Some very dedicated and smart software developers have created WordPress, a blog publishing tool. This software is at least as good and in many cases better than the commercial solutions out there. Written using PHP and architected to allow for customizations as needed, there really is no limit to what can be done with WordPress. Other content creators have noticed this extensibility and there are libraries of plug-ins, themes, and how-to articles. A simple search in your favorite search engine will direct you to the most popular of these libraries.

This blog runs using WordPress. I highly recommend it. Before going too far down any solution involving WordPress, read some of the document to understand the difference between pages and posts. Also decide on a basic layout and search for a template the meets most of your goals. You may be inclined to update the template once you start using it so you'll want to pick the right one from the start or you'll end up repeating your changes.

Good luck and let me know of any blogs you start!