Learning to embrace my inner girl

by Caz Makepeace on August 7, 2012

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I’ve always been a bit of a blokey chick. I’d often be found wrestling my brother’s mates and neighbourhood boys when I was young and Craig says the reason he married me was because I drink beer better than any bloke he knows.

My idea of a good time is throwing on a pair of boots and hiking shoes, ditching the make up and throwing my unbrushed hair in a ponytail to climb a mountain.

Girly luxuries like labelled handbags that match your $300 pair of shoes and stylish outfit were just never on my radar.

Why would I spend my money on that when I could buy an outfit at Target for a tenth of the price that still served its purpose of covering up my naughty bits? I had better things I could spend that money on like travel and memories.

And when it comes to being a mother to a princess diva I tend to fail miserably. I’m a crap baker, have no talents for craft or for making things look cute and princessesy like. I don’t really know what colours go with what and I often freak out just thinking about one day having my own house to decorate. I am convinced that I will have to pay for an interior decorator to do it for me.

It’s not that I really don’t want to do these things. In fact, I’d love it. I often dream about being that woman that oozes style and has a feminine side. I don’t want to give up my rough and tumble side either. It’s given me lots of fun times.

But I can’t help shaking the feeling lately that there is another side of me that is dying to come out. I’m kinda tired of not giving myself nice things and always focused on saving money and putting it towards travel.

I never want to stop the travel but I want to find ways to have a bit of the girly, luxury stuff too.

I want to do it for my princess girls as well.

Embracing my inner girly

The green dress

I blame my new green dress. I bought it from Myers and as soon as it floated over my skin and moulded around my body I was hooked. Is this what buying clothes outside of Target feels like? Okay so now I get the slightly higher prices.

And then I tried on a pair of Ziera shoes the other week and nearly died. They were high heels, except it felt like I was wearing flats, they were sooooo comfortable. I did not want to take them off and I nearly had to have them pried off my feet. So expensive shoes just really aren’t about a label? It is about comfort and support mixed with style.

And then I blame other bloggers, like Sarah from a Beach Cottage who told me in my podcast interview with her that women need to treat themselves more because they deserve it. So I started thinking more about maybe I haven’t for all my life because I’ve thought I don’t deserve it. I need to show a little more kindness to those girly genes.

And then Nikki from Styling You educated us on beauty products as we lay on Melbourne airport floor waiting for a plane back to Sydney at 3am. I remained quiet with my inner head hung in shame. I had no idea about beauty products at all and what goes with what where. Her skin always looks so radiant and mine so tired and haggard. I’ve now purchased a couple of the products she told me about and am looking at how I can boost myself more. I’ve just enrolled in a 30 day natural skin clearing program to boost it up.

And don’t get me started on Hair Romance. I’m struggling to overcome my “I-don’t-have-time-to-make-my-hair-beautiful-every-day” but Christine inspired me to do something.  Think I’d be more inspired with her thick mane though!

I’ve bought hair volumising products now and I even had hair foils put on the other day and felt like a goose when the lady asked me what I wanted and I replied with a blank stare. I have no idea what is good, what works, how this is done, please surprise me. (She continued to persist with questions though to get what I wanted and it made me think how this must be a result of our suing society and their fear of suggesting something that goes wrong.) I did however know what Moroccan oil was when she pulled that out. Thanks Christine!

I also blame Kidspot. I’ve been hanging out with all the ladies that run that site and write for Village Voices. I’m in awe of how pretty they make everything look and all their crafty and baking skills.

Their photos are always so beautiful and pinnable and I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can to make mine the same. I just don’t have that natural flair for it, but here are a few I’m proud of. (Thanks so much to my new fave site for photo collaging Pic Monkey.)

I’ve since got my craft on with Kalyra  We’ve made door name tags and mobiles for my sister-in-laws upcoming baby.

And I have been baking lately. I started it for a road trip snacks story thinking it would be great to showcase some healthy brownies I made. Kalyra did remind me what happened last time I made brownies (they are hard to eat rock hard!) You can see what she thought of these ones in the video.

I am not a dreadful baker and made an okay banana and walnut loaf for our road trip to Seal Rocks lighthouse, but then I bloody nailed it with my almond and apple crumble. I even had fans asking for the recipe based on true faith from the picture. I won’t let them done with that one. It was HOT!! (Stay tuned this week for recipe)

There’s a lot that I haven’t done and still hold off in in regards to house and home as that nomadic spirit of me is far too wild to be tamed. I can’t do too much as the next adventure is always around the corner. Lucky, I can take the other girly stuff with me.

I’m pretty scared of the foreign territory of my inner girl, but I am enjoying discovering her at the moment. (Perhaps this is a sign of a mid-life crisis?)

It will take me a while before I go too crazy with it and I will NEVER be a domesticated goddess- that is just not me. But, I will start treating myself with nicer things and spruce up my life with a bit more style and comfort.