Let me start by saying I have no idea which way to go… but I AM GOING and it may be in every direction! I’m GOING to do whatever I choose without second guessing, without hesitation, without worry.
I can. I will.
I have been blogging since May 2011 and up until about 10 days ago I was ready to call it quits. Here’s the thing… I’m tired. (insert a quick nap… HERE)
Although Richie and I have not done that much on the house lately I have to remind myself that most of the back-breaking, tear-producing, messy, scary, OH MY GOD stuff took place the first two years we owned this house. It was only then, when I had more time and the craziness had eased, that I decided to start a blog. Damn, a day late and a dollar short. Except… there was still plenty to do and keep track of.
Okay, okay… I’ll cut to the chase. Unless I change some things, I have to let it go. My biggest problem is that I fell in love with blogging. I loved posting pictures and telling stories. I loved it when someone would leave a lovely comment or send me and encouraging email. I loved it when I could make a connection with someone clear across the country… or even around the block. It changed me in so many ways. It made this process fun and a little less lonely. It was a wonderful eye-opener to how many were out there doing the same things, sacrificing their time, energy, (and social lives) for the home of their dreams. They understood. But how does someone continue to write a renovation blog when they aren’t renovating?
After 3 years of constant work Richie and I are taking a lengthy break. Trust me, we need it! It has been 3 years since we really enjoyed the holidays. Basically it’s “Oh good, we have 5 days off, we must kick ass every minute of those 5 days.. hurry, hurry, hurry”. For the past few years my Thanksgiving started at 7:30 a.m. with my hair twisted in a bun, painting, sheetrock work, or me dangling from a ladder until ten minutes before we had to be somewhere. I’d jump down from the ladder, wipe the paint out of my eyes and hair, throw on whatever is clean and fits, and head out the door. We’d eat, visit, and then rush home to get back to the project because …. “we have 5 days off, we must kick ass every minute of those 5 days.. hurry, hurry, hurry”.
You get the point.
Since about 1,000 square feet of this house remains undone and has never been seen, we still have plenty to document and share on this blog.
We will be getting a new fence in the back yard
Renovating our master bathroom
Creating a work-out/fitness room
Putting together an office space
Designing a little nook for my side hobbies and distractions
Designing a studio space for his art and music
Building a workshop/ wood-working/ welding/ all purpose building in the back yard
So you can clearly see… we have a ton of exciting projects to complete. Actually what’s left to do is the very reason we bought this house. It has the space, the room, the perfect layout for all our creative endeavors and desires. Letting go of this blog would be stupid and I know I would regret it. I must officially change direction. Today.
This is agoodehouse.com. A name that seemed so perfect, as it is a house that was designed and lived in by Rex & Ruth Goode, but it is also a damn GOOD house with lots of GOOD stuff happening day to day. So yes, this is a renovation blog (when we’re renovating)… otherwise there are no rules here anymore. Today I give myself the freedom to do whatever the hell I want (<<< my true feelings). After all, I am the sole writer, editor, photographer, and sassy pants behind this blog … so it’s mine to destroy. (hopefully it won’t go up in flames!)
So there will be some changes around here… both in content and design. I want this blog to be unrestricted.
I love the possibilities! All I ask is that you please make fun of me and write snarky remarks when I do stupid things. I will love that…… and I’m quite certain stupid things will be posted. HA HA!
Some of the posts you will see when we’re not renovating include:
handmade projects, gardening, recipes, music, jewelry making, painting, sewing, art exhibits, an iphone “dump” of random pictures, inspiration from around the web, fitness and health, website projects, estate sale finds, other peoples houses, video posts called “A MINUTE OR LESS”… because lots can happen in 60 seconds, concerts, PLANTS-PLANTS and more PLANTS, photography, books we’re reading, and more.
So as you can see (or read), by limiting myself to only renovation I have really caused things to slow down here. I hate that. It will change. TODAY! Although I promise not to post more than twice a week… unless HGTV shows up to finish my house and then I’ll have to blog every day.
As for those of you who follow along because you are into modern design, renovation, history or architecture, please know that I am not abandoning ANY of that. Our modern home means everything to us. It is our passion and has been a dream come true. We just like lots of other stuff too.
I hope you stick around for all of it.
So funny though… my next post is about renovation. BLAHHHHHHH hahaha! So much for the big speech. :-)
Stacey
I’m so glad you gave yourself permission to change and won’t be abandoning your blog. I’d miss you if you left!
I’m ridiculously self-indulgent and rarely do anything because I feel it’s expected of me. My blog is no exception. It started out completely focused on the 50s and 60s, but it had evolved as our store has evolved, and now I include just about anything that remotely fits into the category of modernism.
I may be doing an addition to my house soon, and if so, you can bet I’ll blog about that project, even though it will only tangentially have to do with keeping the new construction true to my 1950 house.
I look forward to your new freedom, and I’m sure I will continue to enjoy your blog as much as ever. After all, we start to feel as if we know our blogging buddies, so whatever is going on in their lives becomes important and interesting to us.
New construction. Do tell.
Dana, you are such an awesome lady!!! Thank you for this and for always being so supportive… not only of me… but so many other bloggers who just love what you do and how you do it. Honestly your blog is something I only dream of having the time, knowledge and resources to do. I’m constantly in awe of the things you post and I love how you mix things up! Always an inspiration.
YOU BETTER SHARE YOUR NEW ADDITION!!!! Holy crap that will be so fun to watch. Now I’m all excited and can’t wait!!! Thanks Dana.
i cannot wait to read whatever you blog about. it can be about your bowl of oat meal (creepy dolls!) and it would be a good read. i look forward to every post and am glad you are staying put- i’ve missed you around the joint! and i love you and your “do epic shit” note. plus, don’t forget to rest :) onward! xoxox
HA HA HA! Yes, I’ve decided to do a month long series on “what I ate for breakfast”. Oatmeal will definitely be featured at least once… and then I’ll start adding fruit to it to really get you excited!
You always make me laugh!! You are definitely one of the reasons quitting would really SUCK! I’d miss you too much. So for now… until we get back to our “balls to the walls” renovating you’ll just have to put up with my silliness. Love ya!
okay, so that was the nice answer. now that shit just got real…to be honest, if you gave up your blog, i’d first hold myself in a fetal position and then, after i stopped feeling sorry for myself, i’d come after you and GIVE you something (or 2) to blog about! ;) you can’t ever leave us!!! so thanks for the oatmeal and fruit. :D
Yay for freedom. Look what I named my blog? It is perfect except for the “remodel” part. But, I gave myself freedom right away. I am kind of a mid-century remodel myself (I reason), and like Dana, I’ll write about anything that is remotely modern … with an occasional off topic rant. My son actually pressures me to stay on topic, and I will make up some reasons why whatever I am writing is really on topic. And kinda feel guilty. But, blogging is a fair amount of labor (of love), so you just write about what you want missy. I’ll still come read.
Hi Rebecca! How nice are YOU? VERY!!!!! The thing is.. you are SUPER good at staying on topic and tying everything together with the whole modern vibe. I guess it’s pretty stupid to write a post to give myself permission to “wonder”. I guess I just needed to say “hey, it’s going to get weird here”. ha ha! But if it keeps me writing and posting and having fun… I’m all for it… so that’s what I’ll do.
Thank you for reading. New friends are so cool.
Yes, yes, yes, and YES – bring it ALL on Stacey! I know we are going to love your random mix. Your diverse interests in music, jewelry, gardening etc have poked through this “reno” blog already – and they do intrigue.
Change and evolution are beautiful things and the blogging venue is so flexible and condusive to this. No doubt, all your future blogs are going to have your fun, creative, and stylish stamp. Be free, woman, be free! Can’t wait to see what you post next :)
I’m already feeling liberated! Thank you, Jocelyn! I know it’s something probably EVERY blogger thinks about or goes through. The whole… “does this make sense” and “what does this have to do with my blog” question you eventually ask yourself as you sit down to write about the stranger at Subway who bought you tickets to dine with him at an Indian Cultural Festival. WHAT? Seriously, that happened. Yes, we went. And yes, I’ll tell about it (without hesitation!). Oh goodness… I think I’ll burn my bras now. This new freedom is awesome.
Thanks for being you.
Bring it on!! I think everyone who is a fan of your home and your site will fully appreciate being taken on a behind the scenes journey of an extension of your “Goode” life. Does that sound too much like a fitness commercial? It’s your site, your domain, own it and make it what you want. Blogging should be enjoyable and fun and the moment it starts to feel like it’s not, it’s time to re-evaluate the direction you want it to go in.
I really feel like you can’t really ‘know’ where your blog is going until you blog for a bit of time b/c every blogger I have ever followed goes through this at some point. The whole I thought my blog would be about this but it turns out I enjoy talking about this more and why can’t I talk about this and that? Well you can and you should!
I look forward to hearing more of your stories!
Thanks Alex! I know you and I have discussed this before so you knew this was coming with me. I thank you for listening to me bitch (or sort things out) and for giving great advice. When I started the “house” blog it was fine because we were doing SOOO much stuff and there was always something to write about. In that time I’ve seen 4 of my favorite blogs go kaput and just fizzle out. They too were renovation blogs so it’s not like I don’t understand why. It’s tough to maintain that kind of schedule when you both have full-time jobs. I don’t know how some people do it.
I’m a total psycho, aren’t I? I guess it’s like going to a seafood restaurant and when you sit down at the table the only thing on the menu is chicken. Ha Ha ha! They should at least put a sign on the door “CHICKEN ONLY FOR THREE WEEKS”. (laughing) This is my “chicken only” sign for my blog. I’m fresh out of renovation… but here’s what else I’ve got. And thanks to you and your DIY inspiration, there will be some of that for sure. Thanks for the support… you rock!
I am definitely looking forward to your epic shit!! Or just book reviews. ☺
No way you’re going to destroy anything, I actually really love when my favorite bloggers write more about random-life-stuff than just house stuff!
BTW. I definitely wasn’t reading your mind. More like transposing my own feelings of being overwhelmed by the Internet… and the sheer amount of content I’m consuming… and how I sometimes feel like I am spending ALL my free time in ways that are not meaningful or enlightening… I guess I will have to write my own post about that, rather than hope someone else will.
Have a fantastic holiday where you do no house projects!!
OH NO… the pressure of EPIC SHIT!!!!! Ha Ha. I doubt there will be much epic… but some shit, for sure. I have that magnet on my bulletin board to remind me to a least strive for that. Wishful thinking.
Thanks Victoria!
You should definitely write a post about your feelings. Honestly this was my seventh time to write this post and it went from a 10 page rant down to this. I can get carried away and then I think about it and take it back… but trust me… you were reading my mind. I’m overwhelmed too but I live with a man who pulls the reins on me and says “Whoa, girl… you better stop and think about what’s really important”. He’s super good at doing that for me. I fight him tooth and nail, but then give in to his wisdom. I swear the man must be on his 3rd life or something. Talk about an old soul who totally “gets it”.
My problem is finding balance (LIBRA HERE). I either have to be overwhelmed or DO NOTHING. Like that’s healthy or makes any sense? ah, NO! So instead of doing nothing with my blog I need to find a happy medium with it all.
I’m going to send you an email as I want to say something else about this… more later! Have a Happy Thanksgiving too! Dance with Paul under those disco balls. :-)
I don’t think you have to worry that you’ll lose readers over the change in direction. You’re intelligent, funny, engaging and have great style- clearly you like to be surrounded by beauty. Your readers must have similar taste, that’s why they’re here. We can only expect that the happenings of your daily life will continue to offer things that appeals to us.
Do what you want to do- we’re not going anywhere, it’s a ‘goode’ blog!
awwwww, thanks Cindy… that has to be the nicest comment ever! I appreciate that so much and please feel free to smack me good if I get too crazy and start making no sense. Okay, I mean after I write this comment. (LOL) I wouldn’t say that my life is all that interesting… I figure since I’m a homebody and I have a “home” blog everything should fit okay. I mostly just DONT want to get out of the habit of writing and sharing and leaving the blog for weeks at a time just because I don’t have pictures of how we tore the house down and built another one. It’s never going to be as exciting as it once was in terms of fixing up the house… but there’s lots more to go so I want to find a way to stick with it. Thanks for reading and for being there. It was so great hearing from you… and with the most encouraging of words. Happy Thanksgiving!
This is precisely why my blog has diversified. I used to write a poetry-only blog, and I had a renovation-only blog, and I had a mindfulness blog. I finally decided to integrate them all into one. I’ve seen too many blogs go stale because people run out of things to say and share along a single theme. I look forward to your new editorial lineup.
Hey Dana! So great to hear from you. I love how you mix things up on your blog… it’s all the things you are passionate about… and it totally works.
YOU ARE SO RIGHT when you say people run out of things to say and share. I have seen several of my favorites just fade away because it’s almost impossible to keep to JUST ONE THING. I’ve taken breaks from it for one or two weeks and HATED IT! I don’t want to give it up so I thought I’d just say what I was feeling. I’m glad you totally understand that. It certainly makes me feel better and gets me excited to share something other than renovation.
I need to get caught up on what you’ve been doing. I’ve been out of touch and I hate that! Promise, I will. So happy to have your visit!!! Enjoy your holiday.
Stacey… one of the things I adore about you is that you are so true and genuine. Well… I guess that’s really two things.
Anyhoo, I think it’s brilliant that you are giving yourself permission to follow your inspiration and change things up. It is so easy to fill every moment with something… especially when it comes to renovations. And it can be just as easy to fill every moment thinking of blog content and trying to make things fit into certain expectations. Giving yourself time to breathe is so important and I can’t wait to see where that leads you and this blog. I think Rex & Ruth would highly approve of this next season. Enjoy! I’ll definitely be along for the ride.
Thank you, Danielle!! I doubt I’ll make a quilt or a pie for that matter HA HA! … but whatever I post will at least keep me here… and that’s all I really want. The renovations work is always going to be the center of it all especially since we have so much more to go but I have fun doing other things too. Thanks for always being there and for inspiring me with all your talents!
Happy Thanksgiving! I’m sure Tessa has something delicious baked for dessert. Me… I bought a pumpkin pie. CHEATER!!! xo
I don’t think you have anything to worry about as far as losing readers! Real life is just as interesting, if not more, than a renovation. I say GO FOR IT SISTER!
This is YOUR blog. It is for YOU! It is a place you can come to share, whatever: renovation, life, hobbies, plants, food, etc.
I look forward to what you have to share next!
Thanks Brittney.. that is so sweet. Blogging is so fun and it just has to change if you’re going to continue long term. I’m excited about just freeing myself from whatever mold I had put myself in. I appreciate you so much. Of course nothing is as exciting as see what you’re doing. Goodness I love watching your progress.
I hear what you’re saying loud and clear as I myself have taken a break from the all consuming renos! I’m happy to hear you have allowed yourself freedom to blog and yes I’ll be hanging around to read all your fun stuff!
Thanks Kari! It gets to a point where you’re exhausted and you just can’t do anything else. ENOUGH! Everyone is always telling us “you really must take a break”… and we say “if we stop, it won’t get finished”. OH SCREW IT!
When is somebody’s home ever really finished? It’s time to relax for a while. HA HA! I know you HAVE LOTS of experience with all this and YOU also deserve a break. Maybe after the holidays we’ll get back to it all. It’ll still be here.. that’s for sure. :-) Glad you stopped by. Great hearing from you!