Sunday, January 19, 2014

New Blog Design Coming!

Hey there! I haven't posted much lately for a few reasons: I'm busy painting and (still) unpacking. AND I've been working with a talented blog designer on a brand new blog design. Yay!

Why? you may ask. Well. Now that the girls are attending private school, I needed to refocus. My muddled thoughts were as follows:


  • My blog had been about homeschooling and our family life, with a few book reviews thrown in and a few personal essays, as well. I thought for a few days about discontinuing the blog. After all, homeschooling and educational pursuits had been the center of my life, around which all other things revolved. Since we were no longer homeschooling, would I have anything of value to say? I don't know.
  • And, supposing I continued blogging, should I start a new blog with a new name? I toyed with this for weeks. In the end, I decided to stay with The Bluestocking Belle, even though a few other options really tempted me.
  • For a long time, I've struggled with a focus for my blog. Apparently, that's very important. Specialization, you know. And we are renovating our new to us house. So maybe I could focus on that. . . ? Well, after reading home decor blogs and renovation blogs and redecorating blogs, I've learned that different people have different gifts, and home decor is decidedly not one of my gifts.

Then it came to me that I'd lost myself in all this blog-musing and second-guessing. I'm never going to be a blogger with thousands of followers; I've never going to be known as a "________ maven"; and I don't really want to specialize my blog.

Essentially, my blog is my story, my family's story, and I will enjoy chronicling it as much as I always did. And if anyone learns anything new, is encouraged in any way, or simply enjoys reading about us, then that's a lovely bonus for me.

So be on the lookout in the next week or so for a brand new Bluestocking Belle.

Only it'll still be me.