Ever wonder what goes into writing one of our posts? No? Well, we’re gonna tell you anyways. Consider it another peek behind the scenes and into our crazy blogging minds a bit further. We probably take our post writing a bit more seriously than most folks (but maybe we should since paying the mortgage depends on it) so we’re certainly not saying this is how it should be done. It’s just how we do it.
In general terms, most of our project-oriented posts go through these stages: from planning & prep through doing & documenting things, all the way to posting & responding to comments.
Those of you who write blogs about your home probably go through a similar process. Of course sometimes the process is fast and can happen within a day or two, and sometimes it’s quite long (as you’ll see in a moment). And on any given day, we’ll be juggling a few different projects/posts that can be at very different stages since we usually share eight of them in a five day span. The chart below is just hypothetical, but the dotted line shows how at any one time we could be writing a post about one project, while doing, planning, or responding to comments on several others.
But we already covered what any given day could look like, so let’s turn back to the purpose of this post: following the path of a post. Let’s use our bathroom mirror project from earlier this month as our example, since it was a bit of a (mis)adventure in its own right.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 21st:
8:30 am-ish: Sherry realizes it’d be good to have a last minute one-day project to share in the coming week – specifically on Monday (aka tomorrow) morning. Yikes. I suggest framing out the bathroom mirror since it has been something on our list since January and it sounds pretty simple. Sherry likes it, so I scout the web for some tutorials / advice (including Layla & Kevin’s experience) to help send us down the right track.
10 am-ish: After breakfast, we all hit up Lowe’s to stock up on supplies – i.e. mirror adhesive and trim (Clara “drives” the cart while Burger rides in the back – gotta love that dogs-allowed policy). We like doing things like this together so we can both come to an agreement on materials (like trim in this case, which comes in a ton of sizes and shapes) instead of one person staying home with Clara while the other one nervously makes all the decisions alone.
11:30 am-ish: Now home, Clara goes down for a nap and I dive in by taking “before” pictures of the door and then remove it. Sherry’s in the office writing another post for that week.
1:00 pm-ish: The project is slow going since I take a few more pics of the process than I end up using, but it never hurts to have more to choose from when it comes time to write the post. I finish putting the glue on the door, Sherry helps me place the mirror, Clara’s starting to wake up… and that’s when I realize that the directions on the adhesive say to wait at least 72 hours before sealing the edges. Crap. There’s no way this will be done in time to share Monday morning (or Tuesday or Wednesday for that matter). We kick ourselves for not thinking of that. Time for Plan B.
1:15 pm-ish: Plan B is the pallet compost bin I’ve been wanting to make. Sherry’s lukewarm on the idea (afraid it will also take too long) but it wins because we already have all of the supplies (i.e. pallets & screws) on hand (and shopping for supplies and doing an entirely new project isn’t likely to be accomplished in such a short time period). Sherry feeds Clara lunch and I head outside. The rest of the afternoon is spent making, photographing, and writing about the pallet compost bin (Sherry is beyond relieved that it’s done) as the mirror sets in the sunroom.
MONDAY, AUGUST 22nd:
10 am: Pallet compost bin post goes up, no one is the wiser (until now) that it was a pinch-hitter post. The mirror is still setting…
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24th:
9:00 am: My mom is over to do her regular three-hour Wednesday morning babysitting, so I use it as an excuse to return to the mirror project (even though I’m a couple hours shy of the 72 wait time) while Sherry begins refinishing wrestling with her rocker. The directions do suggest waiting a full week before sealing the edges, but having had our plan to share it this week already thwarted, we’re determined to at least have it ready to share next Monday. We have guests scheduled for the weekend (because of my cousin’s bridal shower) so it has to get done before Friday.
10:30 am-ish: Taking pictures along the way slows me down a little (trying to match lighting from the previous set of photos is a bit of a challenge), so it takes me this long to realize the 3/4″ trim that we bought isn’t thick enough (looks cheap and flimsy). I hope Sherry disagrees and can convince me it’s okay, but instead she comes to the same conclusion before I can even finish my sentence. Looks like a $5 college mirror (not that we didn’t both have one of those back in the day). Sigh.
10:45 am: I duck out to Lowe’s again to find thicker trim.
11:30 am: I’m back, thicker trim in hand. Clara’s napping, so my mom has left. Sherry’s busy responding to comments and I fight off deja vu as I measure, cut, and re-take pictures of my new trim process (which is why most of the previous photos were never used).
12:45 pm-ish: Thankfully I finish gluing the trim in place before Clara’s up from her nap, meaning that I’m available to go on baby watching duty (instead of having to pull Sherry off of comment-responding duty since so many are coming in at once). Trim glue sets in place overnight.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25th:
11:30 am: Clara’s down for her morning nap (once again) and Sherry’s doing comments (once again), so I get a head start on cleaning the house before our weekend guests arrive the next day. I figure that it has been nearly the recommended 24 hours set time on the glue, so I’ll “clean up” the sunroom by getting rid of the bathroom door that’s been living in there nearly five whole days. I screw the door back onto its hinges and voila – we’re done!
11:45 am: The excitement of having privacy returned to our bathroom makes me decide to take a shower (Clara naps are extremely valuable for squeezing these in).
11:55 am: Shower done. I’m dressed and on the computer responding to emails while Sherry takes a phone call in the living room. Then I hear “BAM!” followed by “poundpoundpoundpoundpound.” I recognize the latter as Sherry’s urgent footsteps. She informs me the former was the sound of the mirror falling. Sugar.
Noon: Fueled by frustration – both at myself for screwing up, and at the mirror gods for teaching me not to rush a project – I get right to scraping off the half-hardened glue from the mirror, door, and trim pieces. Scraping was a good way to release some anger, I’ll admit.
1 pm: Mirror is re-glued (this time with feeling!) and we come to terms with the fact that we’re just gonna have to let this thing set for a full week… and our sunroom’s gonna have a half-completed bathroom door when our guests arrive (not to mention that there will be a doorless bathroom in our bedroom). Oh well, worse things have happened.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27:
Hurricane Irene hits and our guests decide not to travel. Bummed we won’t see them, but at least our chaos won’t be on display to them… not that we had any electricity by which to see it anyways.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31:
8 pm: Clara has gone to bed and our one-week-long timer is about 12 hours from going off. I hesitantly jump the gun a bit, but knowing that we’ll be out of town over Labor Day weekend I have to get a head start. Plus, the sunroom is getting cramped with Sherry’s office cabinet painting which is going on in there too. So with my glue supposedly set and some “security” nails placed around the edges, I lean the door up against the wall (almost vertical) with a pillow at the base of it as an “overnight test.” I figure if the mirror is gonna fall again, the least it can do is fall before I bother with the trim a second time.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1:
8 am: The mirror survived the night standing up, so I take pictures of the nail system now that it’s light out again. I didn’t bother photographing it earlier because I was still unsure if it would work and already had wasted enough time taking photos of things (the small trim cutting process) that wouldn’t see the light of day.
11 am: With Sherry on comment duty and Clara napping (are you sensing a theme about when I get things done?) I lay the door back down and re-glue the trim.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4:
8:30 pm – 10:30 pm: Being out of town for Labor Day forces us to let the trim glue set for a few days, but that means we can make progress when it comes to writing the post (since the project is nearly complete). While my siblings and I watch a movie at my parent’s beach house, I sort and size all of the photos taken so far. Then I write the post, leaving spots for the after photos that we have yet to shoot.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6:
11 am: Traffic got us home too late on Monday to do anything but unpack and fall asleep, so I use Tuesday morning to rehang the door. Sherry suggests that I take “after” pictures before it falls again (such a comedian, my wife) but (1) the light is bad due to the rain and (2) I want to be sure it survives a night before calling it a true success.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7:
8 am: Victory! The door looks great in the morning, so I break out the tripod (it’s rainy again, so not much light – I’ll just have to do my best) and start snapping after pictures. Sherry plays with Clara until she becomes determined to be in the photo stare at herself in the mirror.
9 am: After photos are taken and uploaded. I quickly size them and upload them into the post. Sherry trades me baby for computer, and gets right to proof-reading since we only have about an hour to go live.
10 am: The post is up. It’s two and half week’s later than planned, but at least it’s up. Sherry camps out moderating comments for a couple of hours while I entertain Clara for another hour-ish before naptime.
11 am: Sherry’s still responding to comments, so for me it’s back to sizing pictures and writing another post, this time it’s for the office desk top post (which was constructed and poly’d the afternoon before and is currently waiting to fully dry before it gets accessorized, photographed, and posted the next morning). The thing about sharing eight posts in five day’s time is that we always have to have a few in progress, a few in the early planning stage, and of course the finished ones have to be written up and those comment questions need answers. So it’s sort of like juggling eight balls… but in a fun no-day-is-ever-the-same way.
THE END
Admittedly that process was a bit more drawn out than a lot of our posts. Some are much quicker (like Sherry’s butterfly art, which only took about twelve hours between beginning to posting) but that wouldn’t have made for a very dramatic story, now would it? Conversely, some projects actually take longer (like our wall to wall desk or our patio or our laundry room – which is why we prefer to tackle them in stages and just share our progress along the way).
Was there anything that surprised you about what goes into a post? What do you do in your job or daily life that’s more involved than some might think?
Allison says
Noooooooo! I don’t want this week of behind-the-scenes posts to be ooooover! And that coming from a girl who counts down the seconds ’til the next weekend means you guys are doing lots of things right. Haha. Enjoy your weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re so sweet! We actually have another post for ya this afternoon. Oh yeah, we know how to cram the blogiversary stuff in! Haha.
xo,
s
Jen says
This post is great! Maybe it’s because framing our mirror project has been a bigger task (um, nightmare) that we anticipated? Or maybe it’s because I like other readers are really enjoying the behind the scenes stuff of YHL!
Amy @ this DIY life says
I have to say that I love that you read every comment. It does make it feel like a conversation. When I started writing my blog, I decided that I would respond to most if not all of the comments. Right now it’s all, but I’m sure when I get more than 1 per post average that will change ;) I think it is great that you respond to so many of them. Just one question – what size do y’all use for your pictures?
YoungHouseLove says
We do 500 pixels wide for horizontals and 350 for verticals. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
seriouslysassymama says
The process you take to write a post. I could learn a thing or two from you guys. I bet you were very good at your previous job. It was fun feeding all your behind the scenes this week.
seriouslysassymama says
That would be reading not feeding. Lunch time!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I knew what you meant!
xo,
s
lisa says
Did you know you were going to document the documentation of the mirror post for this post? (Did that make sense?) I don’t know how you kept all of that straight–it was like one of those russian nesting dolls–post within a post.
Super thorough and eye opening–nice work!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, nope. Had no idea. Sherry came up with the concept of the whole “anatomy of a post” post a while after the mirror was done. But we thought it was a good one to demonstrate the process since it sort of went on behind the scenes for a while, so we went back into our photo folder and our post and tried to recount all of the ins and outs in more detail with some never-before-shared stuff that we recalled.
-John
Jen says
I’ve loved reading all of this weeks posts..very eye opening! Thanks for being such over-sharers :)
Go Haus Go says
LOL I love that you ‘fessed up to the wood pallet post as the pinch hitter. We were none the wiser!!! Thanks for keepin’ it real.
Brandi says
thanks so much for the post breakdown. i recently started my blog and just managing 1 project and the post associated with it is enough to make my head spin for now! i can’t imagine having so much in the works! you guys are great and i look forward every weekend morning to your next post!
http://www.hisshabbyherchic.com
Cheryl says
This is random and strange but I think your posting pipline graphic would make really cool art.
Thanks for all of your hardwork and dedication! It doesn’t go unnoticed or unloved!
Bri says
It’s really wonderful to see all that you guys do in a day! Planning for me is the easy part- getting through a project in timely matter is my problem… In my mind I thought tin foiling a chair would be easy (what was I thinking!).. nope… 4 days later I am still trying to finish..arrrgggg!! But seeing that things can go wrong, family distractions and other derailments happen even to you too… There is hope for me yet! You have been my “go to” site for inspiration for my own blog. You have a great team, and wonderful support system! Great Job!
Paula says
I discovered this blog shortly after buying my first house 2 months ago, and it’s inspired my husband and I to attempt increasingly involved DIY projects that we would never have dreamed of tackling ourselves. I’m extremely thankful that you guys not only give detailed step-by-step instructions, but that you chronicle the thought process behind your decisions as well. Having said that, do you time stamp every shower and nap, or only the ones you know that you will be blogging about?!
YoungHouseLove says
LOL, fortunately only the ones we mention in blog posts. :)
-John
Paige @ Final Clothes-Out says
This week is always so interesting to me! I’m a longtime reader and it’s CRAZY (in the best way) how big your blog has gotten. I remember when there would be 50 or 60 comments on a post, and now there are 500. It’s been so fun to see how things change for you guys. Thanks for sharing it with us!
LauraC says
Me too! I still read a lot, most of the comments, but not all like I used to. Just not enough time in the day, now that I have a toddler and a preschooler . . .
Robin @ our semi organic life says
I love reading these posts! In my mind this is pretty much how it had to go down with you guys. You guys are just too good to not work 24/7 and having 10 thousands things going on at once! I mean that as a compliment – not many people could handle all of it sanely. I think its therapeutic to put your life like this down on paper (the internet) sometimes.
Maggie says
I just wanted to say, that I don’t read many blogs…well…any. Except yours :) And since this week is all about behind the scenes stuff, I just wanted to let you guys know why I love your blog so much :)
1. You guys put so much thought and detail into every post (as clearly seen in this one). I love your “chattiness” and all the gorgeous, well-lighted photos.
2. You have such great voice. Even before I ever saw a video of you guys, I could imagine your voices in my head. It wouldn’t matter if a post were three pages long, I’d still read it from beginning to end. You are both so HILARIOUS but I especially laugh out loud at John’s posts. Your sense of humor is contagious :)
3. You make me feel like I know you. Some days I almost feel like some creepy stalker since I spend every day reading about your lives and misadventures while you know nothing of me. But what can you do? You’re both so open and willing to share. You don’t try to hide anything and it makes me feel like in some way, you’re close friends of mine even though we’ve never met and live a whole country apart.
Sorry I’m being chatty…The wrap this all up, happy blogiversary! You guys make me laugh, you give me advice, you inspire me. Thank you so much for what you do :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw shucks. That’s so sweet Maggie! Thanks so much for the kind words. You guys have all been amazingly sweet and supportive and we love ya for it.
xo,
s
threadbndr says
Don’t you just hate it when a seemingly simple project turns into something both complex and time-eating? Happens to me all the time, both at home and at work. (cf my ‘spruce up the bathroom until I can do a gut job’ project)
I love the graphic of your process management. Do you actually use any project management tools officially? How do you keep the actual projects straight? If it were me, there’d be quite a few half finished things sitting around waiting for me to get back to them after I was distracted by the ‘new oh-shiney’ thing/project.
YoungHouseLove says
We have two lists going at all times: projects to do next and projects that we’ve done that need to be written up. We usually like to share projects as soon as they’re done, but it’s easy to get caught up in doing other DIY stuff instead of writing about completed stuff, so we have that second list to keep us on it! Haha. As for projects in process, those are pretty easy to remember since our house looks crazy in the process- haha.
xo,
s
debbie c says
Wow, I never realized how much work goes into each post! I knew it took a while to write, snap pics, and do all the proofreading/editing for both, but this is truly an all-day job. Thanks for making my day more enjoyable, love you guys!
Scott says
How do you balance meeting your 2-posts-a-day targets with projects that might not always go well? Are there posts or projects that you really weren’t ready to share but felt you had to get content out? I imagine running your blog as a business can put a lot of pressure to produce even when there’s less inspiration.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s actually a great question. I don’t know how it happens but we have never run out of posts. Isn’t that crazy? I keep waiting for us to look at each other and say “ok now what do we do/write about” but we always have 100 more things on the ol’ to-do list, so even if it’s Sunday and we need one more project for the week, we’ll just look at the list and figure something out (like the compost bin that we tossed together in the final hour). I think it’s probably our lack of boundaries. Haha. We’ll work until 1am on Sunday night if we have to. Haha. But usually we have so many things going on at once that it doesn’t really get to that point. The mirror/compost bin thing was probably one of the most last-minute things we’ve ever tackled. In general we believe that not posting anything is better than posting something that we think is stupid though. So if we ran out of posts but had nothing to say we’d just skip a post or two I think.
xo,
s
Rosemary M. says
Is there a 2nd post for today?? I just can’t get enough yhl words!
YoungHouseLove says
You know it. Haha. One more blogiversary post is coming down the pipeline at 2pm!
xo,
s
Larissa says
You guys are awesome.
Random question: Your posts’ titles are so clever. Do you ever get writers block and sit in a daze trying to come up with a catchy title?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha. Sometimes we brainstorm them out loud with each other if we’re stuck. Or sometimes we’ll be in the car driving back from Home Depot and John will say “I already know what I’m calling this post!” and then tell me his punny title. Haha. He takes great pleasure in that part of the process. Sometimes I get a mental block and just name it something very basic (aka: “Clara’s room” or “how to paint cabinets”).
xo,
s
Haley @ thedistractedblogger says
Do you have any tips or tricks to reduce photo editing time?
YoungHouseLove says
We use a batch edit function in photoshop whenever we can. And we have saved “actions” for sizing photos so we just click a button and it makes it the right size for uploading. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
jamie says
What do I do that is more involved than some think? Ummm, its called being a stay at home mom who works at home too! You guys get it, I know! :) But I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Sara says
Such a great post. I love the dissection of the whole thing! :) And happy bloggiversary!
Shelley says
Loving all these behind the scenes posts. Mostly I’m thinking, “Wow! That’s a lot of work!” Kudos to you for doing what you do so well, and so likably. =)
Colleen in MA says
Ha! I don’t buy that you only said “Sugar” when that mirror fell. But other than that, super cool to read what goes on behind the scenes.
I totally get that this blog takes a lot more work than it appears to. I work in publishing and for some reason people expect (or hope, if they are in charge of the budget) that the ebook will take a lot less time to produce than the print version. I won’t bore you with the “why” but that is not the case and part of my new job as ebook designer is to explain why this is.
Really appreciate the transparency here, the comments on our comments, and your super-positive attitude. It’s made a big difference in how brave I am in tackling my home projects for the better. Happy Blogoversary!!!
Jane says
Adding to Scott’s question above…. for some reason I always envisioned you guys having a schedule of posts for the coming week – i.e. Monday will be X, Tuesday will be Y and Z, etc. So you don’t have that?
And related to what you said “we always have 100 more things on the ol’ to-do list” – I always wondering how much of your decision to move to another house was driven by the fact that you have already done most of the projects you could’ve done on the old house, and written about most of the “juicy” projects.
YoungHouseLove says
The move to our new house was first and foremost driven by the needs of our family (two adults and one baby squeezed into a 10 x 10′ playroom/office/guest bedroom all day every day was getting so old – along with only having one full bathroom). So because we both worked from home we needed a house that better met our needs. Of course it didn’t hurt that a new house would contribute to our business (since we blog about fixing up our house) so it was sort of a multi-prong thing (for fun because we love DIY, for our family since our needs changed, and for our business). But we had a million other projects on the list for our first house when we moved, so we never really ran out of content or anything. We just realized that it was a waste to keep pouring money and time into a house that we had outgrown.
As for a schedule, we do try to come up with a rough one at the last minute. Usually on Sunday we’ll say “ok, we finished this on Thursday so lets get it up on Monday and then we’ll share this and this for Tues and Wed and toss in a house tour we still have to write up on Thursday, etc. So it was while we were discussing a rough schedule for the upcoming week on that fateful Sunday that I decided we should do one more project in the final hour – hence the whole last-minute mirror/compost adventure. Haha.
xo,
s
Jane says
Thanks for your detailed answer, Sherry – makes perfect sense now… When you bought the first house, you didn’t plan on both you working from home, which (obviously!) requires more space and amenities.
And yes, your rough schedule is what I was sort of envisioning you doing every week. Cool!
liz says
loved all the behind the scenes posts this week, thank you for sharing with all of us. checking out the pipeline and all the work that goes into a post, no *wonder* you guys haven’t had a big vacation in a long time! i think 2012 should be the year you do – get some guest bloggers to pick up the slack while you lie on a beach somewhere with a fruity adult beverage. it’d be mucho well deserved ;-) keep up the fab work!
Amanda says
Great post! When you wrote about the mirror initially, I had wondered how long you had had it up your sleeves. ;)
I’m pretty sure you posted that mirror/Clara pic before. Maybe I was too busy looking at the mirror, but what book is she reading?!? It certainly doesn’t look like “Goodnight Moon.”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- it’s a Bethenny book from my night table called Naturally Thin. Still haven’t cracked that open yet, but Clara loves to carry stuff from the night table around the room. Haha.
xo,
s
Stephanie says
Have you ever considered showing us your mess-ups more often (like the post where you mention unsuccessfully trying to cut the glass bottles)? Your mistakes would definitely help us learn too; I’m sure you aren’t the only ones who want to skip the 72-hour wait! This post definitely made me think of that, since we would have had NO idea if you hadn’t shared. Yes, the successful information helps immensely, but don’t you think the unsuccessful would help also? Blogging reality has been on my mind since reading this: http://jonesdesigncompany.com/thoughts/i-am-a-big-fan-of-blogs/. In an unrelated topic, do you ever enter other people’s giveaways? :)
Love your blog!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! We share every single mess up with you guys along the way. That’s why the original mirror post included all the pitfalls too (we mentioned the wrong trim/mirror falling stuff in that post as well). We love that stuff! Gotta keep it real.
xo,
s
Meredith says
I think my favorite part of this whole post was when your company couldn’t make it and you said, “at least our chaos won’t be on display to them.”
I can’t get over the fact that chaos to you guys is a door on the floor! hahaha. I think if you came to my house right now, you might run away screaming. And I don’t even have a 1 year old. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- we also had cabinet priming going on in the sunroom and a half-torn-apart rocker in the den. And approximately 1,000 baby books/toys on the floor. Looking good. Haha.
xo,
s
Skye says
My house has never been styled for a blog or otherwise so I have nothing to compare my chaos too. That might make a difference. LOL Ignorance is bliss sometimes.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, my theory is that everyone’s secretly messy and we assume everyone else is neater than we are (but they’re secretly just as messy). Haha. That’s why we share our messy house tour videos! To shatter the idea that we always have everything put away!
xo,
s
threadbndr says
At least you all didn’t have a full sized bed in the living room and a sink/cabnite in the dining room. (Did I mention that that whole ‘spruce up the bathroom’ ended up being ‘put holes in the walls to fix the ancient plumbing’ project?)
It’s not boring……
Ever since I stumbled across you looking for rain barrel plans, you have inspired and impressed me. Here’s to many more years of sharing your adventures.
Skye says
Yes, I always pretend like the mess is an aberration when people come over. After a few visits though I’m sure they’ve figured out my secret. LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, us too! We’re like “we’re in the middle of a ton of projects! It never looks like this!” – meanwhile we’re always in the middle of a ton of projects and it always looks like that. Hahaha.
xo,
s
Emily @ EAK a House says
Ok, I feel bad making you read another comment but I just can’t stay out of the conversation. I too have been enjoying the day in the life posts. It makes me feel like we could have a child and it wouldn’t mean never getting anything done any more (my husband works from home too). I can totally feel you on the having projects pile up faster than you can post about them. I’ve got way too many still to write about (which I agree makes them less personal) but these things take time.
I work with chocolate and you would be amazed how time consuming a batch of truffles it. Our hand rolled truffles take three days from start to finish. Insanity!
YoungHouseLove says
Mmm, they sound delicious though!
xo,
s
Ellen says
You know… I’ve never been a big comment reader. I simply read the post… the end. But after this week’s series of posts… and seeing how much time you actually spend on the comments… I guess I better start reading them too! This week’s posts have been great. Very insightful into your lives outside just “fixing up the house.” And I too love your openness and honesty. Thanks!
caitlin says
i just want to thank you guys for all the meta-posts this week–blogging about blogging! I am taking over blog management for the nonprofit I work for, and while that is fun, my coworkers don’t seem to realize that blogging is a lot of WORK. And, it helps to see how you decide to post what and when… for my job it won’t be as much planning due to well, not building stuff all the time, etc, but it still requires seasonal planning and consideration.
so anyway, this was all super helpful! just as helpful as the posts about how to unclog a bathroom drain and paint my cabinets :)
jessica says
well I’m excited because all this non house posting must mean you’re working crazy hard on something HOUSE related to share for next week. eh? eh? ;)
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely have some stuff going on as always! Haha.
xo,
s
Diane@InMyOwnStyle says
So glad to see you go to Lowes more than once for a project. I think I am there at least 3 or 4 times a week. All the employees know my name now as I am in there so much. I always thought I was not organized enough to get the right materials on the first visit for each project. Reading that you had to run out to get wider molding makes me feel so much better :)
It also was nice to read about your hosting fees. My bandwidth usage keeps going up and so does the cost of hosting. Who knew it would get so expensive.
I have enjoyed your posts – Happy Blogiversary.
My best- Diane
Allison B says
I think y’all should add “psychic” to your list of talents. I’m new to blogging about anything other than my pregnancy/son and have found that my little project posts (which are laughable compared to yours) take FOR.EV.ER. The project itself – while trying to snap photos of myself on top of a ladder with a drill in one hand, then editing photos, writing the step-by-step explanation, and making sure the post is “me” takes a surprisingly long time. So, back to the psychic part, I was just hoping YESTERDAY that y’all would write a post like this one – and (I SUGAR you not!) I even thought of it being titled “Anatomy of a Post!!!!” Crazy!!! Thanks for the post!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- maybe you’re psychic since we wrote it a few days back (I was proofreading it yesterday, so maybe you picked up those vibes, hahahaha).
xo,
s
Jen says
Your blog is awesome and you guys work so hard!!! I’m having anxiety just thinking about all the work you have to do to keep it going at the pace you do! Great job and thank you!!
Kim says
Wow! I knew it must be hard work to blog for a living, but until this week I really had NO IDEA! I love you guys so much more for it! This week of posts was an awesome peek into your blogging lives. And we all do totally consider you guys as our friends – haha! When I mention something you guys have done or want to use an idea of yours – my husband will say – “Did you get that from YOUR bloggers?! Hah!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we’ll we’re happy to be YOUR bloggers.
xo,
s
Tom M says
Fantastic Kentucky Fried Movie reference… “this time with feeling”. I am now a solid fan of yours.
Angela says
I think it’s interesting that you take the time to read the comments and respond to them. Most of the blogs I go to don’t! (Example: Pioneer Woman)
This was an interesting post. You’re basically working all the time…
Renee says
I love, love, love that you respond to so many comments!! That’s one of the best parts……..reading the comments and responses. Feels warm and fuzzy :)
Ashlee says
THANK YOU for this post (and all the other Blogiversary ones this week!) – it really inspires me. It makes me feel like the my insane “to do” list will be conquered and it’s OK if it I can only do bit by bit during nap time. My husband and I are in the process of doing an design overhaul on 3 websites we recently purchased (so if you click the link attached to my name PLEASE ignore all the U.G.L.Y.), blogging, taking care of two small kids, being landlords and fixing up/beautifying our 100+ year old duplex, attempting the urban homesteading thing, trying to cook from scratch as much as possible…it’s reeeeeally overwhelming sometimes! But, same as you, it’s something we are passionate about and (we hope!) it will all settle down and be worth the crazy amounts of dedication and hard work!
Jill says
Thanks for letting me see how you organize posts and projects. It has helped me create a to-do list for my old bungalow and helped me see some progress. This really helps me with my bog (for school art projects). I tend to fly by the seat of my pants. Think I’d have better success planning better.
Also, I leaned a ton yesterday. Been reading some codex and googling some code issues. I figured out how to do some things on my blog I’d been wanting to do by looking at blogs and googling stuff. New words to live by…”google that stuff” (OK maybe I’d have said a different word, but wasn’t sure it was allowed).
Belinda says
Hi John and Sherry – I’ve enjoyed this week’s behind-the-scenes posts. I have a quick question. Before you redesigned the blog a few weeks back, the archive section used to display shortened (i.e. 1 paragraph) of the posts. That way, if you’d missed a few days you could check back and select each one without scrolling through all the new posts. I haven’t been able to find that since. It seems lame, I know…but I totally don’t like seeing the big reveal until I’ve read the post. Any plans to bring that format back?
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry Belinda! That format was giving us crashing/slowing-down issues since the redesign so we’ve had to leave it for now. We’re definitely still working on how we can bring it back without compromising the site though. Hope we can figure it out!
xo,
s
Tristin @ Two Girls Being Crafty says
I loved this post. Loved. You two are so real–and I find it so refreshing and I think that’s probably why so many people love you. You know, you keep it real!
I also really appreciate the fact that you spend so much time replying to comments. I think it sets you apart and it creates readers who are invested in “you” because you obviously value what your readers have to say. I hate that it takes so much time (but I always imagined it did) but I think that you’re really on to something. You seem so accessible and let’s face it, it’s flattering to receive a comment back from a “celebrity”.
Sorry for calling you celebrities, but truthfully if you gave me the option of sitting down for an hour with Brad & Angelina or John & Sherry, hands down I choose you two.
Here’s to lots more years of fun and DIYing!
Elizabeth says
Hello – this is my first comment on your site. Congratulations on your Blogiversary this week. I’ve love your posts and your site is the only one that I generally read each day via email. You guys have given me so much confidence to tackle other projects in our home (bathroom tiling, re-painted our front door, ORB’d the door handles (heck, I actually figured how to take the door apart and put it back together), and working on our landscaping, plus much much more).
Also, do you have a place to contribute $$ for projects? I feel like I get so much value out of your work & words (& your advice has saved us from having to hire someone to do it for us) that I would like to send a few bucks to you all for my appreciation of all that I have – and will continue -to learn.
Thank you thank you thank you. You guys rock and I wish you all many more happy blogging days.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh Elizabeth. You truly are beyond sweet! We just wouldn’t feel right accepting any money from you, but we’re immensely flattered for your appreciation!
xo,
s
Kelly says
I create and edit After Effects and Final Cut video for about 70 percent of my job, so I’m not surprised at anyone whose seemingly “small” job takes so much more than I think. This week I spent more than 20 hours on about 30 seconds of footage. The best pros make what’s hard look easy, and you’re no exception :) Love your blog and the care and detail you put into what you do.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s fascinating! 20 hours spent on 30 seconds totally sounds like our advertising days when we labored in the edit studio over a thirty second commercial!
xo,
s
Michelle says
Sorry if you’ve answered this before, but I was just wondering what software you use for choosing which photos to post, and editing them after you’ve picked your favorites? Or do you just edit them all and choose favorites later?!
YoungHouseLove says
We flag our favorites using iPhoto and then just size and edit the flagged ones by bringing them into Photoshop. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Great posts this week! Thanks for all the info! I’m loving the paint color in your master bedroom! Do you mind sharing?
Thanks!!
Sarah:)
YoungHouseLove says
It’s Valspar’s Carolina Inn Club Aqua (color matched to Olympic’s no-VOC paint). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Virginia says
Thanks for taking us on a blog posting journey! It was quite eventful, and the mirror looks great!
Debbie Sheldon says
Hi,
I really appreciated this post. It’s the first time I have actually commented on your blog, even though I have been enjoying it. I really liked it, because looking at your other posts, you make home improvement seem like everything goes easy and according to plan. And that has never been my experience. I am always pulling my hair out half-way through projects, biting off more than it seems I can chew, and have two or three projects going at once. It’s nice to hear that you actually struggle with that too. Thanks. Debbie
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, we try to make a point to mention that we mess up and get confused and hit speed bumps along the way just like everyone else! I think that’s the DIY way! Haha. We actually mentioned all of these mirror snafus in the original mirror post as well, and always try to point out when things fail (like when we tried to cut bottles and make string lanterns – both were epic failures! haha). So don’t worry, you’re completely normal and in good company!
xo,
s