Can you believe it has already been almost five months since we shared a house tour with you guys? So I decided to walk around with the Flip cam and show you how each room can look on an average day (since we had lots of fun with a no-cleaning-first tour back in April). And yes, this is the real deal. I didn’t pick up a thing (as demonstrated by my embarrassing bra on the chair in our bedroom, so just pretend you didn’t see that, ok?). Oh and for those of you who are at work, you can watch it on mute and pretty much get the gist of the average everyday glory. Or just try to read my lips (just kidding, I’m not on camera).
Things to note:
- I taped this before ORBing the daylights out of the hardware on the front door and the sliding doors, which is why it’s still brassy (it always takes me a few days to remember to upload videos)
- I’m terrible at walking around, talking, and holding a camera (it’s too much multitasking, so pardon the Blair Witch Project-ness)
- I’ve listened to this five times trying to hear Natalie Portman or Mila Kunis (since you guys say you hear it) and I can’t. I really tried though.
- I have no idea why I take time to point out that we have a Ruby Tuesday’s coupon on our desk. It’s so weird what you think is noteworthy.
- I should have paused to turn the ironing board so it points up during the video, thereby resnagging the win in Ironing Board Wars on camera (more on that here).
- Burger is so cute. I love how he’s just chilling under the covers. Life’s good when you’re a nine pound chihuahua.
- Sorry I’m almost completely inaudible for the second half of the video. Sleeping baby = paranoid whispering mom (which is ironic because we hammer while she naps – just not right outside her door).
- You can see that I still have yet to rehang the ribbon chandelier from Clara’s closet that I took down to paint and stencil the closet (it’s in a pile in our disaster of a playroom).
- Yes, it sounds like there’s a waterfall in Clara’s room. It’s her sound machine (mentioned here) which drowns out things like DIY projects and our barky dog.
- I like how I completely forgot an entire room (the sunroom) and galloped back through the house to show you things like squished pillows and a blow-up whale pool.
- The rocker in the sunroom really is trying to kill me (remember when I talked about it waaay back here in November – um yeah, not much progress)
- My dramatic ending on Clara’s stuffed animal is beyond weird (yes, we named her Georgia because she’s from there). What is wrong with me?
What about you guys. What would people see if you randomly made a shaky nausea-inducing video of your house before picking up a single thing? Anything embarrassing out there like a Carebear night light in the bedroom or an NKOTB poster in the closet? John actually had a Britney Spears calendar when I met him in 2004. Not lying. And she was wearing things like red leather bodysuits and braided pigtails. What can I say, my man has good taste.
Speaking of which, I was just going through old folders on my laptop and I found a bunch of funny old pics that I thought I’d share in the spirit of “any given day.” Here’s me and Alicia Keys back in 2005. We’re old friends. Just kidding, but I did get to meet a bunch of celebs when I used to work in advertising back in NYC (and they were all super nice except for one “star” who is rumored to be not nice – and let me tell you the rumor is true).
Here’s John’s passport pic from when he was 16 next to the one snapped when he was 24. Aw, Johnny’s all grown up.
Here’s John as a life-sized doll back in 2005 when we worked together (we met at an ad agency named Lowe where I was a copywriter and John was an account guy – aka: a suck up). The entire office cracked up about this project (it was for a certain deodorant client of ours). I definitely prefer John The Doll to the smarmy Ken doll that I had growing up.
Aw, here’s our engagement announcement photo (that we emailed to a bunch of friends and family, hence the photoshopped writing) from 2006. It was snapped about a minute after John got down on one knee at the top of a mountain (more on that here). Best day ever. Well, top five at least.
So how’s that for Friday randomness? What odd old photos are sitting around on your computer? Would you ever have guessed where you’d be today five years ago? We had no idea we wouldn’t both still be working in advertising (we really liked it and miss it all the time!) and after six years of calling NYC home, I never thought I’d leave. So funny how things work out.
Psst- Check out our first ever messy house tour here (it’s fun to see how many rooms have changed since April when we filmed it).
shannan says
I love the honesty and randomness in this video.
edna says
i was looking at you banner, and i was wondering if you guys have considered ditching the shutters on the left side or adding shutters to the windows on the right side to balance it out. just a thought :)
YoungHouseLove says
It’s always a possibility down the road! Expanding windows can be pretty pricey (especially with a brick facade) but you never know…
xo,
s
Edna says
oh ok yea i hear ya, i guess if you took of the shutters, the windows wouldnt be proportionate to the house…right? anyway still love your house and LOOOOVE the front door!
MelissaG says
YES! Mila Kunis…that’s why your voice sounds familiar…what about this video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRLvLKmmT-4&feature=fvst Okay, this is borderline sick that I youtubed her about this now. But, really very similar voices.
YoungHouseLove says
Ok, I listened to it without looking at her, and kind of. But not totally. I guess because my voice sounds different in my head than it does out loud, so I’m a bad judge. Haha.
xo,
s
Sabrina says
John’s passport photo when he was younger reminds me of one of those young celebs that were in Teen Beat lol Like Ryder Strong or J.T.T. Must be the hair!
Bridgette says
My blog crush on you two gets bigger every post. But don’t worry I live to far away to become a stalker.=) I love that these tours show your awesome and creative ideas/projects in the beginning stages. Plus when people post pictures or videos of their perfect clean house and they have kids that are toddler age…I always think…” either that kid has NO FUN” or ” someone cleaned before hand”. I love to see pictures that show a kid having toys in rooms of the house that are not just their room. It should be that way. That is why at Clara’s young age she is as smart as she is. You can see just from all the letters, colors, numbers books you have in several rooms.
Just want to mention I kinda like that pink vase in your laundry room. Is that a purposeful addition? Or just a temp location?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, that vase was something John actually pointed out for the laundry room because it goes with the colors of the ironing board cover. Haha. Real men embrace pink (maybe just in small doses though). Haha.
xo,
s
Bridgette says
Also sidenote, the bad thing about seeing my comment awaiting moderation is I get to notice all the improper grammar, puncation placement and spelling errors. I hope you are fluent in typo?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- no worries at all! That happens to us too.
xo,
s
Michelle says
Did you work for Sterling Cooper? A little Mad Men joke. We are currently obsessed with Mad Men so when I saw that you were a copywriter and John was an account man, it made me think of that. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, pretty much. It was the same except no liquor before noon.
xo,
s
gabi says
Hi Sherry and John,
Sorry but I couldn’t help notice the foam letters that Clara had strewn over the floor. My son had some very similar ones and I was alerted recently to a ban in some parts of Europe of similar mats because they contain a certain chemical which has been linked to cancer risk. My son had been chewing on these for a while! I threw them away and after he looked for them for a couple of days, he soon forgot about them! I bought him some letter stamps with non toxic ink and he still knows pretty much his whole alphabet (personally I think he’s a genius ;)) so even though i felt bad about swiping one of his favourite toys, he seems to be ok!
This is a link to some more info http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/news-and-media-releases/137-chinese-made-toy-foam-mats-recalled-in-europe
I have no idea whether Clara’s are the same mats, but I just thought I should let you know, seeing as you seem pretty anti VOC, pro natural stuff etc.
Sorry to be so annoying, I know we mothers’ have enough stuff to worry about without people giving you extra things!
Loving the blog!
Gabi
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the warnings, Gabi. It’s always good to stay on top of those things. But have no fear for us, those actually aren’t foam letters you spotted. They’re fabric magnet letters that we ordered off of Etsy last year. You can read more about them here: http://blogs.babycenter.com/life_and_home/not-your-mothers-magnetic-letters/
-John
Lindsey says
love this post! PS – I think your voice sounds SO much like Mila Kunis!
Bea says
Why am I not surprised to hear you already have swapping arrangements with friends…You guys are unbelievable! Sherry rules. big time. :-)
Maria says
OMG!!! I cannot believe you met Alicia Keys!! She is so amazing and incredibly talented!! I am so jealous!!
Piia Anneli says
Glad to see a full view of the house again (love all the light!) but most of all it makes me feel more normal with what our house looks like normally, and what needs to be done for visitors before they enter the house. I feel more normal now, thanks ;)
Karla says
Thanks for showing these videos and keepin’ it real! You guys are always so relatable which is why we all love you! :) While our house is generally neat and clean since it’s just my hubby and I, after a weekend away or a really busy week, the house can get torn apart pretty quick. As I look around right now, that’s how it looks now. Thankfully I have today off and had planned to tackle as much as possible.
Mrs. Crompton says
I was going to guess Jennifer Lopez or Mariah Carey. Can you divulge what made this rude celebrity so rude? We all kind of know who it is now but since you haven’t actually “confirmed” the identity I was hoping maybe you could share the dirt on what made them unpleasant??? I love a good celeb dirt story! :)
Thanks youngsters!
YoungHouseLove says
She was just incredibly condescending and bossy. It was for a “Got Milk?” shoot and she didn’t want to wear anything the wardrobe stylist picked and she even complained about drinking the milk to get the mustache. At one point she also ordered me to get her a coffee as if I were her personal assistant (being a lead copywriter at the shoot meant I had a bunch of responsibilities, but coffee fetching definitely wasn’t one of them – it was right on the craft services table next to her for her to pour for herself). She just somehow managed to offend every single person on set in a matter of minutes and didn’t even act apologetic at all.
xo,
s
Mrs. Crompton says
As Stephanie Tanner would say, how rude! I’m sadly not that surprised though. Thanks so much for sharing! Can’t get enough of your site :)
Mrs. Crompton says
PS. They actually drink milk to make the mustache?! It’s always such a perfect mustache, I just assumed it was done with computer magic. Interesting to know!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s actually sort of a thick milkshake concoction. It’s completely edible though, just thickened with secret ingredients so it sticks and shows up more. Also- it’s delicious!
xo,
s
Annie says
Love seeing that it doesn’t always look like a magazine spread! I am totally stealing the frame wall idea – our bookshef is currently covered in plain black photo frames with pics of our loved ones in them. It looks cluttered and messy, but we really want to display them. It all changes this weekend!!!
Sarah says
I found these wood trays in a recent Martha magazine. I have yet to order any but they are perfect for storing magazine clippings and miscellaneous junk mail because they are 12″x12″ (so they will fit 8.5×11 pieces of paper). I thought this may be a good solution for your loose paper problem which I seem to suffer from as well.
http://www.jamaligarden.com/productdetail/23566/50/natural-pots/12x12x3in-natural-bamboo-tray.php
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo,
s
Kate says
Thank you for making this video! As our son naps on this Labor Day I am trying to figure out where to start taking back the house. My quick detour to YHL has helped me feel better about the toy piles, laundry on the chairs and project supplies out on random flat surfaces around our place. Please keep up the great DIY stuff, but PLEASE post one of these videos again in another 6 months. It’s up’d my “I can do it” spirit.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it’s a deal! We’ll have to record how our messes migrate every six months or so. Haha.
xo,
s
Angela says
Thank goodness! Your house always looks perfect! Glad to see your house looks more like mine at any ol random time.
Miranda says
Ok sorry late to the game of reading this but I have been trying to figure out who you sound like and yes mila kunis! Happy you posted this even tho you don’t agree… Now I can stop wondering!
Dave Coates says
Hang on… you mean you guys aren’t perfect? My world has ended :P Just watching the video now. It’s actually nice to hear that it’s not just our house that isn’t picture perfect all the time .. *PHEW* On all those projects you have going…we probably have about 10 different projects going on at the moment. Once we start finishing them we’re launching our DIY blog too. We’ve been ticking along, but your blog has inspired us to push through and start sharing and using the blog as a motivation to finish stuff as well. Thanks :D
All the best. Keep up the happiness.
ps: terribly sorry to hear about your aunt. :( No one deserves the sadness of losing a loved on.
Adrienne says
This is the first time I have seen your messy house tour! This makes me feel so much better about my life!!!!
Marlayna says
Is it time for a NEW house tour yet?! :)
YoungHouseLove says
So overdue!!!
xo
s