Q + A

the other day, i had asked on my instagram if people would be so kind to tell me a little bit about themselves and if they had a question, to go ahead and ask and that i would answer. well, oh my goodness, the stories and lives and questions just blew me away. my mom texted me telling me how she couldn't believe where some of you lived, and either could i! lebanon! quebec! south africa! china! australia! there's so many beautiful people in this world and i am so deeply touched to have read each story. i wish there was a way to respond a bit easier, but with instagram's interface, it was just so daunting. so i decided to just answer all the beautiful (and humbling) questions here. 

i wish i could respond to each and every soul who told me about themselves but know that i read each and every story and i wish we could all just gather around a giant circular table and chat.

so, without further aideu, some of the questions asked and answered below. i feel a bit vulnerable with some of my responses, so please understand that i'm just trying to answer as openly and honestly as i know how. 

it's a long one, dear friends. it took me most of the week to answer them, so it may take you that long to read! ha! 

Q + A

What's your favorite meal?

the homemade pizza steve and i make. it's my homemade crust i've perfected over the years, homemade red sauce, fontina cheese, red pepper flakes, large cannelloni beans, carmelized onions, chicken apple sausage, oiled arugula and cracked eggs on top :)

What's your favorite smell?

my mother's clothes hanging in her closet, they always have traces of her perfume still left on them. and my husband after he shaves his whiskers :)

Favorite Color?

mauve rose

What was the last thing that made you laugh? Cry?

laugh? my husband walking in the house at 6:30 in the morning eating a baguette straight from the bag. cry? i think the other day when i felt pretty awful about how i looked.

What's your favorite day of the week?

sunday afternoon because steve is most always home that day and nothing much is on the agenda besides brunch, naps and a hearty dinner and wine.

Where do you live now?

northern california in the wine country.

Where do you shop for your son's clothes?

old navy, h + m, zara, target, thrift stores.

What do you do? Job wise

homemaker

What did you study in college?

english

What did you do before you became a mama?

assistant teacher at a private school

How do you feel with such a popular account?

that word makes my stomach churn. i don't think i have a popular account by any means, but i'm humbled to have had a few people follow along our little way. i do however sometimes second-guess and over think about my online presence and where i fit in, if at all.

How has the dynamic between a boy and girl been? What about adding a sibling in general?

it's been so natural. gus is very kind to his sister, but for the most part, he is always just doing his own thing, not really interested in her unless i kind of insist on him giving her a kiss, or a gentle rub on her cheek. i know we have created future best friends and it warms my soul knowing this.

How often do you buy flowers?

in the spring and summer months i rarely buy flowers, i just pick them from our garden. but i buy flowers each and every week, mostly from trader joes or what not. even a few stems of stock is enough for me.

Where would go if you could take your family anywhere on vacation?

we want to go to france to visit my brother and sister-in-law hopefully soon.

When are you going to write a book?

oh, my. this is in the works.

What's your favorite scent to use around the house?

coffee brewing in the morning, the tub after our children's bath, a good roasted chicken in the oven, jasmine in the spring.

How did you know your husband was "the one?"

he sent me a text at two in the morning a few weeks after we were dating. he was eating pancakes alone at Ihop and he said "i want to be eating pancakes with you at two in the morning one day." and that's when i knew.

Have you ever been to Iceland?

no, but in my dreams i will.

How do you carve out time to yourself with two little ones?

i find it in between the cracks of stolen time. maybe when gus is asleep and fi is asleep in my arms, i can put on a song or the kettle on for tea and write or just be. or, i take them both outside and it's good for us all.

lately, i've been waking up around 5:30 or 6am just to have some hours of quiet and calm all to myself.

What's your favorite homemaking task?

making the beds and setting the table, especially if it's for guests. i love excuses to make pretty tablescapes.

What do you do to keep yourself mentally and physically healthy?

mentally, i write and photograph and read stories and current events and inspirational excerpts. lately i've been loving listening to wayne dyer on youtube while i go about my day. his words really resonate with me. physically, i just started getting back to the gym! oh man.

How do you take your coffee?

vanilla creamer, soy, or if i'm being really indulgent, that super horrible-for-you coffee mate one.

What is your favourite flower?

any and all roses. people often think of roses in the kind you can buy at walgreens. but if you only knew how many varieties there are ,your heart would break into a thousand pieces. look up a "divine julia" rose, for example.

Any summer plans? Home projects?

we have plans for mexico, michigan and we are putting in a green house and painting our kitchen bright white!

Do you make most of your clothes?

no, i buy them. or i alter them to my liking :)

What's the hardest thing you've faced being a mom on Instagram?

pressure that you place on yourself, in all forms. from the style, words, coloring, all of it. you have to kind of wear rose colored glasses when you look because that place can be really unhealthy if you let it.

What were your most pivotal years, when did you become Kerrie Moon, if that makes sense?

i think i've always been me, really. always kind of doing my own thing. every boyfriend i've ever had thought i lived in a "butterfly world" and that just kind of sums me up. i think becoming steve's wife and augustus and fiorella's mother has really shifted my internal parts into a more permanent place that i've become to recognize even clearer.

What was the day and the life of Kerrie Moon before motherhood like? (hi karla!)

oh, ha. what was it like? i'm beginning to forget. i could run into a store and back out in ten minutes. and i slept a lot more. and i could make plans at the drop of a hat and had no problem going for drives just because. or driving to san francisco on a tuesday evening just for dinner and dancing. and spending hours and hours and hours rewriting first and last paragraphs. and sometimes i miss that freedom, of course i do.

but this. right here. this is where i am. and this is what i love.

How does an every day morning start out?

i open my eyes to my sweet baby girl who is sleeping between steve and i, stare at or nurse her while steve slips quietly out of the room to prepare our coffee. i also open the blinds to let in the light and it brings me so much joy.

What moment of essence brings you the most nostalgia?

for me, it's looking back on photos, always. i go back to that place in time, and it's like i can almost reach out and touch it, but i'm grasping at air because it's gone. i can only hold it inside of me and it can often bring me to the point of tears if i let it.

What has been your most interesting job (motherhood doesn't count)?

ha, oh man, i've had a lifetime of jobs it seems, from working at a yogurt shop, to being a receptionist, a hostess at an irish bar - to making afternoon tea and biscuits for a company in london and teaching at a private school (i could seriously go on and on) but what i will say my most interesting job has been my dearly beloved shop, Shopbonjourmoon. it brings me so much joy, not only in finding pieces but in the interaction and behind-the-scenes of it all. it's pretty magical.

Do your sweet little ones get to enjoy the sounds of these artists (my musical selection) and how do they respond?

oh, my, yes.  do they ever. our house is a very musical one, as my husband - their daddy - is a professional musician (piano). while he plays in a popular band in our area + also owns a sound company, he is classically trained, so each and every day we have music coming out our windows. liszt, mozart, horowitz, etc. steve is also an avid classical record collector, so we listen to actual classical records each and every day, too. he will begin our morning by making coffee and putting on a record, and often gus will pick it out.  it's beautiful to witness.

however, i did not grow up on classical music, so my love and appreciation for it only goes so far, you know? ha! when steve's not around, i put on music that we can dance to or get lost in, and that's where i think gus will become a little more rounded.  with daddy, you get the classics. with mama, you get what's current. right now, gus is obsessed with john legend and ellie goulding. oh, and dawin's "dessert." don't tell steve, you guys.

Where do you get all your dresses from? 

this may have been my most asked question, which is so funny, because most of my dresses, truly, are from thrift shops. i always joke with steve and say that even if i was a billionaire, i would still visit thrift shops because they are so a part of me. i just love them so. mostly the hunt for something unique, one-of-a-kind, floral-y or just plain beautiful. it brings me so much joy to happen upon a perfectly beautiful button down dress just sitting on the rack waiting for someone to find her. if you only knew the amount of times i came home running in to steve saying "oh my gosh i just found thee perfect dress for like $4!" 

other than thrift stores, like any woman, i love love love Free People, Anthropologie, Forever 21 and Asos (online).

and my absolutely dream is to start my Christy Dawn collection. her pieces are just everything i find to be beautiful.

What is the brand of your beautiful dress?

thrifted!

What is something that really annoys you? Like a pet peeve.

oh my gosh. know-it-alls reallyyyy get to me. 

As a mom, what is the one thing you most struggle with?

do you have all day? hehe. i would say my struggles in my motherhood stem from the struggles in my womanhood, without a doubt. my feelings of self-worth and inadequacy are all part of my unresolved journey i have faced - and continue to face as a woman. my confidence can often plummet if i let it (not just in how i look, but how i go about the world) and on those days, i really question my motherhood. 

social media doesn't help in this, at all. each minute of the day you have access to other people's lives - how they do things, how they don't do things, what every hour of the day looks like practically, and you'd be a pretty tough rock if you didn't compare. then you begin really looking at yourself, not just in the mirror, but deep in your core, where your heart and soul and all that gut-reaction-stuff sits and you wonder AM I DOING IT ALL WRONG? 

i do that all the time. to what i feed my children, to how we sleep, to what i dress them in, etc.

but most days, it doesn't last long. because this is my life. our life. this is our story to tell. no one else's. and god didn't make us all the same. he made us all different, but with a few common threads which aren't based on how we do things, but if there's love in us when we do them, and that's what i remember when i'm questioning it all.

Where did you grow up?

sonoma county, california.

How many children do you want?

we are so fortunate to have what we have now. i don't know what the future holds, so we shall see ;)

What is your favorite lipstick?

i'm so picky with my lipsticks because for one, i hate the feeling of lipstick, especially lip gloss. 

so i use a little burt's bees and then a lip liner as lipstick.

the one i've worn almost every day is this one 

How did you come to naming your children?

oh, naming our children! it's not easy for us, that's for sure. for both of our children, it took us the entire pregnancy to even agree on a single name, i'm not kidding you. my husband is theee pickiest and so many names i absolutely LOVED i had to let go because he just couldn't love them like i did. in fact, i took videos for both augustus and fiorella as we were on the way to the hospital and i have film of us laughing because we were both like "omg what are we naming our baby." both times! after we spend a few hours with them, the names we had in both of our hearts end up being their names without question.

my husband came up with augustus and it was a name we loved from the very, very beginning. we loved that he could be an auggie, aug or gus. i can't imagine a more fitting name for our little boy.

 i found fiorella's name while looking up nordic words for flowers on the internet and somehow fiorella was on the list and it just stopped me dead in my tracks. while it's italian, the meaning "little flower" was everything i wanted in a name and that was that.

What other names did you have picked out?

we didn't have many, especially for boys. but we loved the names

winslow, ellamae, viola and imogen. 

What is the most beautiful english word and sentence to you?

"ever thine, ever mine, ever ours" - beethoven wrote this in a letter to his "immortal beloved" and it's often how i sign my love letters to my husband. 

How old are you?

29 

What country do you live in?

USA

What has been the most fulfilling chapter of your life thus far? what was the hardest lesson you had to learn? the best thing you've ever surrendered? 

wow, what a question. the most fulfilling for me was  becoming steve's wife and parenting alongside him as a mother to our children. there is no one else in this world who understands me or loves me like he does, and it's his love that truly makes my motherhood what it is.

the hardest lesson is one that i learn every day : to give yourself over to the moment and let it be what it is. 

What keeps you encouraged?

waking up each morning and seeing life around me, in my children, my husband, hearing the birds or garbage man, looking outside my window and seeing flowers on the trees or a new sprout on my hydrangea bush, thoughts that come to me from out of nowhere that i have to quickly jot down, the way my husband looks at me, my own mother's words, the trust i have in god. every day things and the bigger, beautiful truths in this world encourage me each and every day.

What are your dreams?

i have many. i dream of becoming a master gardener and growing my own flowers at home and making bouquets. nothing grounds me as much as playing alongside petals do. i dream of writing a book and getting published and having a small gathering reading my favorite passages to people in a candlelit room. i dream of designing my own simple but beautiful dress line. i dream of taking our children to italy and france in the summer, with freckled skin and fresh olive oil we pressed from the orchard. i dream of seeing all my loved ones live long, happy lives.

Tell me about your first love

oh, that first love. he was wonderful. we were both seventeen and he was my very first kiss and he was gentle and kind and handsome. it was all pretty sweet. until he dumped me and i cried my eyes out and hated him. :)

What's your favorite insta account to follow?

currently, i'm really loving following floral design accounts. i love opening up my feed and seeing giant roses or ranunculus up close. 

Favorite perfume?

i have two. one that i wore for most of my life, jean paul gaultier "classique" and my very favorite, one that my husband picked out and randomly surprised me with, estee lauder's pleasures "florals."

Best book you've read recently?

i haven't given myself the gift of time to sit down and read lately (so bad, but so ture), but i've been flipping though a book called "stories from the motherline."

What's honest/real/raw advice you can offer to a newly married heart?

make that first year memorable and feel it all. feel the first time you say "my husband" to a stranger. feel that first argument where you just want to shut the door and be alone. feel the first moment you feel like his or her wife. feel the bond that ties you eternally. feel god in between you both. feel the new routines you establish and learn to love them : how your toothbrushes look side by side. how your name looks printed on your license. how you check the window to see if he's home. how he looks picking out the cereal. what color sheets you both chose as a married couple. all these little things become YOUR things, part of YOUR story in YOUR marriage. just give space for the beauty that you are creating together.

Where do you see yourself in five years time? More children? Moving home or any big changes?

in five years time, i'll be in my thirties. gulp. i just hope i will have more of this. happier days. more confidence. a little more faith in everything and everyone, including myself.

Where do you find the clothing for your shop?

thift stores and vintage shops. i also used to work with a man who had a warehouse of thee most beautiful vintage clothing. he would give me boxes upon boxes. i miss it so much.

If you ever did mission work where would you go and why and what do you hope your children would learn from their experience?

i don't care where we would go as much as i care about the cause. children + animals + the elderly have such a sacred space in my heart and life. i would hope that by trying to mend the hearts of those hurting, our children would learn empathy, sensitivity and limitless love.

What is your favorite movie?

this one is embarrassing to answer because i know how silly it is. but it's the truth because it will ALWAYS remind me of my relationship with my own mama, whom i love so deeply.  

"Because I Said So"

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

we had plans on taking our big honeymoon, but we became pregnant two months after we were married. so, we are still planning it! maybe in like ten years. 

What are a few of your favorite bands/musicians?

oh gosh. i could list SO many. but i'll just list what i always have on my spotify at any given moment..

brian eno, frank ocean, sigur ros, olafur arnalds, bon iver, phox, lana del rey.

How did you and steve meet?

he was playing in a band and we made eye contact that lasted about three hours. it was mesmerizing. my best friend wrote my name and phone number on a napkin and pushed me to the front of the stage to hand it to him. he stopped playing, bent over and touched the small of my back and whispered something very sweet and that's how we met. i get all gooey inside thinking about it.

Where did you go on your first date?

Blue Plate in San Francisco on a rainy Sunday in December. We recreate this date every single year. i leaned across the table first, and that's where we shared our first kiss. i couldn't hold off on making the first move, he was and still is so dreamy.

What's your favorite book?

swann's way by marcel proust has always touched me in such a profound way. 

Which movie made you cry the most?

steel magnolia's, always. 

What song reflects your soul?

"in trutina" by carmina burina. my husband picked this song out as his song to me and i walked down the aisle to it. it makes me weep.

What's the funniest moment you and steve shared?

we have so many but one that always stands out is a time when steve and i went on one of our first date after augustus was born. we had had a few cocktails at this fancy bar in a hotel and when we left, steve found a cart where you carry your luggage and he said for me to get on because he wanted to "take me for a little ride." he pushed me in circles and loops and really really fast and everyone and their mother was staring at us. then, the hotel manager came out and basically said like "WTF you need to leave" and shook his head with such disappointment at us. we ran off hysterically laughing and sometimes it just feels so good to be a rebel with the one you love and trust the most.

Do you keep a diary?

i used to, quite a bit. and i need to more.

What were you doing before you got married and started a family?

i was just out of college and working at a private elementary school.

Does social media stress you out? like a love/hate relationship?

all the time. the amount of email's and private messages can really put me into anxiety-mode if i let it. i have learned that all things happen in their own time, and i am trying to ease up on feeling guilty if i don't get to an email for a few weeks, or few months. 

What is the mental process you go through when you feel overwhelmed or down? What makes you happy and calms you down?

my thoughts travel rapidly so i have learned some tools over the years on how to stop them. mostly it's removing myself from where i am and going outside. the distraction of a tree or a petal or a bird overhead always soothes me. or i call my mom or husband sobbing and that helps too :)

Do you have any online vintage shops you could recommend to find your beautiful dresses?

i've only purchased a few vintage items online, and when i have they've been found by randomly searching for "floral dresses" on etsy :)

How do you relax and recharge?

going outside, editing photos, watching 'the office', laying with my husband after the babies are in bed, playing with petals, sitting at a coffee shop alone, wandering the aisles of a thrift store, opening the windows and rearranging furniture.

What is your favorite mood music?

briano eno is really lovely.

What would you say is the most surprising thing about motherhood?

how much i've learned about who i was always meant to be.

How do you seem to do it all so effortlessly and beautifully? (ok, totally blushing)

i am not sure how to respond really, if what i'm doing looks effortless, then perhaps it's just perception. i do try to do my own thing most days, whatever feels naturally, which for me is creating in some way, every day. when i create i am at peace and when i'm at peace, i'm much more grounded and happy and easy-going. it's vital for me.

How do you stay so calm?

i am not always calm, i'll say that first and foremost. anyone who has anxiety knows you can go from 1-10 within minutes so it takes a lot of breath and grounding to not totally lose it (which i do, like, all the time). whenever i feel like the day has become too much, i turn to god and ask him to lead the way from where i stand. somehow it always works out, because here i am. here we all are.

What are your hobbies?

taking photos, writing, cooking, decorating littler corners of my house, decorating cakes, sewing, thrifting, embroidery, floral arranging, working in my garden, making things with my hands.

What makes you feel alive?

being with my little family, just being together doing little things, like going for a walk or making dinner or picking out the groceries. every day things, really.

Where do you find your home decor?

all over, really. antique stores, ikea, cost plus, etc.

What app do you use to edit photos?

i only use VSCO and then i change the lightness just slightly with the iphone editing that comes with the phone and is available on each photo. i like how the pigments change just so.

What activities do you do with your littles during the week?

oh this varies all the time. we do a lot of outside time now that it's warmer. baking, coloring, painting, searching for rocks, imaginary play, water play, collecting curiosities, going for walks, cleaning, playing at the park, library, etc. 

Are your dresses from charity shops (thrift stores)?

lots are, yes!

When did you start writing?

in high school i was so emo, remember that term? and i used to write write write write write every day and that's how it started for me, really. those dark, angst-y teen years kind of set up the semi-writer in me :)

What challenges you in the art of it? (writing)

oooh good question! the challenges come when i'm trying to relay my thoughts into my words. my thoughts are often so much more beautiful than my words and it's always so frustrating when they don't match. kind of like looking at a picture of the grand canyon and standing next to it. they're two separate experiences entirely and my goal each and every day is to try and get them as close to matching as i possibly can. 

How have you learned to improve yourself (writing) over the years?

i have improved by giving myself the space for confidence, knowing that what it is i want to say, i have the ability to say it if i just trust my process. the process for me includes writing every day, and not being afraid to stop what i'm doing in order to work on a sentence or an idea. i give myself space for the art. that's really important and it used to not always be like that for me.

some people wake up each morning and force themselves to exercise or to just put pen to paper. it doesn't work like that for me, though. it comes through me and i have learned when it's about to happen and i let it happen by making the space.

What's your favorite thing about becoming a mom and what has surprised you the most?

my favorite thing. oh, i can't answer that, i have so many. but there's nothing in the world that compares to your children needing only you in a moment, in any capacity. a hug, a kiss, an embrace, a song. it's not shared with anyone else but you and your child and it's everything.

What is your favorite dessert?

i loovee bread pudding. specifically, my mother's bread pudding.

If you can think of one, what is your FAVORITE thing about motherhood?

the warmth of my babies in my arms. how they feel, how the smell, how many blessings i've whispered into their ears. how small they are when they sleep, and how limitless they are without even knowing. how their very innocence makes me a better human being.

How old were you when you had augustus?

26

When will you be selling on Shopbonjourmoon again? And where is your dress and fiorella's dress from?

i hope to get back to it soon. it's a very big important part of who i've become and once fiorella gets a little older, i think i'd love to bring it back into my life. and her dress is from Rickshaw Designs :)

I would love to know how your path led you to your husband and this beautiful life that you share, what your ambitions were as a girl pre-college and your favorite choice of footwear.

i think everything came together just so in our  unlikely path's crossing.  i was in college when i met steve, and since he's much older than i (he's eighteen years older), he was far more established than i. but we have made it work almost seamlessly and i am very proud of that. when i was in college, the only thing i was dreaming about was what life would look like years from there, and as boastful as this sounds - and i do apologize - i can truly say my life is much more than i dreamed for myself. because of him.

and my favorite footwear? i love slip-ons with straps. currently loving a pair of blush flats from urban outfitters :)

What your favorite rose is, a rose that you grow in your garden?

this changes all the time, but this week i  love how quicksand roses make me feel. :)

Who do you most admire and why?

devoted, tired, hard-working, worried, consumed, weepy, in-love, happy, creative, exhausted, bad-ass, mother's of the world.

What do you love most about being a woman and femininity?

i love that we have the ability to create life within us, not just carrying life, but creating a place of love that seems untouchable by any other species. i love having intuition and empathy and seeing the flowers on the side of the road and in between the cracks on the street. i think it's a beautiful gift to be able to see the world in the details, and i find a lot of women share that gift.

What are the mundane things you worry about?

i mostly worry about the safety and lives of those i love. i just want them to always, always be in the safest of hands, which is why i am constantly asking god about their protection.  i know this isn't mundane, but it's so much a part of me, that in a way, it's become an every day mundane prayer, really.

Do you think about your budget or if you forgot to switch the laundry etc?

oh, of course. i always weigh the cost of things, need vs. want, ya know? and i am horrible at switching the laundry! how many times i've had to restart a cycle because i forgot it in the wash. too many to count!

What high school stereotype will overwhelm you as a parent? 

hmm. i think there's a lot of pressure in high school to become someone or something truly great and above-and-beyond, and i want my children to know that as long as it's with a passionate and full heart, whichever path they choose to travel will be theirs to explore, all their own. i want them to fully immerse themselves in who they need to become by allowing the space and creativity to do so, even if it doesn't match what i think. 

Where do you want to go mostly - as is there a place that is magical for you, country, town, city, sea, forest, dreamland?

there are many places for me that exist in magic. a happy place, yeah? i would say my backyard in our hot tub at night under the giant moon and sea ranch, california.

Do you plan to homeschool?

we discuss this a lot, but we have many amazing schools in our area that make us really consider what our best option is.

Will you ever try to publish your words?

yes :)

 And also, just how you are ?

i'm really tired, but well. thank you :)

 Are you an introvert?

yes. small talk makes me so nervous. 

You seem to love tinkering at home and taking life slowly with your babies and hubby... But you also interact with so many people through Instagram and your blog. How often do you find yourself in social settings?

great question. i am never the life of the party but i'm not a wallflower either. rather shy, but i do open up once i let my nervous guard down. i'm married to an incredibly gifted extrovert, who can talk to anyone and everyone for hours on end, without pausing. he is SO good at carrying conversation so i often cling to him, but i'm learning, slowly, "bird by bird" as anne lamott says, to open up more.

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thank you for reading. if i missed any questions, feel free to let me know! 

xxo