Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Blogiversary 5: Since You Asked…

…we did our best to not be completely and utterly awkward beyond belief. Did we succeed? You be the judge. Just like in past blogiversary weeks, we invited you guys to ask us some personal (i.e. non-decorating) questions over on our Facebook page last week. And after over two hundred questions came rolling in, Sherry and I sat down and answered as many as we could while Clara napped one afternoon – and then culled it down into this 20 minute video. Among all of our shocking and jaw-dropping revelations (note the sarcasm) you’ll learn:

  • If there’s a bun in Sherry’s oven
  • What kind of money we’re earning for our book
  • How working together has affected our marriage
  • How many readers have knocked on our door asking for a tour
  • If we fear stalkers
  • If Clara will be home-schooled
  • How many bras Sherry owns
  • When we’re moving again
  • If we’ll ever get started on the playroom
  • If Sherry’s dad is invisible
  • What we’d change about our old house’s style
  • Why we try not to pick our noses in public
  • What we hate most about our job
  • What we each find romantic about each other
  • How Sherry plans to bribe me into seeing the new Twilight movie
  • Who we’d want to play us in a hypothetical YHL movie
  • Sherry’s thoughts on Ramona from the Real Housewives of New York City
  • What part of DIYing we like the least
  • If Sherry feels competitive with Katie Bower
  • How long it takes for a project to get posted about
  • How Clara acts like a toddler

So now that your appetite is sufficiently whetted, here goes nothing…

A few notes:

  • Sherry’s insanely embarrassed that she leans in towards the camera the whole time. We didn’t realize this was happening until we were done with the whole video and watched it back, so there you have it: my fidgety wife.
  • You might notice the lighting/focus changes towards the end of the video. The camera actually fell asleep and shut off, so we had to tape the end part in a second take. Yup, we actually chatted long enough to bore the camera to sleep. High five.
  • Clara (and Burger apparently) were napping, hence their non-appearances, but we decided to do a little bonus Q&A video featuring the real stars of this show – Clara and Burger. Since this is the first blogiversary where Clara can actually string words together into something semi coherent, we thought it’d be fun to let her take a turn in the hot seat. And by hot seat, we mean handling questions like “what’s your favorite number?” – oh yeah, we’re grilling her.

So there you have it folks have it – nearly 25 minutes of us blathering on about all things personal and not much home stuff (which feels weird and fun at the same time). Did you learn anything that surprised you? Or hear something that sparked another question in your brain? We can’t promise we can get to every answer in the comments of this post, but feel free to ask away as potential fodder for next year’s video…

Psst- Speaking of other years, here are the Q&A posts for 2011, 2010 and 2009 (and 2009: part 2).

Comments

  1. Coran says

    Very cool!! You all seem so at ease in front of the camera- loved hearing all the Q&A and Clara is adorable!! – so is Burger! Congrats on 5 years!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      John is hilarious. If anyone ever asks the one thing they wouldn’t know from reading the blog it’s always how hilarious John is. All of our friends and family say “it’s not like he’s not funny on the blog, but in person he’ll make you cry-laugh” – I love that about him!

      xo
      s

  7. Lauren says

    I just tried to watch the video muted with CC (should be working, oops)! I nearly choked when at 0:46 John makes reference to ‘our first anniversary as a prostitute’ I am so glad to watch it properly and find out that’s not what he said!!!

    Reply

  8. Alice says

    Thanks for keeping it honest and real. You guys always look like you’re having a blast together! I lost it at the end of the Clara/Burger “Q&A” when he kept popping up for that treat. Gotta love our greedy pooches! :)

    Reply

  10. Andrea says

    Love the Blogiversary posts, so sweet! Thank you for sharing the inside scoop. It’s nice to know that you’re not superhuman, just super motivated! Thanks for the continued inspiration :-)

    Reply

  12. Lina says

    You guys are so stinkin’ cute – I can’t stand it! LOVE LOVE LOVE the Q&A with Clara and Burger. I look forward to your posts every day, and I can’t wait to get my hands on your book. Keep up the good work!

    Reply

  13. Katherine R. says

    I thought, “20 minutes? I’ll just watch the first few” and then it was over! =) Good job John, loved the music and all.

    Reply

  14. DawnSC says

    This was fantastic, your personalities and great relationship definitely shine through in the video! I know you have many requests for book tour, but I’m just saying that I would be more than happy to watch Clara and Burgs for you while you’re chatting on a book stop in SoCal. I have 1+ year old and a crazy rescue pup who can help. Because it’s not weird to have a stranger offer to watch your kids, right? haha And we have a space shuttle now that Endeavour is out here, Clara should definitely see that… :)

    Reply

  17. Christine Williams says

    Cute! And as if you didn’t just get done answering 1000 questions…the video had me think up 2 more…

    1. You said you get your tampons organic. I know you did a post once on your organic shower supplies, but have you ever given a run down of everything you buy organic? I would be curious to know.

    2. Where does John get all the awesome music he uses in the videos?

    Thanks! Christine

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, this post pretty much covers it on the organic stuff. And John finds the music on creativecommons.org, which you can find musicians who share music in exchange for a credit. There’s some great stuff there!

      xo
      s

  18. emilymarion says

    Not to be weird, but what kind of organic tampons do you use? Do you buy them online? If that’s WAY too personal I understand. I’m always looking for quality, organic tampons.

    I didn’t notice Sherry’s fidgeting, which makes me wonder if I’m a fidgeter. You guys are making me self evaluate.

    Clara saying “Burger” is the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I actually get them from a local eco store called Ellwood Thompson’s (they’re small, so it’s not a chain, and it’s their store brand). I think Whole Foods carries something really similar as well. I just like the idea of organic cotton without any chlorine or anything in it (I actually have a mild chlorine allergy).

      xo
      s

    • erika m says

      this might be a weird question, but is there any indication that organic would also lower your risk of TSS(toxic shock syndrome)? I like tampons, but have this bizarre fear that I would get TSS and leave my 4 children motherless over a tampon!

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, I’m not sure. Any doctors in the house? My mom had TSS but thankfully I didn’t have any issues with it (I used mainstream tampons before changing to organic a few years before we had Clara).

      xo
      s

  21. Kristen says

    Okay I had to go outside with my headphones and my iPhone (I couldn’t wait)! Oh and Sherry, for all the people who say you don’t have a NJ accent – I’m wondering what they are listening to!!! You and I sound exactly the same (I grew up in northern NJ right outside of NYC), and seriously there is an accent. In contrast, John has a slight southern twang, which is nice too! Aww listening to you made me a little homesick! ;-)

    Reply

  25. Lynette says

    Thanks so much for sharing your lives with us. I love, love, love it when you guys do videos like this. I wanted to let you know that I thought the same thing about Red Robin. Thought I had found this “awesome” burger place that was only where we lived (we were new to the area). Little did I know . . . .

    Clara and Burger – too cute for words!!

    Reply

  26. Mandy S says

    Love this!! Blogiversary is probably my favorite time of year with you guys (who am I kidding, I love you all year round!). Love seeing how you guys are just blowing up, and seriously, you have such a great way of making all your millions of fans feel like friends, love you for that!

    Cannot wait for the book tour, I am in Maryland and am ready to drive pretty much anywhere to meet you guys.

    Oh, and here is my question – when you go on tour, will you be taking Clara and Burger with you? If so, will you be bringing along a friend or family member to help out with them?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s a really crazy schedule so Clara and Burger will come for some but it would be too disruptive to bring them on everything (we know Clara will sleep better at home, etc) so she will stay with her grandparents for some of it.

      xo,
      s

    • Shellie says

      I’m right there with ya Mandy.
      As soon as you said there was a book tour, I told my husband I was going to whatever was closest to me no matter how far that may be! (Northern Cali! C’mon!)

  27. Sarah says

    Thanks for making a half hour of my work day fly by!!

    Hope you make it to Cincinnati on your book tour, as we’d love to meet you!

    Congrats on 5 years!

    Reply

  28. Patricia says

    I have a question/comment about John’s mom signing up for the rewards card! Was it Walgreens? We just introduced the card this month and if it was Walgreens I can tell you where they got her name, birthdate and address from! If you fill prescriptions or have photos done at Walgreens, all that information is in our database. And when we pull it up on a register like that all we see is address. We don’t see your(hers) pharmacy records and we don’t even see your birthdate on our screen, it shows up on the pinpad for the customer to verify. Hope that makes her and maybe others on here feel better. =)

    Reply

  29. Kerry says

    I love blogiversary time! You guys crack me up- in the best way possible! Thanks for sharing this sweet peek into your lives!

    Reply

  31. Amanda says

    Waiting anxiously for another 1 hour to watch on lunch break! But I have been watching a couple of minutes on mute, and I just can’t help but smile dorkily at you guys. The way you look at each other and laugh, and Sherry’s “flailing” hands… lol! Love it!

    Reply

  33. Veronica Greear says

    I just love y’all. I grew up in Richmond VA, and miss it terribly (though I live in Durham NC now and love it here too.) I got my whole family reading you bc you are so fun, love RIchmond, and work on your home (my dad used to be a contractor, so we all love a DIY job.) Keep it up, sometimes I worry about you getting stressed with all you do, and everyone being so INTERESTED;), so please, take care of yourselves so you can keep at it:)

    Reply

  34. Nicole says

    I loved this video. I totally laughed about someone breaking in and stealing your Old Navy “jewels”. I always joke that if someone broke into our house they’d think we needed to tidy up so they could find the good stuff.

    Reply

  36. Catalina says

    Yay! Video time :)

    I just had to pop in to say that I had a dream about you guys last night. I was Clara’s nanny (live-in I guess because I was there while you guys were), and I had to tell John that Clara had climbed out of her crib on her own (apologizing for bringing bad news haha). Clara was chatty just like in the videos, so cute!
    If this was a premonition, you guys might be moving her to a big girl bed sooner than you think!

    Reply

  37. Cassie says

    I’m loving the idea of a post where you guys look at photos from the old house and say how you feel about those rooms now and how you’d tweak them if at all.

    Reply

  38. Sarah says

    Yes! The “Holla” does feel awkward!!

    Side note: Did you ever watch Craft Wars? My bf and I caught a snippet while we were channel surfing and couldn’t tear ourselves away because it was like watching an SNL skit/Christopher Guest movie only THESE PEOPLE ARE SERIOUS. Maybe that should be John’s next improv endeavor: a DIY-themed mockumentary!

    Reply

    • heather says

      OH Thank GOD someone else thinks of this like a bad SNL skit! I was watching out of horror when they did a halloween themed one and my husband looked on in horror as he sat on the couch. I had a pained look on my face but I couldn’t stop watching. I told him he needed to change it because something was happening and I physically couldn’t look away. He actually had to take the remote from my hands and change the channel.

  41. Valentina says

    When contemplating any kind of self-employment, most people worry about health insurance. I’ve heard many business owners say that they wouldn’t be able to fully provide for their health needs, if their spouse hadn’t had a corporate job with a benefits package. How do you, guys, handle this matter?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, that’s a real tough one! We had to think long and hard before John came on full time about how we’d handle our family’s health insurance, but thankfully we got a good plan from Anthem for self-employed people. We’re fully covered but it’s super expensive, but it means we can sleep at night and Clara’s all protected so it’s worth it. Definitely not as easy as getting it from an employer though!

      xo
      s

  42. Amanda says

    “our least nose picky behavior”

    Lol!! Loved this! Also liked when burger jumped on the chair and Clara says “we don’t pull your tail”

    I also have a two and half year old and a chihuahua.
    Thanks for being so real and awkward and wonderful.

    Reply

  43. Diana says

    Since you shared your five year blogiversary, I would like to share my story with you. Two years ago my daughter and her family bought a 50 year old home in Mechanicsville, VA that needs updating on a very low budget.

    We began with the only full batch, although functional, to make the black and white tiled bathroom attractive would be quite a challenge.

    My niece, Renee, said she knew of a home blog that had a bathroom like hers called Young House Love. What is a home blog I asked? Needless to say I am hooked on your blog and visit twice a day.

    In our many years together my husband and I updated a small ranch, two apartment houses, and built a semi-underground home, even milling our trees for the lumber. Thirteen years ago we moved to VA and although our home was built for us, we continuously, “update”.

    Now we are older, wiser (?), and tired but I do enjoy reading your blog. I understand and appreciate your sense of humor, the most important tool needed for this type of work!

    Reply

  44. Line Vittrup says

    Is it weird that I went to get a snack before hitting play? Like I was gonna watch a movie?

    I LOVE these videos :-)

    Reply

  45. Renee says

    besides your blog, another favorite of mine is KatelynJamesPhotography. anyways- i remember a while back she raved about a $49 app that saves her tons of time resizing and uploading pics to her blog. don’t know if that might help you w/the boring photo process, but here’s her review if you want to check it out!

    http://katelynjamesblog.com/blogstomp-timesaver/

    p.s. – loved the video! totally have a girl crush on you Sherri! your cute laugh is so contagious! :)

    Reply

  46. heather says

    You guys can’t do a totally random jumping dog in the end because it makes me have to cover my mouth to stifle laughing.

    Also, I almost fell out of my seat at the Pavelka reference. I was sitting a little back and when you guys said it I was like “what?!” and went to roll my office chair in to take a closer look and the chair caught and I tipped forward. I almost fell out of it, and hit my face on the desk because I had my legs crossed. That’s how you make an impression at a new job. Thank God I have my own office and my door is pretty much closed.

    Reply

  47. Catherine says

    You two remind me so much of my husband and me! As first-time homeowners, we’re inspired your postings–and, soon, we’ll be even more inspired by your book :-) Congrats on 5 years, and here’s to many more. Cheers!

    Reply

  48. Kelly Lynn says

    So So CUTE! I try not to leave non-value added comments/questions ever since I saw in past blogiversaries how much TIME it takes for you to approve/respond to them all BUT I just had to say that I can’t believe how long it’s been since I read my first YHL post (the first one you did on cloth diapers!) and I really love seeing how your style has evolved since your first house. Keep up the good work ;)
    PS – hoping to see you in Atlanta for the book tour!

    Reply

  50. Amanda L says

    So love the video! Happy 5th! Clara is seriously the cutest thing ever. Still not sure I believe the tantrums thing. She is the perkyest 2 year old I’ve ever seen!! :)

    Reply

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