Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Blogiversary 6: You Asked, We Answered

Get ready to cringe! It’s time for our annual (and always amazingly awkward) Q&A video. 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 150 questions came rolling in, we 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 mind-blowing, no-holds-barred revelations (note the sensationalism) you’ll learn:

  • If we’d ever let readers vote on the decorating choices we make
  • What blog post we regret writing
  • Our thoughts on snarky message boards
  • If we ever think about reversing our no-swag policy
  • If we won the lottery, what we’d change about our lives
  • What our neighbors think of the blog
  • If we regret choosing our blog name
  • What ceramic animal I’d save if our house was under a zombie attack
  • How we keep the blog from consuming our lives
  • If our marriage is perfect (spoiler alert: nope!)
  • Why I’ll probably never cut my hair super short again
  • If I still own just one bra
  • THE MUCH ANTICIPATED POSSUM-IN-THE-BASEMENT STORY!!!

So now that you’re most likely on the edge of your seat (… or not) here goes nothing:

So there you have it, another year of us blathering on about personal stuff and mythical horse sized ducks and mysterious mammals in our crawl space. Did anything surprise you? Or spark another question in your brain? We can’t promise we can answer every one of them in the comments here, but feel free to ask away as potential future fodder for next year…

Psst- Want more awkward? Here are the Q&A posts for 2012, 2011, 2010 & 2009: Part 1 + Part 2.

_______________________________________

Oh but before we go, let’s talk about you guys for a second. Each year we love finding out who the heck you guys are, and then on Friday John can make a nerd-tastic infographic all about it (last year’s had Beyonce in it, so it might be hard to top that).

Comments

  2. Courtney says

    Clara is so cute and is quite the smarty pants. Just wondering, have you guys tried anything to break her of sucking her thumb? My little cousin sucks on two fingers and hides it, and it’s quite comical because it’s so obvious what she is doing.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We talked to her dentist and her teeth (even though they’re just her baby teeth) don’t seem to be affected by it, so we talk a little about it like “when you’re four you don’t need your thumb anymore!” but John and I both sucked our thumb at 3 years old and outgrew it before it affected our adult teeth, so we’re hopeful she’ll give it up soon too!

      xo
      s

    • Ana Silva says

      I was thinking the same thing but didn’t want to ask at the risk of coming off snarky or judgmental. Thanks Courtney for not coming off like that. I don’t even have kids myself so not sure what’s “normal” I just don’t like it…what’s funny is that I used to do it and my mom had to try all kinds of tricks to get me to quit. My teeth are fine btw ;)
      Great videos!!

  3. Kate @ Indulgent Wellness says

    You guys are seriously hilarious and congratulations on six years of blogging adventures. I’m a relatively new reader so I, of course, had to go back and read the controversial potty training post! Parents have to celebrate every moment, so kudos to you for sharing your pride in Clara’s accomplishment! I think I’ve gotten a potty report every day after daycare for the last 4 weeks with our 2.5 y.o. I’ve never been so happy to say, “yay! you went poo poo on the potty!” and I’d shout it from the rooftops:-)

    Reply

  4. Kristin says

    Your yearly Q&A videos are just so great, please don’t ever stop this tradition. Seeing a video of someone is always a little different than a photo, so I like seeing you actually “move” once in a while, haha.
    By the way, I always can look up when I found your blog because it was 2 days before you announced the name change to Young House Love and I was browsing the archives when the address “suddenly” changed. So, I suppose I count as long-time reader, yes?
    However, I wish you all the best and that you can do what you love for a long time coming (of course I selfishly hope you continue to love blogging).

    Reply

  5. GreenInOC says

    Those questions were so funny & clever and your answers were great! It was so fun to watch and hear you laugh and enjoying one another – THAT is why people keep coming back, you’re so authentic and people like you (hi Stuart Smilely!).

    I thought the funniest thing was asking Burger if he was a barky dog and then ringing the doorbell (SO funny!), but then I read the choice for things you lose the most “my religion (that’s me in the corner)” – that’s me in the corner! That was HILARIOUS!!!

    Reply

  7. Sammy says

    Both videos = total awesomeness!!I love these videos and I hope to see more in the future (near future if possible hehe).Btw, loved how you got Burger to bark at the end, that pup cracks me up!

    Reply

  8. renee says

    love it! John, has anyone ever told you you sound like Crosby from the show Parenthood. I forget the actor’s name. Anyway, i love that show, so i guess it’s a compliment!! woohoo for you!

    Reply

  9. lesley says

    Y’all are so adorable and so natural on camera … you SHOULD have your own TV show and then your neighbors can be right!

    Reply

  10. Jodi T. says

    BEST ONE YET. You guys are hilarious. PS… The Burger interview — award winning. He is SO FABULOUS ;)

    Have a great rest of the week!

    PS – Roo’s question about ducks or horses… DUCKS ARE MEAN. Just remember that. I was once treed by some ducks and geese when I was about 8. I’m still traumatized.

    Reply

  11. Jolene says

    You guys are so impossibly cute! I think that laughing at the same things is one of the things that makes you go together like PB and J. You’re an inspiration. Thanks for being YOU!

    Reply

  14. jeannette says

    i love it when you guys show your steely raddled type-A workaholic organization forest-for-the-trees style. i love the way you have made the best of a new medium to support yourselves and your family in this economy. i love you don’t take swag, and i assure you that is probably the number one thing you do to keep me coming back here — the integrity of your taste.

    sherry, i’d love to see you start painting again. i know you’re busier than a bee now, but trust me, painting is what you’ll be proud of having persisted at when you get to be an old woman. plus, the solution of problems by talent which painting requires, is truly (in my experience as a writer) the soul’s journey here.

    plus, i miss sue the napkin and other painterly friends of yore.

    congrats on six years so very well done.

    Reply

  15. Vanessa @ Love This Crazy Life says

    I love you guys and your blog! You are always inspiring and I appreciate your honest answers to everything. Happy blogiversary and here’s to many more years!
    P.S. Sherry – the way you laugh throughout that video made me smile for 20 minutes straight :) You have the best laugh!!

    Reply

  16. Colleen says

    Hey guys…
    At the risk of sounding like a groupie (ok, I guess I am a groupie :) I just wanted to say thank you for putting all of this out there for us. I never thought about all the possible negative comments or remarks that might come along with a blog and am glad that you don’t let it bother you (too much!). Your idea led to two years worth of amazing photos of my little girl!
    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.809375912095.2273008.7404450&type=1&l=25daa1bc54
    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100185064201725.2320162.7404450&type=1&l=b2421812e3

    My husband and I will be starting to build our next house in the next week or two so keep the ideas and posts coming! :)

    Colleen

    Reply

  17. Erin says

    So at work one day a guy asked me if I knew where he could park his van overnight and sleep in it. I really wanted to tell him, “Down by the river.”

    Reply

  18. Angela says

    PS Paint, good woman! You are so gifted. Your use of art on your aunt’s death anniversary made me teary. It is such a balm for grief and an outlet for everything. (I am a craptastic painter, but it is so centering.) Also, if you feel insecure, you could think of my bestie’s art teacher. He’d always say, in a thick Dutch accent, …but…is it aaaarrrt?”

    Reply

  20. Patti says

    Cringe? I was smiling the whole way through like some weird crazy proud parent…and Clara is the sweetest! In other news, are you guys planning on posting the Super Soul Sunday video?

    Reply

  22. Jacqueline says

    You guys are GREAT! I enjoy your blog very much. What a wonderful family you are : )
    Thanks You!

    Jackie
    New Hampshire

    Reply

  24. Courtney says

    I’m sad to hear that people were pretty mean regarding Clara’s potty training post. I loved it! I too am a first time parent of a 2 1/2 year old son and I am trying to read anything that will help with potty training. Your post was very helpful and have me some great ideas for me son that I hadn’t thought of! I even pinned it to save for later – when he is actually interested in going to the potty. And I agree with Sherry, nobody gonna make fun of a kid who is potty trained! Ain’t nobody got time for that!

    Reply

  25. Melissa Ricci says

    Hey guys!

    I adore these videos. I feel like we could be bfflz Sherri. And we have the same “comes-towards-the-camera” laugh that my husband teases me about. Hilarious! Quick question…do you have any idea if a flush mount light can be turned into a semi-flush mount? I want to get one of your lights but we have a flush mount (almost typed flesh mount — weird) light. Any tips!?

    Thank you!
    Xo Melissa

    here is a link to our laundry room so you can see what I am talking about

    http://allsortsofricci.blogspot.com/2013/06/oh-laundry-room-oh-laundry-room.html

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw, thanks Melissa! I think for the light thing that it might help to call them and ask what parts can be removed. Without having them all in front of me I’m not sure if anything can come off to work in your room. They’re generally really helpful – especially if you call the brick & mortar store in Richmond (over the 800 number for ordering). In the store they can run and look at things in person for you. Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  26. MMingo says

    HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY!! These are my favourite posts :) Clara and Burger are adorable. Your Burger is much like my Paco…he is a chi-terrier and barky also…especially with knocks at the door!
    Cheers to many more years :)

    Reply

  28. Andrea S says

    Ok, you know how when you read a book and you love it, and you picture the characters in your mind, in living color? Then a movie is made, and the characters are totally different, and you’re totally bummed? This is my first YHL video, and you guys are so fun to watch! I love the blog, and all the Clara and Burger stories and conversations, and the blogiversary video rocks. Now it’s like when you see someone interviewed and you think, “Man, I bet they’re really fun to hang out with.” Thanks for letting us into your world, and happy blogiversary!

    Reply

  29. MJ says

    Love you guys!! Burger’s interview was the best!!

    The first name was spelled differently, but totally thought for a second that Bethenny Frankel (Bethany F) asked the question about the most exciting change this year.

    You on the Bethenny show would be so awesome!

    Reply

  30. Liz says

    Hi Sherry,

    You said that you wanted to get back into painting and it made me think of my sister! She’s also an artist who has been on a hiatus due to life/school/an awesome kid/2 dogs, so she and her best friend, Will, did a living social “paint and sip.” They loved it! It was a way to get back into painting without being critical of themselves.

    Anyway – they were supposed to paint a flower, but they both thought that was their “inspiration”… this is what actually happened: http://flickr.com/gp/missylizzylucy/13u050 My sis painted a flower digging a hole for itself and Will painted the woman next to him painting.

    Just a thought! Love the blog!
    Liz

    Reply

  31. Laura says

    First, regarding snarky comments–I have ALWAYS been impressed at how gracious you are and how you rise above people who feel like the internet gives them the right to say whatever they think. I would have crumbled years ago but you both set an amazing example on how to handle it! Second, I love love love your no-swag policy. It is always disheartening as a DIY enthusiast who is ALWAYS on a limited budget to see people complete their house with tons of perks and freebies when I can’t do the same. I love that you keep everything on a totally reasonable budget and show us how to do the same! Your blog is always the highlight of my blog reader and every time we start a project my husband always asks “does Young House Love have a tutorial for this?” I have trained him well ;)

    Reply

  32. Amanda says

    Can I just say that I despise the person who thinks you should look into changing your no swag policy? (Sorry to whoever that was!) Part of the reason you have so many followers is because you’re legitimate bloggers. You’re not doing it for the money (well… technically you are… but you didn’t start that way). SO many people have started blogs because they have heard they can do the “job” from home (and “it’s easy”). So, 50% (or more) of their posts are giveaways and sponsored posts.

    You’re both excellent writers, which is what makes you so successful. YOU don’t HAVE to do giveaways to have millions of readers/fans, that’s what makes you so special!!! Giveaways and sponsored posts are both ploys to draw in followers… that’s like… the easy way out! You’re too awesome for that.

    For the record… I do read some blogs of people who do sponsored posts and giveaways… I’m not totally against it… just not a fan. I understand WHY people do it.

    Reply

  34. Lindsey says

    Haha, of course you read the snark sites– isn’t that why you re-photoshopped that picture of you standing in front of the stairs after people were commenting on how it was badly photshopped? Come on…. If you want to hide your body for some reason, maybe you should just avoid taking full body shots instead of photoshopping? It’s just silly.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Nope, there’s zero snark site reading for us. We got a comment about it over here (often times other sites might talk about something and we’re 100% clueless, but obviously if someone comments about it on our site, we’re made aware of it). As for why we haven’t just avoided full body shots of Sherry for the past three years of heavy speculation, I also addresses that in that thread for you. I think we beat that topic to death rather nicely.

      -John

  35. Michelle | Birds of Berwick says

    You guys are the best! Sherry, you’re an awesome mom and I teared up a little hearing that you got hurtful remarks, especially on your birthday. John, you rock as a dad, but more-so I have a silver streak like you.. wish mine looked that sexy and not so mid-thirties! You are both quite remarkable and it’s great to enjoy your videos and stats during this week!

    Reply

  37. K says

    I haven’t been able to read through the other comments so I apologize if I’m being repetitive, but I just wanted to share a few thoughts. I really love the way you both come off in these videos – you seem very real, thoughtful, self-deprecating. I’ll cop to reading the snark sites, mostly because they are amusing during down time, but also because it’s sort of a cool place to discuss my favorite blogs with other people who actually know what they are. It’s different than simply commenting because while yeah, the blog authors may read the commentary, it feels different than talking about them while they are in the room, you know? I think that a lot of what is discussed there – particularly about you guys – is actually really thoughtful, useful critique. Yes, there can also be a lot of vitriol which is a little ridiculous, and I can see how it would be hard to read beyond that if you are its subject! I think that it would definitely be crazy-making to stop in there once a day, or even once a week. But I COULD see steeling yourselves for it once a month or so, and just clicking through the first couple of posts on the most recent pages (there can be a whooole lot of repetitive or circular discussions that are just no good to anyone!) to get the highlights of what people are liking, what they aren’t, what they’d like to see more of, etc. I think if you can look at it with a high level of detachment, it’s really a goldmine of a (highly unfiltered) focus group. I apologize for the novel length comment, but I just wanted to throw it out there that many readers and participators in snark sites are actually fans and are rooting for you!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks K! We hear that the Bloggess has a friend read her snark every once in a while and report back if there’s anything constructive (her friend filters out the bad stuff so it doesn’t affect her). We thought about that but honestly haven’t had the courage to even do that. Since we haven’t read in years we have no idea what’s really being said, but back when we peeked at that stuff from time to time it really affected us a lot more than we’d like (and made us worse bloggers for sure). Sometimes we hear from other blogger-friends who do read it about themselves and a lot of it sounds pretty below the belt (talking about things like people’s children’s looks or just making up ridiculous rumors like “they must have a cleaning lady” or “he’s cheating on her” when they don’t have any actual info on the subject). I guess hearing that stuff from others scares us off too. Thanks for the suggestion, though! Who knows where we’ll end up with it…

      xo,
      s

    • Jill says

      Yeah, I wouldn’t do that to myself. If you want constructive discussion, you might create your own poll for readers through the actual blog. When people know you will definitely see their responses and are answering specific question, I think you’ll get more productive responses. You also might be wise not to allow people to respond to each other, so nobody can get into arguments. Just straight opinion poll responses sent to you.

      Just something simple like,

      1) What is your favorite type of post and why? (Something we should definitely keep as-is.)

      (My answer would be project posts. I like home improvement stuff more than anything. Befores and afters are the most fun, obviously, but I also like all the planning stages and in between.)

      2) What is your least favorite type of post and why? (Something we should scrap entirely.)

      (My answer would be giveaway posts. The chance that I’ll win is minuscule since they get now thousands of entries, so at this point, if I see one, I know there’s no fun content to read, and I just close the page.)

      3) What is one type of post you like sort of but would prefer tweaked and how? (What needs improvement?)

      (I think you’re already planning to bring back making moodboards for other people, which I liked very much, so I won’t say that. I guess I would say that when you post about Reader Redesigns, you usually post kind of a minimal amount of detail and just a few pictures (usually just a simple before and after, not a lot of “during” pictures) for what was clearly an immense project, then direct to their blog for more detail, which crashes. It would be nice if you just went into more detail in your post with more pictures and showed the whole arc of the project here. That way, we don’t have to search through their old blog posts on an unfamiliar site for more information about that specific project and also the site will work.)

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I like that idea! I definitely think polling everyone who reads our site over here, as opposed to just scrolling through the feedback on another site makes sense. Although I think we still have to guard the notion of just hanging the blog over to polls (I think the second something as personal as a blog or decorating your own home feels like it’s not really being written or created by the people who sign each post, it can really start to get weird quickly). Something to think about for sure!

      xo
      s

    • Jill says

      You know, I made this suggestion because you’d said you wanted feedback and then just because reading snark sites for ANY reason seemed like such a bad idea to me.

      But honestly, your blog is WILDLY successful currently doing what you’re doing and following your instincts and doing exactly what you like and love. If I were in your position, I’m not sure I’d really be seeking extra feedback? You get some level in the comments already, and your blog is supposed to be personal, and it’s all working SO well currently.

      Perhaps if there is the odd feature you’re really not sure is worth it, put that to a poll over here to get a real, constructive answer and avoid the snark. But for the most part, what more do you need?

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw, thanks Jill! We just read an interview where a TV writer for a show we love was asked what he thinks of the criticism for the most recent season and he said something like “oh I don’t read that stuff. There’s only so much feedback that you can take before it starts to mess up your own instincts.” That made us laugh, but it’s true that we’d hate to lose our gut instincts from listening to everyone else’s too much! Sounds like it has to be a delicate balance. We certainly love getting feedback from you guys everyday in the comments, so that will never change.

      xo
      s

  39. Ashley says

    I’ve been following your blog for the past couple of years and always love reading your news posts each day – but just have to say this may be my most favorite post of yours yet! I was watching it in the library with my headphones on but kept laughing out loud, drawing alot of attention to myself. Totally worth the grumpy look from the guy sitting at the other end of my table though!

    Reply

  40. Cortney says

    So cute! I watched both videos and wanted to check out the youtube captions. My favorite, during potty training question, caption interpreted “I think everyone should be potty trained” to “I think you should buy some birthday sailors”. Epic.

    Reply

  42. Allison says

    So I loved the video- but was sitting here with my do watching the video of burger and Clara, and when you put burger on the spot with the doorbell, it sent by dog over the edge- she stood straight up and started barki crazily… My first thought was “we’ll you must be a barky dog too”…

    Reply

  44. mp says

    I loved the video! And since you want to paint again, Sherry, why not a mural somewhere in the house? Also, I LOVE the idea of posting a painting a month on the blog. The haters can take a long walk off a short pier … do it, girl! DO IT!

    Reply

  47. Meredith Jones says

    I LOVE blogiversary week! I lways look forward to you Q&A video. I’m pumped for the reader factoids on Friday too, always interesting to see who else is out there! I got all butterfly-ee when I got the check the bun in the oven box this year too! :D

    Reply

  48. EM says

    Wow, Clara is becoming so articulate and big-kid-ish! Also, I’m totally envisioning your living room with hanging beads and “other hanging things.” Cutie!

    Reply

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