A full year has now passed since we made the significant decision to step away from our regular blogging schedule, embarking on what felt like a much-needed sabbatical. We honestly didn’t know what to expect from this hiatus. The blog had been such an integral part of our lives, a constant thread of creativity and connection. Yet, as the months unfolded, what truly surprised and humbled us was the incredible outpouring of love, unwavering support, and continued interest you, our amazing community, have shown us. Your encouragement has been a constant source of warmth and validation, reminding us why we started this journey in the first place. So, before we delve into any updates, we simply want to extend our deepest gratitude. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. You truly are the best, and we are incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive audience.
One Year On: Reflecting on Our Big Blog Break and Your Unwavering Support
The past twelve months have been a period of profound reflection, personal growth, and exciting new ventures for us. We’ve received countless messages, emails, and comments asking about our whereabouts, our current projects, and how life has changed since our blog break. For a long time, Sherry and I pondered the most authentic and comprehensive way to share a massive “what-the-heck-have-we-been-up-to” update. Sherry, ever the creative visionary, playfully suggested a Real Housewives-style freeze frame, complete with dramatic update text next to our smiling faces. While I loved the humor in it, I quickly (and perhaps a little too pragmatically) pointed out that such a format would easily push us thousands of words over any reasonable blog post limit. #dreamcrusher, I know.
Unveiling Our Journey: A Candid Conversation on The Lively Show Podcast
Serendipitously, last month provided the perfect platform for this long-awaited update. We had the wonderful opportunity to record an episode for Jess Lively’s insightful podcast, The Lively Show. The episode aired last Thursday, and upon listening to it ourselves for the first time, we realized it encapsulated a remarkably thorough and honest synopsis of the past year of our lives. It wasn’t just a discussion; it was a deep dive, covering an extensive range of topics with Jess’s thoughtful guidance. What truly made this format exceptional, we felt, was the power of hearing our story in our own voices. There’s an undeniable authenticity that inflection, tone, and the pauses of natural conversation convey, often surpassing what typed words alone can achieve. You know, sometimes the nuanced emotions carried by our voices genuinely trump even the most carefully chosen punctuation and emojis.
We understand that committing to an hour-long podcast might seem like a significant time investment in today’s fast-paced world, but we genuinely believe it offers the most complete picture of our journey. We made a conscious effort to be incredibly open and transparent, sharing the candid details about everything that has unfolded over the last year. This comprehensive conversation aims to answer many of your burning questions, providing insights into some of the most pivotal decisions and experiences we’ve had. Here’s a glimpse into the key areas we explored:
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Why We Stepped Away: The Evolution of Priorities and Passion
We delve into the true reasons behind our decision to step back from consistent blogging. This wasn’t a sudden impulse, but rather a culmination of evolving priorities, a desire to rediscover our creative passions outside of the blog’s demands, and a need to reclaim some personal space and time. We discuss the pressures and joys of maintaining a daily blog, and how we recognized the need for a different pace to foster new kinds of growth and creativity.
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Our New Chapter: Embracing Fresh Roles and Creative Pursuits
Curious about what we’re doing now? We share candidly about our current professional endeavors and how we’re channeling our energy and skills into new and exciting ventures. This includes details about how our daily lives have transformed, and what it’s like to work on projects that are different yet still deeply rooted in our love for design and home. It’s been an incredible learning curve, and we discuss both the challenges and the immense satisfaction of these new roles.
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Design & Style Transformed: A Refined Approach to Home
Our aesthetic and design philosophy haven’t just stood still; they’ve continued to evolve significantly during this break. We explore how our approach to design and renovation has matured, becoming more intentional and reflective of our deeper understanding of what makes a house a truly “lovable, livable home.” We talk about new inspirations, techniques, and the underlying principles that now guide our creative process, influencing everything from large-scale projects to small, personal touches.
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Family Life Unfiltered: Navigating Changes Together
The shift away from blogging had a profound impact on our family dynamics, and we share openly about how this major change affected our daily routines, our children, and our relationship. We discuss the benefits of having more family time, the challenges of adapting to new schedules, and how we’ve worked together to ensure our family remained a central focus amidst all the transitions. It’s a candid look at maintaining balance and connection.
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Lessons from the Past: What We’d Do Differently
With the benefit of hindsight, we reflect on our extensive blogging career and honestly share what we might have done differently if given the chance. This isn’t about regret, but rather about invaluable lessons learned regarding self-care, setting boundaries, managing expectations, and protecting personal creative energy. These insights are not only personal but also offer valuable takeaways for anyone navigating a demanding creative career.
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The Profound Impact of Change: A Family’s Growth Story
Finally, we discuss the overarching effects this significant life change has had on our entire family unit. From fostering resilience to embracing new opportunities and perspectives, we share how this period of transition has shaped us all. It’s a testament to the fact that sometimes, stepping back is the only way to truly move forward, allowing for new growth and unexpected joys to flourish.
So, for those eager to catch up on our entire year, all you need to do is click on our slightly cheesy faces below! Once you’re on that page, scroll down just a bit to find the pink-ish box and hit the play arrow to dive into the conversation. If you prefer, you can also easily find the episode wherever you typically get your podcasts. It’s conveniently available for free download via iTunes or stream it directly on Stitcher. We hope you enjoy listening!
Beyond the Podcast: A Glimpse into Our Current Projects and Passions
While the podcast offers a deep dive, there are also countless fun tidbits and exciting developments that have unfolded behind the scenes. These are the kinds of stories that add color to our narrative, revealing where our energy and focus have truly been directed. From tackling ambitious construction projects to embracing unexpected personal hobbies, life post-blog has been anything but dull.
Building Dreams: Our Five New House Projects
One of the most thrilling and demanding projects currently occupying our time is our work on not one, but five new houses! This endeavor is a significant departure from our usual one-project-at-a-time approach and has allowed us to explore various design aesthetics and construction challenges simultaneously. Each house presents its own unique set of opportunities and learning experiences, from architectural planning to interior design choices. It’s been an incredible journey of scaling our design process and managing multiple creative visions, pushing our boundaries and enriching our understanding of home building on a grander scale. This comprehensive undertaking has truly solidified our passion for creating beautiful, functional spaces, even if it means juggling several sets of blueprints and material samples at once.
Embracing New Hobbies: From Spandex to Dance Moves
On a more personal note, the break has also allowed for some unexpected detours into new hobbies and personal growth. For me, that meant finally embracing a more active lifestyle, which, surprisingly, involved a lot more spandex than I ever anticipated. It’s been a rewarding journey of pushing physical limits and discovering new forms of fitness that genuinely make me feel invigorated. It turns out, there’s a lot of joy to be found in the world of high-performance stretchy fabrics! Sherry, on the other hand, has been unleashing her inner dancer. Let’s just say her interpretation of “dropping it like it’s hot” to DJ Snake’s “Turn Down For What” has become a legendary (and highly entertaining) spectacle in our household. Her passion for movement and playful spirit is truly infectious, bringing an extra dose of laughter and spontaneity into our lives.
(And no, there’s absolutely no way she’d ever let me post a picture of that, so you’ll just have to imagine the pure, unadulterated joy!)
Our Home, Our Sanctuary: Post-Blog Room Reveals and Evolving Spaces
Crucially, our own home continues to be our primary design laboratory. The room updates we’ve tackled since stepping away from the blog have come together in a distinctly different way. Without the pressure of weekly deadlines or the need for immediate “reveal” content, we’ve found a renewed sense of freedom in our design process. This slower, more deliberate approach has allowed us to truly savor each decision, experiment more freely, and infuse these spaces with an even deeper level of personal expression. As a result, many of these post-blog updates have quickly become some of our absolute favorite spaces in the house, embodying our evolved style and reflecting a more relaxed approach to home creation. Let’s take a closer look at a couple of these cherished rooms:
The Dining Room: A Reflection of Our Evolving Design Philosophy
Our dining room, for instance, has been transformed into a space that feels both elegant and incredibly inviting. It’s a true testament to how our design process has evolved; every element, from the lighting to the textiles, was chosen with intention and a focus on creating a comfortable yet refined atmosphere. This room now serves as a perfect backdrop for both everyday family meals and special gatherings, reflecting our current design sensibilities that prioritize both beauty and livability. It’s less about trends and more about timeless appeal and personal comfort.
The Living Room: Comfort, Style, and Personal Expression
Similarly, our living room has undergone a significant transformation, evolving into a cozy and stylish retreat that perfectly balances comfort with sophisticated design. We’ve experimented with new layouts, furniture pieces, and decorative elements to create a space that feels both curated and genuinely lived-in. This room now truly embodies our vision of a “livable” home – a place where everyone can relax, connect, and feel completely at ease. The post-blog freedom allowed us to take our time, sourcing unique pieces and letting the room’s personality develop organically, making it a truly personal and cherished space.
Beyond these, we’ve also tackled a few other beloved spaces, including our guest room, the garage, our hall bathroom, and even our half bathroom – which, surprisingly, might just be our ultimate favorite update. Each of these projects showcases our continued passion for home design and the unique ways we’ve been approaching renovations in this new chapter. And here’s a little secret: you’ll get to see all of these beautifully transformed spaces, along with many more insights and inspiration, in our exciting new book!
“Lovable Livable Home”: Our New Book and Connecting with You
Speaking of the book, we are absolutely, ridiculously proud of how “Lovable Livable Home” has turned out, and we are beyond excited for all of you to finally see it! This book has been a true labor of love, a culmination of years of design experience, personal stories, and practical advice, all distilled into a beautiful and inspiring volume. That’s why you’ve likely seen some enthusiastic sneak peeks and shameless plugs popping up on our social media channels, particularly on Instagram and Facebook recently. We genuinely believe it captures the essence of our evolved approach to creating homes that are both aesthetically pleasing and incredibly functional for real-life families. What makes us even more excited is the opportunity this book presents for us to reconnect with you, our amazing readers, especially face-to-face. We’re thrilled to be heading out on the book tour next week, and the thought of meeting so many of you in person is truly exhilarating. We’ve missed those personal interactions and can’t wait to share stories, answer questions, and celebrate this new chapter together.
Looking Ahead: Future Projects, Connections, and Our Kitchen Renovation Plans
We genuinely look forward to seeing many of you on the road during the book tour, and continuing to share snippets of our lives and projects here and there on social media. As for the ol’ blog, we don’t want to make any grand promises about what or how often we’ll post, but rest assured, our home projects are still rolling along. It’s a slower, more intentional pace these days, which allows us to truly enjoy the process without the pressure of constant updates (and there’s much more on this new rhythm in the podcast, by the way). One significant project that remains on our radar is our long-anticipated kitchen renovation. We’re happy to report that we’ve finally landed on a floor plan that both Sherry and I absolutely love, after much deliberation and sketching. We’re optimistically hoping to kick off that exciting transformation shortly after we return from the book tour. It’s going to be a big one, and we can’t wait to share our progress when the time is right.
A Little Levity: Signing Off with a Smile
Given that our past few posts, and indeed much of the podcast, have delved into some rather heavy and serious topics, I thought it would be nice to leave you with something a little lighter. Sometimes, just sometimes, I can be a good sport about the whole “Real Housewives” thing. You know, when the mood strikes and the cameras aren’t actually rolling. Sometimes. #dreammaker (just kidding, mostly). Enjoy this little bit of silliness, and thank you again for being such an incredible part of our journey.