Welcome back to another exciting Blogiversary celebration here at Young House Love! This special week is always a highlight for us, marking another year of sharing our passion for home decor, DIY projects, and, of course, our family adventures with all of you. But beyond the paint swatches and power tools, our annual Blogiversary tradition has evolved into something truly unique: a chance for us to connect with our incredible community on a much deeper, more personal level. We call it our Q&A session, where we temporarily step away from the world of home improvements to tackle the questions that truly peek behind the curtain of our lives.
We understand that our blog might primarily focus on home decorating, but over the years, many of you have grown curious about the people behind the projects – our daily lives, our marriage, our parenting journey, and the occasional embarrassing confession. That’s why, just like in previous years, we extended an open invitation on our Facebook page for you, our dedicated readers, to ask us anything. The catch? These questions had to be personal, non-decorating related, giving us a rare opportunity to share a side of ourselves you don’t always see.
The response, as always, was overwhelming and heartening. We were thrilled to receive over two hundred insightful, funny, and sometimes surprisingly profound questions. It’s a testament to the strong community we’ve built together, and it truly makes these Blogiversary celebrations incredibly special. With such an impressive array of inquiries, Sherry and I carved out some time one afternoon, while our sweet Clara was napping peacefully, to sit down and answer as many as we possibly could. We chatted, laughed, and even stumbled over our words a bit, trying our best to be as open and authentic as possible without being completely and utterly awkward beyond belief. Did we succeed? Well, you be the judge! We then meticulously edited our candid conversation down into an engaging, approximately 20-minute video, packed with insights and revelations.
Prepare yourselves for an array of shocking and jaw-dropping revelations – and yes, you can absolutely note the sarcasm there! While we might not be breaking any major news, we promise a genuine, entertaining, and perhaps even a little surprising glimpse into the world of Young House Love. In this main Blogiversary Q&A video, you’ll discover answers to some of your most burning questions, covering a wide spectrum of topics that go far beyond paint colors and furniture arrangements. Here’s a sneak peek at just some of the intriguing subjects we delved into:
- Family & Future: Many readers are always curious about our growing family. We address the speculation around our future plans, including answering if there’s a bun in Sherry’s oven and when we might consider moving again.
- Blogging & Business Insights: For those interested in the professional side of our creative ventures, we shed light on what kind of money we’re earning for our book, providing a transparent look into the economics of authorship and blogging.
- Marriage & Work-Life Balance: A frequently asked question revolves around the dynamics of working together as a married couple. We openly discuss how working together has affected our marriage, sharing both the joys and challenges.
- Fan Interactions & Privacy: We tackle the curious query of how many readers have knocked on our door asking for a tour, and whether we fear stalkers, offering a perspective on maintaining privacy in the public eye.
- Parenting Philosophy: Our approach to education is often a point of interest. We reveal if Clara will be home-schooled, giving insight into our parenting choices.
- Personal Quirks & Comforts: In a lighthearted vein, we disclose how many bras Sherry owns – a testament to the truly personal nature of these questions!
- Home Projects & Aspirations: While mostly non-decor, some home-related questions do sneak in, like if we’ll ever get started on the playroom, showcasing our ongoing project list.
- Unusual Inquiries: We address some truly unique questions, such as if Sherry’s dad is invisible, highlighting the fun and quirky side of reader engagement.
- Regrets & Reflections: Looking back at our past, we share what we’d change about our old house’s style, offering a retrospective on our design evolution.
- Everyday Habits: We even get down to the nitty-gritty of daily life by explaining why we try not to pick our noses in public – a purely humorous moment.
- Job Satisfaction & Challenges: We candidly reveal what we hate most about our job, demonstrating that every dream job has its less glamorous aspects.
- Romantic Revelations: Diving into our relationship, we share what we each find romantic about each other, offering a sweet and personal peek into our bond.
- Pop Culture & Bribes: Expect a laugh as Sherry plans to bribe me into seeing the new Twilight movie, showcasing our differing pop culture interests.
- Hypothetical Casting: For the fun of it, we imagine who we’d want to play us in a hypothetical YHL movie, letting our imaginations run wild.
- Reality TV Opinions: Sherry shares her thoughts on Ramona from the Real Housewives of New York City, proving no topic is off-limits.
- DIY Gripes: Even DIY enthusiasts have their pet peeves, and we disclose what part of DIYing we like the least.
- Blogger Dynamics: We address the question of if Sherry feels competitive with Katie Bower, exploring the landscape of the blogging world.
- Project Timelines: For those wondering about our content creation process, we explain how long it takes for a project to get posted about.
- Clara’s Personality: And finally, a delightful observation on how Clara acts like a toddler, capturing a precious stage of her childhood.
So, now that your appetite is sufficiently whetted with all these intriguing topics, it’s time to dive in and watch the full conversation! Prepare for some laughs, a few candid moments, and a genuine connection with us as we open up about our lives. Without further ado, here goes nothing – enjoy the Blogiversary Q&A video!
Before you jump into the comments or perhaps even a re-watch, we wanted to share a few behind-the-scenes notes and humorous observations from our filming session. These little insights truly capture the candid and often unplanned nature of producing content like this:
- Sherry’s On-Camera Quirk: Sherry is still insanely embarrassed by one particular habit she developed during filming: she leans in towards the camera the entire time! We didn’t realize this was happening until we were done with the whole video and watched it back. It’s one of those charming, fidgety habits that just happens when you’re trying to be natural on camera. So there you have it: my wonderfully fidgety wife, captured in all her spontaneous glory.
- The Camera’s Nap Time: You might notice a subtle shift in the lighting or focus towards the end of the video. This wasn’t a deliberate artistic choice, but rather a result of our camera actually falling asleep and shutting off mid-sentence! Yes, we genuinely chatted long enough to bore the camera into a state of slumber. We had to tape the end part in a second take, which just goes to show the dedication (and perhaps the sheer volume of our conversation) required to bring these videos to you. High five for putting our equipment to sleep!
- Introducing the Real Stars: While Clara (and our beloved dog, Burger) were comfortably napping during the main Q&A, hence their non-appearances, we couldn’t let them miss out entirely on the Blogiversary fun. This year marked a very special milestone: it’s the first Blogiversary where Clara can actually string words together into something semi-coherent! Recognizing this delightful development, we decided to film a little bonus Q&A video featuring the true stars of our show – Clara and Burger. We thought it’d be incredibly fun to let her take a turn in the “hot seat.” And by hot seat, we mean gently handling questions like “what’s your favorite number?” – oh yeah, we’re grilling her with the tough ones, making for an adorable and unforgettable segment that truly captures her budding personality.
And now, prepare for even more cuteness! The main Q&A might be over, but the fun continues with our special bonus video. Watch as Clara, with her emerging vocabulary, and Burger, with his undeniable charm, take on their very own set of questions. It’s a delightful segment that offers a unique perspective on our family life through the eyes of our littlest (and furriest) members. This is the authentic, unscripted joy that makes our Blogiversary celebrations truly special.
So there you have it, folks – nearly 25 minutes of us blathering on about all things personal and not much home stuff. It’s an experience that feels wonderfully weird and incredibly fun at the same time, offering a balance to our usual decor-focused content. We absolutely love this annual tradition because it allows us to break down the barrier between blogger and reader, fostering a deeper, more meaningful connection with all of you who make Young House Love possible.
We genuinely hope you enjoyed this candid peek into our lives. Did you learn anything that surprised you? Or perhaps hear something that sparked another question in your brain? While we can’t promise we can get to every answer in the comments of this post – two hundred questions are a lot to tackle at once! – we absolutely encourage you to feel free to ask away. Your insightful questions often serve as potential fodder for next year’s Blogiversary Q&A video, ensuring this wonderful tradition continues to evolve and bring new insights each year. We cherish your engagement and look forward to reading your thoughts and queries below!
Psst- Speaking of other years and the evolution of our Blogiversary Q&A, if you’re keen to take a trip down memory lane and see how much (or how little!) has changed, we’ve compiled links to our past Q&A posts. These archives offer a fantastic retrospective of our journey and the questions that have shaped our community over the years. Dive into our previous personal reflections and enjoy the progression of our Young House Love story:
- Catch up on the 2011 Blogiversary Q&A
- Explore the 2010 edition, where you asked and we answered
- Relive the very first 2009 Q&A session
- And don’t miss 2009: part 2 for even more insights from that inaugural year.