What makes you ‘you’?


{print via The I Am Project}

A couple of weekends back, we held a little party for Lacey’s 4th birthday at my Ma’s house. Our family parties are always laid back, and easy going. My brother-in-law mentioned to me that Ma’s TV should have 63 more free-to-air channels but he couldn’t figure out how to do it. I love a challenge and I was going to rewire that TV and get those extra channels. And then my brother mentioned to me that he couldn’t get his iPhone to work, so I was determined to get it going. Two challenges, all while in the middle of hosting a party and cooking lunch for 15 people. Easy.

While in the middle of trying to tackle everything someone said, “That’s such a Chantelle thing to do.” Because I find something and I have to solve it. I have to get to the bottom of it. I don’t know why, but I just do.

Then my mind wondered, what else makes me ‘me’? What else is a little bit ‘Chantelle’? So I wrote a list:

♡ I like to write lists. They’re scribbled on bits of paper and then piled all over the house.
♡ I think, a lot. I don’t know if other people can turn their brains off a bit, but mine is always on overtime.
♡ I’m a fast cook. In the time it can take people to do one dish, I can make 5. Speedy chef at your service.
♡ I’m a homebody. I love my little family and being with them. I love the idea of a night on the town and a good party, but I love the company of my family more.
♡ I hate ginger. Ick! But if you serve me it at a dinner party I’ll eat it, and not say a word.
♡ I own a kind heart. At school teachers would ask me to friend the friendless kids. So I did.
♡ I’ll pay you in cakes. Just ask. I’ve had people trade things for me in return for baked goods.
♡ I find it hard to say no.
♡ I get anxious that people are going to say bad things to me about the way I look, so I arm myself with witty comebacks ready for people to bite. They never do.
♡ I’m creative. It drives me batty because I have a zillion things going at once. I don’t know how not to.
♡ I was born to be a mum. I’m not awesome at it, but I love it.
♡ I’m besotted with my husband.
♡ I’m always early. Never ever late {and if I am, I’ll be having an anxiety attack over it}.
♡ I say too much. I need a filter.
♡ I mostly wear dresses, and can’t quite master jeans.
♡ I hate putting petrol in the car and making the bed after washing the linen.
♡ I’m a dreamer. I actually believe amazing things are possible {like winning lotto}.
♡ I’m messy.
♡ I hate things being unresolved. I want them solved before the sun goes down.
♡ I’m bad at returning calls and emails. Sorry.
♡ I say sorry too much.
♡ I remember weird things. Details about people, or people’s faces after brief meetings. Like people I met at a party and when I see them elsewhere they just forget who I am. It happened again just last week. Awkward.
♡ I can’t nap in the daytime no matter how tired I am.
♡ If someone has pissed me off, it takes me a while to forgive them. If ever.
♡ I have the ugliest feet in Australia.

What about you? What makes you ‘you’?

53 thoughts on “What makes you ‘you’?”

  2. Love this list…I too am a list maker. When I was little I had a million little pretty notebooks which were my 'list books'…full of my lists of things I like, things I don't like, plans for the school holidays, things I collect LOL…endless LISTS!!! Haaa…had to laugh about the feet thing…and I totally get the born to be a Mum thing & the not being able to turn your brain off….me too. I often say that my ability to bounce back after a bad situation or event makes me ME.
    x

  3. Def not crafty! Wish I was as I tried scrapbooking as it was only so/so.
    Think all the time,but don't always act on it.
    Hate cooking,but can do it well enough to survive ( luckily hubby can cook )
    Only ever wanted to be a mum from an early age, luckily I was blessed with two sons.
    Can easily nap in the daytime, but find it hard to sleep at night.
    Feel I have no special skill but I am sure there is some in there somewhere.
    Not very competitive,never played sport.
    Can remember a conversation from way back,and can often quote it back to the person..used to drive ex crazy.
    Love my family,but it took me a while to get to this stage.
    Hate bills not being paid,drives me mad…doesn't help if you don't have the money to get it out of the way.

    Good Morning Chantelle 🙂

  4. Whoa. I identified with more of these than expected. Good to know someone out there is just as quirky as I am. I thought I was the only one! Thanks for posting this. It made my day.

  5. Haha! I'm the same as you about arming myself with comebacks for things I imagine people are gonna say – except with me it's more about parenting than about how I look. And every once in a while I actually need my stored-up comeback 😉

    I think one thing that makes me me is that I'm painfully picky about friends – and that makes me seem very introverted most of the time. The idea of being friends with everyone I meet (like my husband manages to do) makes me a little sad, because I long for friendships that are based on commonality, not compromise. Not necessarily saying that's good, but it's at least what makes me different from those around me!

  10. What makes me me??? Well to start there is only one of me (lucky), I love a good chat and can probably talk underwater, my hair has to be perfect all the time – no lumps if its pulled back in a pony tail so I could spend 15 minutes doing 1 pony tail. I have to have polish on my toenails, hate ironing and folding, I don't have a BGF (best girl friend) but have lots of BFF's, I love cooking using the 4 Ingredients recipes (I'm an addict), will always read the dessert menu first. I'm patient but can get frustrated if something doesn't turn out like I visioned it. My favourite colour is red yet people think it's pink because I wear a lot of pink and my business has the word pink in it.

    I could go on but that'll do. I me just because I am 🙂

  11. Just stumbled across your site blog through a site and am pleased I did. Like some of the others above I am glad that I am not the only one with some of these quirky things in my personality. I am so much a list maker that I am renowned among my friends for it and am given list books and paper as gifts. I constantly seek out the perfect list paper and have been known to spend hours in kikki k and even somewhere as mundane as Officeworks in the quest. It has NEVER happened and I have surely aided in the killing of thousands of trees by keeping this demand for paper alive. My eulogy to my brother at his funeral was in the form of a list of our life together starting from the day he was born til the day he died (I am his big sister). It was easy to write because it didn't have to be grammatically correct, it was just a list of our favourite memories.

  12. This is a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing. I love hearing things like this and especially like the print your shared, might have to get one for myself!

    I do the same remembering thing with random people and weird things. I hate doing little essential things like brushing teeth and putting on lotion and all that. I am great at making lists and plans but feel like I don't finish a lot of those plans, but I'm getting to be ok with that. I like weird things and like to watch and observe rather than be in the middle of the action. It takes me a while to open up to people but once I do then it's all in!

  13. I am a list maker, picture taker, bad cooker, born to be a Mama, in love with my hubby, sometimes unorganized, late a lot(even though I hate to be), forgiving, hate to say no. Love your post. Thanks for sharing!! I truly enjoy your blog.

    • A splash of paint on toe nails can make all the difference. I've changed my gf's thinking about her feet/toes after I gave her a pedicure and painted her toes. She now comes to my salon every month and is happy to show them off.

  15. I love your blog Chantelle, and get excited everytime I see a new update! My list of me:
    * I'm obsessive about my house, I can't go out without it being neat and tidy and the kitchen and sink clean.
    * I'm obsessive about my hair, and like Louise I will spend ages making sure it's right before I head out the door.
    * I'm obsessive about my handbag, it has to match what I'm wearing, I have all my bag stuff in 2 small bags which I just pull out and swap to another bag in a minute.
    *I was also born to be a mum, it's my favourite job in the whole world.
    * I adore my husband,he is my best friend.
    * I hate going out at night, I'd prefer to be home watching TV or in bed reading.
    * I love love love a nanna nap, and have one 2-3 times a week if I can.
    * I love my friends, and have many, but also love to be on my own or with my husband best.
    * I can talk anytime, anywhere.
    * I'm very outgoing and will talk to anyone.
    * I am very happy and smiley most of the time, and make friends very easily.
    * I love being the centre of attention, and have no fear of talking in front of a large crowd.
    * I love reading and books are my passion.
    * My favourite food is ice-cream.
    * I struggle with my weight and have all my life. I really need to lose 20 kilos, but find it too hard.
    * I struggle constantly with headaches and migraines, and it keeps me from doing a lot of things socially.
    * Mess with my daughter and you'll see mama bear emerge!!

  16. What a great post, I thoroughly enjoyed it. A great task to sit and write the unique things about yourself! I am a perfectionist, and stress alot about the little things (though on the outside you wouldnt know), yet I am relaxed about life – maybe a little too much, I believe to love and be loved is the greatest feeling in the world, I only cook amazing meals on Sundays, I smile everytime I see a dog, I love the world of blogging and the opportunities it has opened me to.

    Xx

    http://www.mbcaptured.com

  17. I am a mum
    Who works
    Wears leggings a little too often
    Frequently offers to help, even if I am not sure how to go about it / fit it in / make it happen
    Gets offended a bit too easily sometimes
    Hates mess
    Loves art and design
    Has a distinct sense of style – people notice that things are very “me”

    Great post Chantelle!

  18. You're fabulous and gorgeous too … we're on the same page about lots of stuff …
    lists,
    brain overload,
    fast cook,
    homebody,
    care too much,
    anxious about people having a dig,
    creative,
    good Mum,
    always on time,
    need a fliter,
    remember faces,
    messy,
    hate unresolved things,
    nap,
    stay pissed off,
    YIKES imagine how awesome you're gonna be when you're a GGMa like me … we get even better with age. xo

  19. Oh! I love this list! I, too, say sorry too much, remember weird things, and feel as though I have the ugliest feet in New Brunswick, Canada.

  20. I love this!

    I:

    *Love writing lists
    *Am creative
    *Think too much about silly things
    *Care too much about what others think
    *Am a meat eater who can't bear the thought of animals dying
    *Homebody
    *Crafty
    *Corner-cutting Martha Stewart
    *Dream, too much

    So many more. I think i can beat you on the ugly feet front…

  23. i love how normal and quirky we all are 🙂
    hmm, my list:
    -i'm also a list maker
    -i do not have a whisper nor hint of an urge to become a mum
    -love reading recipes but not cooking them
    -major homebody and getting to bed super early
    -i have no control over my blushing
    -ginormous animal lover
    -i'm a major creature of habit, for example i HAVE to put hand cream on before going to sleep each night..

  24. I am a lot like many people here. Except for the feet, mine are not all that bad. I don't finish stuff, talk too much, worry about what others are saying.

    But one really important thing is that I totally and absolutely HATE to drive more than a mile from home…..a near impossibility in today's world!

    Thanks for being you, darling.

    glen

  25. If I was to write a list of what makes me 'me' I would never finish it cause I would be over-annalysing EVERY-LITTLE-DETAIL.

    That is the biggest thing that makes me 'me'. I am an over-annalyser and perfectionist. :/

  27. Interesting post – 🙂

    Another list-writer here
    Hate grocery shopping! … so boring!
    Undetected tissues in the wash … AAARRRGGGHHH!
    Love Lifestyle/Home renovation shows
    Love stationery stores like Officeworks & Newsagencies
    Love Ikea
    I love happy surprises! 🙂

  29. Hhhmn what makes me me. It's all pretty much like your list, except I am always late and do have all those anxiety attacks- hate it, but I just always seem to find one more thing to do before I leave home.

    I am an obsessive laundry washer, but absolutely detest hanging clothes on the line especially in the 40+ temps here in summer- I have a big rod in the laundry. My family generate dirty clothes at an unbelievable rate! I own 4 washing machines. 3 in the laundry and one on the verandah outside for stinky dog blankets and hubby's cow poopy, muddy clothes. I have 2 steam washer dryers so my bedlinen is all washed and dried and ready to go back on the bed when I get home from work, uniforms in at night and ready to be worn again in the morning. I looooove my little laundromat!

    I believe in equality and I am extremely kind, taking great pleasure in helping out and giving kids at school a break. Most kids find my library a real haven.

    I have been told that I am incredibly witty and can outsmart even the most clever of foxes! I am a 'solver' too.

    I 'Hyperfocus' well that's what I call it, focusing on something until I have it right- nothing else gets done until I have mastered that skill or task.

    That brain working overtime thing is good! I have solved many, many issues and foreseen disasters just by thinking about them when other people don't bother, but it keeps me up at night. I don't sleep much, there's too much living to be done!

    Ps. I have prettied up my feet by ALWAYS having polish on the toes and a toe ring on the second toe on both feet! (my second toes are 1 cm longer than the big ones!)

  33. Dear Chantelle, thank you very much for this post! I have never really thought about what makes me “me”, but reading your list makes me think it would be quite fun to do so! I love reading your blog.

    Greetings from Germany,

    Isabelle

  34. i love this post! and some of the sounded like thoughts from my own head.
    i remember EVERYONE and no one ever remembers me. this leads to so many awkward conversations which leave me feeling like a stalker even though i just have a good memory!
    i say sorry far too much. if you step on my foot, i guarantee i'll apologise for it. at one of my old jobs my boss wrote sorry all over my card, trying to give some of them back!
    and i think my “trotters” as my kind other half calls them would rival yours for ugliness. i was never destined to be a foot model, that's for sure.

  35. Oh my god, I can't sleep in the daytime either!!! I'm forever and ever jealous of my boyfriends ability to sleep whenever he wants to!! I think {for me anyway} it's to do with my brain not shutting down until I am tired and pass out at night time.

  41. I love your list Chantelle! So many of the points are me! The creative brain for me never switches off either and it can be overwhelming at times with so many ideas and not enough time. I write lists on pieces of paper too instead of in a little notebook! I think WAY TOO MUCH as well!! It never ends!! So many other things you said relate to me – however I do love my feet :). Cassie xx

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