time…..my fav posts are the ones with videos…specially the Q&A or clara’s or sherry+katie, those are hilarious! Althought giving a second thought maybe the one when Sherry and Katie had a Q&A is my fav…I was laughing the whole time…even if it’s not diy related haha

    Happy birthday YHL! And cheers for many more to come! :)

    Reply

  43. Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says

    You guys have come such a long way-it’s amazing! Have to admit, the “hardest post to write for Sherry” always brings a tear to my eye. “Hardest post to write for John” always makes me giggle – sorry John…your expression is priceless. :-)

    Reply

  44. LauraC says

    It’s been nice to reminisce and also to see other long-time readers pop in. You hooked me back in Feb ’09, when *gasp* you emailed me back right after I sent you an email of the “I found your blog, I love it. Thanks for the fun read!” variety. I felt stupid sending it, was shocked, SHOCKED when you replied. I walked around with a ridiculous smile on my face the rest of the day. I read all your archives then, which wasn’t the chore it would be today. Now you’re just part of my normal vocabulary; my family hears about you regularly. So I guess this makes it the 4th blogiversary I’ve read real-time . . .

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  45. Jessica @ Quirky Bookworm says

    I started reading while pregnant… so I guess winter of 2009-2010, and I did go back and read all the archives! But I can’t imagine going back and reading them all now! Crazy.

    Also – I can see the memory jar I made of our honeymoon from where I sit. Thanks for the idea; I never would’ve thought of it myself!

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  46. Stephanie says

    Aww, if you really had bumper stickers they should say “I survived the YHL archives and it was just like reading a really great book and I got tons of inspiration!” But maybe there should be a disclaimer like, “Don’t read it too fast or you’ll go through withdrawl, and be careful not to load the home page too often – spoilers!!” (If you ever hire anyone to make snappy, concise bumper stickers for you, I will totally understand when you don’t call me.)

    And – I wanted to add that I went a little nuts the other night and decided to hang all of my picture frames in the hallway, inspired by your gallery wall. My husband came home while I was still in the newspaper-template phase, and he seemed really unsure, so I showed him the pictures of your hallway to assure him that it would be awesome. Heehee.

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  47. Sarah | The Accidental Okie says

    I love this! I’m so glad you posted because I didn’t realize how long I’ve been following you. I recognized a lot of your firsts from the day they were posted!

    My husband and I bought our first house about a year and a half ago. We were originally looking at a major fixer upper. We didn’t go with it because of structural problems – among other things the yard was at a 45 degree slant TOWARDS the house…hello flooding! But because I was reading your posts, I saw the interior for what it could be!

    I think my favorite post of all time is also your post about your labor and delivery.

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  48. Amy @ Croquet & Cocktails says

    Thanks for the look back through your older posts!! I guess my favorite posts are the ones I’m working on right now about the birth of our son. It was a 37.5 hour ordeal and I’m wordy, so it is turning into a multi-part post. My lack of photo editing is especially cringeworthy. I plan on working on that.

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  49. Amber says

    Hi guys! I’ve been reading for a looong time and I must say that yesterday’s video was my favorite post ever. You two are just so funny and lovable. I love watching you laugh together and I am so happy for you. Reading YHL is a part of my morning routine and I really am entertained by all your antics-house related and otherwise. I really did laugh out loud a few times watching that video. You guys are awesome. I really agree with your take on life and live your positivity. Thanks for all the hard work you do to keep your readers happy! I’ve said ur before and I’ll say it again, you guys rock!

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  50. Kelley says

    Console Lovin’ makes me literally laugh out loud. My favorite is the slow slide to the side of the objects before “taking its top off.” That’s comedy gold, y’all!

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