With a paid developer account you do not need to upload an app to the App Store before installing it on your own devices. You will be able to register your own devices with the developer tools on your Mac and load your apps directly. It's meant for testing your apps, but there is no reason you can't use it for personal apps; if you don't mind the $99 a year.
Depending on the kind of apps you want to create you can write and use them on the iPad. Codea is a reasonably powerful app that lets you create apps to run (in Codea) on your iPad. There is a path for publishing them in the App Store later, if you change your mind; but you will then need all the same tools and paid developer account you'd need to publish them the normal way.
Novo Card is an other app to look at. I don't like it as well, but for some kinds of applications it may work better.