Finding My Niche

As I read advice from thriving bloggers, so many times they encourage us to find our niche in the blog world. Sort of like finding a theme and running with it, right? When we first moved into this house, I made every room have a theme. I visited a friend in our couple's small group back in the day who was a real live interior designer (who was going back to school to become a teacher, but I digress...) and her living room was nautical themed. Complete with light houses and wooden sailboats. I came home and turned our study into Lighthouse Heaven. I'm talking lighthouses everywhere. Clock. Lighthouse. Fan pull. Lighthouse. Art on walls. Lighthouse. Art on shelves. Lighthouse. I think you get the picture. It was so themy that I purposefully now (a dozen years later) go about my design adventures with an anti-theme agenda.

Sometimes as I dream up blog ideas going about my day, I'll think: I should have a niche. (A more modern term for theme, no?) My general shtick has always been just to document my present. What was life like for Mom, in her 30's, four kids...Many, many times, I wish I had my mother's mothering memoirs. (I have her memory, but I need the quick reference addition - for all those times I can't find my dern cell phone, right Mom?)

Beyond that, I try to be funny. But as Emily recently said on behalf of June, when you try to be funny, you aren't funny. I think the funniest thing I ever wrote about was the trip to the vet with the dogs. (You can read that one here.)

Then I think, maybe I could be a food critic. I love to bake. I could make desserts and offer my two cents here on my blog once a week. But that's a lot of commitment. And a lot of sugar consumption. (As if I wouldn’t consume it regardless…)

I guess my dilemma is that I don't really have one thing I'm really, really good at. I dabble here and there. I take photographs. I paint. I stamp. I bake. I mother. I taxi. I ... I do a lot of different things. I don't have a niche. In life. And if that's the case, how do I find a niche on my blog??

I say all this, because this week I've been working on a gift for Sashi. OK, primarily, it's been my attempt to both give a cheap-o gift (that doesn't break the bank OR add to our toy collection...) AND to start the bedroom makeover for Pooks. So, giving a gift to Sashi that coordinates with the bedroom 'theme' (Oh Lord) AND qualifies for the birthday gift is just BONUS AWESOME!

So: I can paint. (I did more of these here.) I love that the girls' handprints cover this frame - Sashi's at the age of one, and Pookie's at the age of 7 ...

It's based on a photograph. So: I take pictures. This one will be cropped and, in a sepia tone, will adorn a velvety center in the frame above.

I hosted a party for the family last week that centered around the birthday girl AND some doll-gone awesome ribs. So, I can cook (at least sometimes...). And I do bake. I have pictures of a few of my recent ball cake adventures (Meiners helped with both...)!

All this to say ~ Do you have a blogging niche? How did you find it? Perhaps I've already found mine and I don't even know it??

*sigh* Who knows.

God, are you there? It's me, Nicheless.