This post was 3,000 words long. They all felt overly complicated and heavy and weird. I clicked delete. Then I just typed what we’re really feeling, complete with things we’ve never said out loud and even a few things we’ve never fully admitted to ourselves before.
The truth is that we love you guys. Like for real. Even for the tough love. We know you say it because you care (or hopefully you did at some point), and we want you to know we care right back. We want to do a good job. We want to do this with joy and excitement. We want to inspire you. We know this is an incredible way to have made a living and we are full of gratitude for the experience to have shared the last seven years of our lives with you guys online.
We would NEVER be here without you, and not a day goes by that we don’t know that. It’s why we asked for your feedback last week and read every last comment. We appreciate the honesty and the passion you guys have on the topic of making this blog great. And we agree with a lot of what was being said. We have been feeling off for a while – like we have lost our rhythm and we’re somehow missing the mark for ourselves and for you guys. We too miss the good old days when we did this for the love and were full of such obvious joy and spontaneity. This felt like a place we all hung out and it just doesn’t have that vibe anymore.
Over the years many amazing opportunities popped up for us. Things we never dreamed of doing in a million years, and things we’re incredibly grateful to have had the chance to experience. A book deal, curating paint picks with Benjamin Moore, a line sold at Target, a showhouse, etc. But in hindsight those things also made this feel a lot more like a business than a personal blog to many of you, and to us as well. We have actually ramped those down behind the scenes in an attempt to get back to our roots (we no longer do the BM color collection, the second book is mostly written, our products at Target have completed their run, and we finished the showhouse) but we never really made a big announcement about that – so it’s completely understandable that some of you might think we’ve moved on to those greener pastures and left the blog in the dust, so to speak. The reality is that our site propels the success of any outside project like a product or book, so we could never turn our backs on the blog and expect those items to continue to sell as well.
Not only have we felt this shift from “John and Sherry” to “Young House Love: The Brand”, but the blogosphere as a whole has become increasingly sponsored/corporate lately. We can see from the outside prospective as a reader, or even a fellow blogger, that it’s hard to read a blog post without suspecting some ulterior motive or money-making system behind it. Last week a few of you mentioned that we might need to keep giveaways around because they pay us well, which surprised us since they’re never something we accept payment for (we like to pass free things along to you as a thank you for reading).
Along with the whole business/brand thing that’s going on, and the side gigs that felt like they muddied the water for some of you, there are certainly other things we wish we had handled differently in hindsight. Just to name a few, there’s: being too defensive, over-explaining, letting things get in our heads and change our lighthearted approach, and the internal struggle between being transparent and oversharing personal details like a vacant new house without an alarm system (looking back we wish we’d handled our third house announcement differently). We know many of you felt insulted that we didn’t share more freely about that house, and we truly apologize.
Anyway, back to that whole “we’re sexy stumbling and you know it” thing. It’s endlessly frustrating to do a job that you love poorly, especially when it’s a blog baby that you’ve birthed yourself and nurtured for seven years. And especially when it’s such an amazing job that we once felt so inspired and joyful to wake up and do each day. What’s wrong with us? We know this is a dream job. We acknowledge it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. We know most people who have built something like this would be more inspired than ever. It’s not that we lost the gratitude, I think it’s that we feel like we’ve fallen out of our groove. We feel like we’re letting you guys down repeatedly. It got to the point that every time we pressed “publish” we braced ourselves.
So in an attempt to stop stumbling around and feeling like we just can’t get it back, we’re taking a break. We don’t know exactly how long we’ll be stepping away, but our guess would be at least a month. We will certainly be exploring other options for supporting our family (something we mentioned we were considering back in April). We had that fiery blog-spark back when we had day jobs and did this as a hobby, so we think it could be a good change. We’ll also be taking a break on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, but the blog will stay public so you guys can access the archives whenever you’d like.
Our internal struggle and the state of this blog is entirely of our making, and we completely own that. Please don’t get mad at anyone for being honest with their feedback last week or accuse them of sending us packing. We have been struggling with that “something is off” feeling for a while now, and after way too much denial and “we’ll turn it around” pep talks, we finally asked for your feedback because we truly wanted to hear what you were thinking. It was cathartic and helpful for us. It has allowed us to very clearly see that if we have any respect for this blog and our love of it, and for you guys and what you’d like to see, we need to take a break if we ever want any hope of getting back to that fun/real/spontaneous place it used to be when this was something we did for the love instead of the high stakes game of supporting a family.
In summary: we love you, we thank you, and we hope you understand.
Alicia says
I love y’all! I’ve been reading since 2009, which is when I was building a house of my own and a friend recommended your blog and I’ve read every one of your posts! (Even went back and read all the ones published before 2009.)
Anyway, I kind of understand where you are coming from in a small way. I’m a photographer with a day job that pays the bills. At one time I thought making enough money from photography to quit my day job was my dream…until I started shooting more. Then I realized that something I loved was turning into work. I lost my zest for it and started to dread parts of it. After thinking it over I made the decision to back away from photography as a money source and return to doing it for fun. I still do a few paying shoots, but they are totally at my discretion, not to pay the bills…and it works for me!
So, best of luck to all of you…I’m rooting for you to find a way to keep blogging because yours is my favorite blog!
Emilie Truman says
I’ve enjoyed all your posts during my lunch the past few years. I’m hoping you will return to blogging soon!
Megan says
Oh my, this truly breaks my heart! And not just for my own selfish reasons, but because you’ve reached a point where doing something you loved so much has become difficult for you to continue doing. You will be missed! Take time to find yourselves and we’ll be here if you ever decide to come back :)
Sapna says
Love you guys so much ! I feel sad I wont be able to read or see you guys now. Please come back soon. Take care.
Jodi says
Wow. I am so so so sad. Really really sad. Like I’m losing a dear friend. I don’t follow very many blogs, and I’m far from a DIYer, but I absolutely love yours. I am always — even when you are feeling a bit off — impressed with your professionalism, talent, humor, warmth, and creativity (to name just a few descriptors) and I’m sure that wherever you land you will be fabulous and successful. I wish you all the best and will eagerly await your return.
Anne says
There is nothing wrong with you guys. Losing your groove is what happens when things get routine, and more complex. And you get older, and perspectives change. You both seem smart enough, humble enough, and wise enough to keep the big picture in mind amidst the details. Don’t be hard on yourselves – you’ve given a lot to the public to date, you are clearly hard workers. Life changes, you change, you adjust. Good for you for doing so before you’re suffering underneath it all. Best of luck and I’ve loved following your story this far; I’m sad for me that it may be ending but glad for you that you’re taking care of yourselves. May you and your family thrive and be happy.
Heather says
I’m so happy you have been around for 7 years. Coming to your blog was like asking a friend for advise even if I didn’t know what question to ask…John and Sherry had “the answer” I was looking for kind of thing. Who knew that to get the look I wanted was just to hang a yellow striped turkish towel in my guest bath or that changing out my switch plates would instantly update my house or one of my favorite posts was on how you cleaned your house. When we relocated from Houston,TX to Greenville, SC I purposely bought an old house so I could turn it into a home in the similar way that you guys did. You have that much influence over your readers! This is only my second comment…in 7 years, yet I have faithfully followed you through, Skipper, Ginger and the Barbie Dream house and cried when you had two beautiful babies and prayed for your family when your Aunt passed. You both…really you 4 deserve this time. You are a family of 4 now. That is a game changer in the biggest and best way you could possibly imagine. You are not going to look back one day and say how you wish you had shown readers (who you never met before…like me) how to properly paint hardwood stairs or, clean their chimney, refinish their mailbox or outfit the perfect chicken coop (but you would rock that coop!) You will wish you had spend more time with those sweet little babies of yours introducing them to this wonderful world of ours. We did not have this luxury of the internet when we were kids and even as adults it gets overwhelming. I also have deactivated the nets…it’s too much. Go, live life. Find your passion, its still there. But in the mean time. Bake cookies, snuggle and tickle your kids. Love one another. Your passion will soon reveal itself. And since you asked for honesty, this is about the point I delete my replys…but today I will post this. Your place here will always be my favorite. Take care! Hugs, LTL2ndTC (Long Time Lurker, 2nd Time Commenter)
Katie says
While i completely respect and understand what you’re feeling and the reason you’re taking this step, can I just say that I really do think you’re being much too hard on yourselves?
You have done and are doing a fabulous job. I love your blog. All of it. You SHOULD take fabulous opportunities that come you’re way and should feel no guilt about it!
People have over-analyzed you and that’s exhausting and wears you down, but their perception of you and critique of your every move is their issue, not yours.
Go ahead and let yourselves off the hook. You’re gifted, you’re creative, you’re kind, you’re honest and you bring joy to me every day when I read your blog.
Don’t be too hard on yourselves. You’re doing great.
Lauren Reese says
Congratulations on your decision! The reality of blogging is that you *must* create content at a breakneck speed – going too long without a sabbatical to refocus efforts is dangerous and exhausting.
I’ve felt your “funk” as a reader – and I’m looking forward to whatever comes next for you! Congratulations on a very hard decision!
Sophie says
Honestly thank you guys so much for all the wonderful posts you have written in those years. I have been following your blog for a looong time now.
I cried when I read Claras Birthstory, was excited for your move to the new house and followed burger being his burger-self. In sum I enjoyed being able to see your familylife on the blog and enjoyed all the inspiring things you did in your homes.
I truly love your blog and like the family that you seem to be. Having so much integrity and taking a step back now is admirable and brave.
I am sure that you will get your spark back and you will continue bloging one way or the other.
I wish you just the very,very best
Love, Sophie from Germany
Francis C. Moore says
Please tell me it isn’t true. I have so enjoyed reading your blog over the years. I hope that you read all the above comments from people who love your blog. I am an OLDER citizen who has spent a part of my day with you for the last few years. The only time I have ever commented was about a doll, and you answered back in a reply. I felt honored that you took the time to type a response. Take a breather and come back soon. I am missing you!
Lora says
Ahhh noooo! I love your blog and look forward to a new post popping up in my feed! However, that being said, we all need breaks from time to time and I hope you enjoy yours and feel rejuvenated. The nice side of me says my family awaits your return if and when you come back – but the selfish side of me just says *when* because I can’t imagine a world without some YHL blog action!
Best of luck to you in whatever your future holders. Thanks for being such an inspiration and all that you’ve shared here on the blog!
CandiceMcC says
I just wanted to add a quick note saying how I really hope y’all come back. You’ve really helped me with lots of dilemmas and I get so much inspiration. Will anxiously await the 2nd book. Enjoy your time away!
Karen says
You can’t give what you don’t have! Excellent choice. Be well, first and foremost.
Rosebud says
Wow! I just joined this site two weeks ago and whoosh! now you’re gone. It’s disappointing, really, but I can just imagine why. I read several wonderful blogs and often wonder to my self “how can they do it, day after day after day?” So, to take a break is fine with me but I really wish I’d found you years ago. This seems like it would have been one of my favorite sites. I will still stick around and since I just found you, I will do just what you suggested: I will look at all your past times on line and enjoy them. I do hope you will return, reenergized and ready to open up a whole new world of color and fun for everyone but also for yourselves. That’s the important thing. If you don’t have any fun doing it or if you get tired, then what’s the reason to continue? Rest, enjoy life but please, do come back.
With lots of luv, Rosebud
Katie says
I love you guys. That’s all. That’s everything.
Chest-bumps-to-the-ground,
kb
Karrie says
I’m sad you will be stepping away for some time but understand completely. I first heard of Young House Love when I saw your book at my local library. I then bought a copy and was so inspired by your projects that I have turned Young House Love onto my friends. I refer to your book as my DIY “bible”. Thanks for all the inspiration and enjoy each moment with the kids!
Verna Vuckovich says
I too just recently found your blog and will miss reading it. I loved the way you engaged me and made me want to know the next thing you were working on. I have written a blog myself (on and off for a couple of years) with interior design items and sometimes didn’t really know if it was all worth it…I respect your decision , but secretly hope you will return in whatever capacity that suits your family and future. Until we meet again…
Alexis says
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :(
Jennie says
I read this post yesterday but still clicked today thinking you would post an update :)
I don’t think I have ever commented on your blog before – but I read it daily and have often passed your posts along to friends. I love your style of clean and fresh and since I live in the South – the blogs here are full of “flea market fancy”, chevron and monograms. So – you are a breath of fresh air!
I first found your blog when I was searching for pumpkin ideas for Halloween. I hope that you will at least be back to post this years family halloween pumpkin.
I hope that you enjoy the break and figure out what your future holds.
Much Peace,
Jennie
jr says
I have been unable to follow you consistently for the last several weeks due to a complicated family situation and a temporary lack of internet service. So I was very sad to read that you are taking a break. I’ve only been following you for a few months but LOVE everything about your blog especially how you share the details of all the projects and let us have a peek into family life. Selfishly this is not a happy day for me, however, I do respect that you feel the need to step back, reevaluate and recoup so that when and if you decide to come back, you feel good about it and find the joy you originally had in producing this blog. I’m hoping you and the blog return but if you choose to go in another direction please know that you have made a very positive impact on so many people. You efforts have been appreciated and I think I can safely say for many people as well as myself that you will be missed. All the best to you and your family and do what brings you a sense of joy and personal satisfaction!
Diane says
Another one bites the dust! It seems that as soon as bloggers become successful with books, fabric lines etc they no longer have time for what brought them to that success. I liken it to stars who do not have time to stop and sign autographs. That being said, I also fully understand how overwhelming life can seem, especially with two little ones and I admire the guts it takes to walk away. I will miss watching Clara grow up and love the pics of Burger who reminds me of our daughter’s chihuahua, and hope for the best for you and your young family. Hopefully, we will all meet again. Best of luck!
Laurie says
As if y’all need another comment! I have never commented before because frankly- y’all receive a ridiculous amout as it is! But I feel the need to say- you have never let me down. As full- time bloggers- I would hope you receive sponsorships and other revenue generating opportunities. The stories will be missed. And of course those of us who are never disappointed will be happy to see you return- in whatever fashion that may be. Two babies throw most of us for a loop. My second had day and night colic for almost a year. Your home is beautiful. I hope you are able to enjoy the fruits of your labors! And if things still feel a bit off after a while- please inquire about a local feng shui expert coming to the house for a clearing and energy recommendations.
Emily says
Well, it’s my lunch break and even though I knew there wouldn’t be a new post, I still stopped by. This is a habit that will be very hard to break. When I started reading your post yesterday, this is the conclusion I felt coming, but I guess I’m still in denial. I wish you all the best during your break!
Jen says
HAhA. i have popped over twice today… and I have no idea why except as a very old habit!
misti says
you guys are awesome and we will definitely miss you while you are on this break. Refreshing and renewing is so necessary! Praying you will find what fits your family best for provision as well as enjoyment!
Erin says
Hey! Lurker speaking up here. So like I love you guy’s. I bought your book (even read it and did some of the projects, no will not send pictures because… well, because.) I have a white octopus that now holds my keys (love it! So funky how such a little thing has helped us, er, well, find our keys…) I didn’t ever speak up because, well if I didn’t find anything broken…
Maybe know this, there are lots of us out here who quietly love the laundry room redo. No really, I read every word and now am looking at my mess of a space thinking “me too! I can!” But just would never send pictures if I did a redo…
I didn’t ask for anything because, I like what was given. Just what was given. This blog was about a real family and things family’s do and create — I can relate. (If not sometimes jealous that you all get to do it more because it’s your job.)
Hope to see/ hear from you all again. Will miss this place. I don’t read blogs — but always made time to check in.
Thank you for the time you spend sharing.
Danielle says
I know that I’ll welcome you back with open ears and eyes once you feel you have your groove back. It’s an inspiration to read your blog and an amazing story to be able to make this your full time job. Take time with your family and enjoy life! When you are ready to come back we will all be here waiting for you! Thank you for all your inspiration, ideas, and laughter!
Stacey says
You guys have been doing this day in, day out for seven(!) years – even through the birth of two children. I don’t know how you do it. Have a break and forget about blogging and the internet and pleasing others for a while and just have a good rest. How you managed to not have a decent break before now is beyond me.
Can I just say though – I have been loving the laundry re-do posts recently. I love it when there’s a nice big fat juicy project happening.
Be kind to yourselves
Christina says
I love your blog! I only found it about a year ago, so maybe I don’t understand what has been disappointing about the content.
At any rate if you feel “off” I salute your choice to take a
break!
Best to you…and looking forward to that next post! :)
Divya says
Umm, where do I start. Oh, yea. Let me start by saying sorry for being a selfish, greedy person – for taking all the love from you and never stopping to express my gratitude. THANK YOU for your blog, for the love, the ideas, the good times and the hard times (tiling! yikes!).
My husband and I moved into our first home in April with our then 3 month old son and you have walked us through every design and most baby decisions. From cloth diapers, cribs, doorknobs, paint choices… even headboards and DIYs from your book all are displayed proudly in our home. You have made life easier on us.
Forget all the whiny, needy readers. If you’re feeling out of your mojo its because you have a newborn and a three year old. Are you kidding me? You guys totally need to have family time. Who wouldn’t?!!
I quit my position after 10 years in engineering to stay at home for a year and to take a break as I was losing my motivation in the field. So I know exactly how you feel. Love to you all and take your time to enjoy your family and find the fun in your projects again.
It seems you have a loyal following and at least I can say that I will be here when you’re ready to come back (because c’mon, anyone who’s awesome enough to interview eminem and make rap songs for aprils fools cannot quit the internet forever) you’re meant to be here for people and hopefully fools like myself will show more appreciation!!
xo
D
Nancy Michigan says
Wow – 3000 love letters and counting!
What’s amazing is your creativity in crafting a career that allows both of you outlets for your creativity and expertise and allows you to co-parent as well. Bravo!
My metaphysical friends tell me this is the year of re-invention, so it seems you are in perfect timing. Remember when the flow stops, that’s when things get stagnant. So happy reinventing yourself.
Oh, and just so you know, you are one of only a handful of blogs I read. Most of the others post once or twice a week but it is quality stuff and I’ve been following them a long time.
Heidi says
I feel even more lost this morning than I did after reading your post yesterday, checking in just to see if maybe yesterday was April Fool’s Day and my calendar was WAY off! I will miss you guys while you’re gone. I hope you enjoy your break and have time to ask yourselves questions and explore your thoughts and feelings about Young House Love. And I hope you are able to find your joy and passion in the blog again, and if not, that you can find that joy in whatever you choose to do after this.
Hugs & best wishes!
Michelle says
Just wanted to let you guys know you will be missed more than you know! I have followed your blog faithfully for years and never signed in. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Makes me sad that you must have received negative feedback. I will still check in and hope you return if and when the time is right. I’ve enjoyed the family involvement and team spirit. Blog or no blog don’t lose that!
Best wishes
M
Maryam says
This makes me so very sad – i absolutely love you guys! I had my 1st daughter after your Clara and tried to do everything you guys did. I just had my second child, 1 month before you. I hope you find the things you need in your time off!
JoAnne says
This…this is hard like giving up coffee!!!
Just know that you were (are) that much a part of my day. Something warm and comforting that I always looked forward to. And I didn’t notice anything being off. I just noticed life – as in some days we all just don’t have it together. But we accept that, because that’s what friends do. I have always been truly inspired by your openness and respected that anything you did here was well suited to your life in those moments.
So I say to you John and Sherry – a big THANK-YOU for all you have done for me! You’ve shown me it’s ok to take chances, be brave, be yourself.
I am very GRATEFUL to YOU guys!
Be well and rest.
xoxo JoAnne
Kari M says
I want to give you both a big hug right now. I get the feeling that writing this post, and taking this break was a difficult decision for you both. Please know that we all understand, and you don’t need to apologize or feel guilty in any way. If you are not loving what you are doing anymore, a break is absolutely needed, I was always amazed at how incredibly hard you worked! You deserve time off to regroup and figure out what you really want. Just remember that it’s impossible to please everyone all of the time, and it’s always the negative ones that speak the loudest, but I know that the vast majority of us kept coming back because we love it here! Sorry if we didn’t say that enough. Thank you for sharing with us, the big and the small, the intense DIY tutorials and the light posts about your love for ceramic animals and everything in between. I loved them all! I hope we hear from you again, but if not, we just want you to be happy. Wishing you all the best!
Jen S says
I’m a daily reader and will miss you. Good luck as you think through the future!
Barb says
Eloquently written.
You two need to recharge, and what ever direction you take after that will be in the best interests of you guys and your adorable babes. My daughter, and her boyfriend, just purchased a home, and she totally references your blog. A lot. Lots of love, laughs and recharging with family. That’s what it is all about. Oh….and you WILL be missed.
Boshizzle says
Your business, your family, your life. You do what you feel is best for your family (THE most important thing a person can have). It’s no one’s business but yours. End of story!!! You guys are great! My wife and I have truly enjoyed what you have shared on line over the years. We wish you all he best in whatever you choose to do!!
Sincerely,
M&M
Peggy says
I think you guys are just the sweetest thing ever and I can honestly say I understand and support your decision 100%. Am I saying you won’t be missed? NOT by a long shot!! see i had a blog (still do but that is another story) and lost the love. i’m not sure what happened… in fact as a whole i only have a few blogs i read now instead of the over a dozen that i once followed. the small town community feel is gone.. it feels more like corporate america now. i miss the “friends” i made. in some cases it feels as though they have moved on. and i know this is the case as the personal notes we once exchanged on a regular basis are gone. they now have their “support” groups of fellow money making bloggers and I can understand that. but it hurts to know that our budding friendship could not withstand the world of blogging and not blogging. So… okay all of that to say that i am PROUD of you guys. Proud of you for taking a step back and figuring out what you need to do! I think highly of you both and just wanted to let you know that you are an inspiration! Take care and I’ll be looking forward to seeing what your next steps in life will be! Good luck!
SandyP says
John and Sherry,
You are my daily read while I eat lunch at my desk and after the first 3 lines I got this knot in my stomach and a horrible feeling, one I can only compare to being 17 and experiencing my first break up. I want to thank you for opening up your home, family and life to us. I am so grateful for your insights, shortcuts and ideas. Honestly you are like family. I speak of you to my husband in first name terms – “john and sherry” it’s so endearing and awesome how you have become a part of our lives. Gohs you are my idols LOL. Basically what I am saying is I am a lifer and I hope in some way I am reciprocating the same honesty, gratitude and commitment you have given us for these last 7 years in telling you I am a lifer with your blog. I love you guys, and completely understand you need breather and going off the grid, I mean don’t we all need to reset once in awhile?. I can only imagine the added stress to have this constant need to please the mass audience you have accumulated over the years while raising a family. Most us clock in and then check out for the day and your wheels need to be constantly turning. I am grateful for whatever you post, be it one a week or once a month . I wish you the best and want you to know you will be missed but no worries because like many here I will be here when you get back. Take care and enjoy the much needed breather.
Sandy
Laura says
I will miss you guys and look forward to seeing what you do next. I’m sorry I didn’t comment more often and tell you how much I enjoy all of your talents and time.
Enjoy your time off and I hope you find your way back to this blog world soon.
Keta says
I’ve never commented before but I need to say thank you for all your inspiration and everything you’ve shared with us. You are amazing, guys, and I will certainly miss you. God bless you in whatever you do.
Erin says
I’m saddened by the break, but as a fellow creative person, I understand the need.
You’re one of my favorite blogs. Contrary to some other opinion in last week’s post, I’ve enjoyed all of the posts. The long DIY, actual home renovation is what I prefer versus the smaller how to paint a table type posts. It’s always fun to see what you’re doing and gather inspiration regardless of frequency.
Enjoy your break, I can’t wait to see what your “next” is!
Kate says
Just joining the chorus of fans saying we totally get it! I’m excited for you to have some time with each other and to work out what you want. If/when you come back, I’ll be here (with a lot of others!) happy for you guys. Your energy is a constant inspiration – I think you’re doing amazing work and am thrilled to see your new life plans!
Jenny A. says
I understand. I’m living it with you. Life changes occur and sometimes you lose your mojo. Enjoy this break and focus on what you really want. You’re young, you have options and the world really is your oyster. I have complete faith that whatever you choose to do, you’ll be successful.
XOXO
Cheesefest says
This blog was one of my awesome finds at the start of the year. I was smitten. My heart was doing jumping jacks of joy but my brain slightly shortwired after I learned that your blog has been around for years and has thousands of followers. As a fan of the DIY community and a follower of ‘Instructables’ in their infancy, I was like, “Where have you been after all this time? How could this have happened? I’m always on the internet & followed famed interior/arch/design sites but never stumbled upon yours.”
Maybe I wasn’t paying attention & kept clicking away. Tsk. Tsk.
No worries. It didn’t take long for me to catch-up and like every lovefool who found their object of obsession, I back-read (more like devoured) all of your post in the first couple of weeks after finding. I felt giddy and excited everytime there’s a new post (like seeing a crush every chance you get). Yep. I was a goner. Hook, line & sinker. I mean c’mon, what’s not to like? The photos & writing are well put together. It’s detail oriented yet playful & has a feeling of familiarity even when it gets technical. The subtle advertisment entries doesn’t make my eyes roll back in the head. Most if not all products that are listed here isn’t available where I’m from. Still, it makes me want to get my hands on those DIY thingamajigs and live there.
Fast forward to now, with one hand over chest & a line excerpt from Great Expectations circa ’98, “You know what this is? It’s my heart. And it’s broken.”
Yeah. Not really. Kind of. This feels like a trial separation. *awkward laugh* Take your time. I understand and will wait for your comeback.
***
Sending potful of glittering positive vibes to your family from the other side of the world.
Rachel says
I read quite a few blogs, but yours has been the one I check DAILY for the past 4-5 years. I will miss your posts, but hope you find clarity for yourselves (whatever that may be) over the next coming weeks.
I LOVE your blog. That will never change for me :)
Lauren Grizzard says
John and Sherry,
I have been following your blog for years now as an avid (albeit, quiet and never commenting) reader. Through the moves, the home renovations, and projects (that have all been fantastic), my favorite aspect of this blog has always been your sweet personalities and your precious family. I completely support and respect you guys in taking what is probably a long overdue break. I appreciate you prioritizing your readers, but more so, I am grateful you’re taking time to yourselves and your family just to recharge and figure out what is right for you at this point. I selfishly hope you return because my morning rituals of reading your blog, looking at People.com, and checking my emails (in that order. priorities!) would be sad without you. However, if something else is a better fit for your family, I will have been grateful that you let me join you for so many years!
xoxo – Lauren
Renee says
I will miss reading your posts and have been inspired by you and a few other blogs to start DIYing I have always had the urge to but was afraid. I am currently in the midst of taking a wide and tall bookcase and cutting it in two to make a long lower bookcase that fits the space better. The courage came from reading all your great tutorials. I really hope you will continue to blog as I look forward to all of your posts, because of your sense of humor. I also like hearing about the kiddos. I feel like you guys are out of state friends. Good Luck !