Over the past few weeks Owen has been making his booster seat his platform for battle. At the ripe age of 10 months Owen refused to eat for 7 days for no exact reason except that he didn’t want to. So I can’t say that I don’t know of his stubborn streak or that I am shocked but it is still not fun. Teething typically contributes but since he continues to eat a variety of textures it is hard to say that something is just not comfortable for his teething mouth. Anyhow, I have continued to present Owen with whatever I have made for the family for dinner and just let him deal. He doesn’t have to eat it but I am not making anything special for him.  If I make something spicy or way out there like Indian curry or something I know they won’t love I will, on rare occasion, make something to go along with it that I know the kids would enjoy more. But typically it just is what it is, and I enjoy making things that they like so it’s a win for them anyways.  And how could you not love a veggie mix that includes carrots cut into fun shapes?! Cars, bunnies, stars, mushrooms, flowers. Come on now, could it be any better?

2 weeks ago he downright refused his dinner, twice, settling for his cup of milk and not a bite. Now don’t feel bad for him, he gets puh-lenty to eat. And these phases do pass. Jackson wasn’t a “food jagger” so when he refused to eat I knew something was not quite right. Owen however does this every few months, gets it out of his system and then gets back in his groove. There is no joke in the phrase “eating us out of house and home”. It really may be true for us one day. ha!  When he is in the mood this boy eats. We are learning to let him be a toddler that can refuse and speak his mind without his parents running around making back up plans and meals to make him think he’s running the show!  It’s tough!  PB&J would brighten any screamy meal but since I want him to enjoy family dinners we persist!

A few funny pics for you!

but before you feel bad for him, just envision him with a banana and nutella crepe, see, life is good for sweet Owen!

The weather here in Switzerland has been so gorgeous lately. Seth and I have decided that we think Sept/early October can be even better than summer. Summer was pretty spectacular but not so consistent. Maybe we have been blessed with extra nice days but this Fall we have had only a few rainy days. The rest have been crisp and cool. Here is a snapshot of how we have been filling our Fall days!

I have been trying to get the boys outside as much as possible and to do as many fallish activities. Last week we spent the morning hiking down through the woods down the hill from our house. I wish I had taken my camera because the lighting was beautiful and the boys were all kinds of cute feeling like wilderness men. Owen was more hesitant than Jackson but they both tromped around like “Lord of the flies”. We took a ziplock bag and I told Jackson he could fill it with whatever he found. He focused on leaves, acorns and small twigs. I collected some branches and acorns as well to use for a fall wreath. When we got home I pulled out some crafts paper and glue and let Jackson work on making something with his finds. Free fun!

That morning we had a great time together getting out of the house and working on a project but truth be told I was in a bit of a funk that morning. You see I was so wishing I could pop in my car that morning, visit with a friend, grab lunch at Chickfila and pop in to Home Goods or Target to look for some cheap fall decor to spruce up the house. These days come and go. I do miss home and I do enjoy life here, yet some mornings the two worlds collide and I want to pop back to my All-American life. Anyhow, I pulled myself out of my funk and gathered enough things to make a wreath. I have never made a wreath so it is quite rough. But, it was so enjoyable to pull out the glue gun and just work not knowing how it would turn out. It does the trick of sprucing up the house a bit and it gave me time to process my funk.

So, here is my makeshift wreath….which may or may not keep the Chinese lanterns…I may keep fiddling with it!

Another morning last week I posted a recipe for pumpkin spice playdough on a link from a friend. Here is the link for the original. I cut the recipe in half and used a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice as well as a bit pf extra cinnamon…because it didn’t seem like it needed so much and I kind of ration spices here!  We added some orange food coloring to make it look more pumpkiny without the extra spices. It smelled yummy, filled some time with a project of making it, and filled even more time with the boys playing at the table with it. Owen is stepping up into the world of playdough. He attempted to pop a big bite in as we smelled it originally but after he knew it was salty playdough he was satisfied to play.

Last Friday I was missing my friend Leigh as I was praying so hard that she and her hubby would hear about a new job! Anyhow, as you all know when I miss a friend I normally end up cooking something that reminds me of them! So I got some fresh pumpkin and attempted to make some pumpkin soup. It wasn’t what I remember eating with Leigh at Funfshilling in Germany but it reminded me of sweet times!

This recipe is next on our Fall treat list…Pumpkin Gingersnaps!  Now to find molasses in Bern! Wish me luck!

Disclaimer: This got way longer than I thought….it’s more in the informational category so not so exciting! Feel free to skip in hopes that there will be something more interesting coming soon!

Since I just posted our guest round up I figured it may be a good time to do a random “guesthouse” post.  As I have mentioned before, this past yr in Bern we have hosted 24 guests! I have kind of made it my personal goal to get good at it. I really want people to come, relax and feel like they have a great time on their vacation. We have learned as we have gone and as we close this season of guests I feel like we have learned a few things that I thought I would pass along.

1. Prepping the house for guests

I start the preparation days in advance!! Not meaning that I work and work for days in advance, but that I spread it out so that I am not completely exhausted when our guests arrive.  I used to save the cleaning for the day before because I wanted it to be nice when they arrived. But I soon discovered that this house is way too big to try to do in one day. (we couldn’t have so many guests without this kind of space so it is a bonus)  I now have kind of a system where I do fresh linens a few days out and then follow it with different jobs that can be done ahead. I save the floors and dusting for the evening before. And then there is the fact that I used to think I could do it all myself but I have succumbed to the reality and now I have Seth on board to help me!

Now that I have a system I can devote more time that last day before to getting to the grocery store and doing some baking. Oh yea, and then once the guests arrive I let them know that I would rather spend time with them than clean. I maintain as best I can but I don’t stress. I mainly tidy and occasionally sweep if it is in desperate need, but otherwise I just let it go and enjoy the visitors.

Quick confession: I don’t iron sheets, even when I pull them out and toss them into a ball onto the bed. Both of my grandmother’s are gasping right now but I figured it was better to be honest. Sheets will be clean, but very wrinkled around here!

2. Meal Planning

I always contact our guests before they arrive to see if there is anything they can’t eat or have allergies to. Then I plan the meals, trying to accommodate as much as possible!  It’s tough cooking for a crowd and I have learned that not everyone will like every meal but I do try to pick things with our guests in mind. I always have the meals planned but not necessarily for a particular day. For instance, I know that whatever day we decide to day trip meals need to be simple or hot in the crock pot when we return. Our favorite group meals for the year have been Ina Garten’s Macaroni and Cheese,  Gina’s Barbacoa Beef that we use for burrito bowls and a recipe I got from my sister-in-law, Stephanie, for French dip sandwiches. They are all easy to make and make a cozy dinner for a crowd.

Some things I always have on hand that I can make the day before…

Refrigerator bran muffins….the ones I wrote about here. They are an easy thing to keep in the fridge, I bake them up as people want them. So far they have been a hit and everyone is thankful for something healthy in the middle of their travels.

Tomato Basil Soup… knock off of La Madeline’s. I realized I have never posted this in the past so this will be coming soon! Most guests arrive in time for lunch (or breakfast their time) so I normally make a soup the night before and serve it with Bern Zopf bread, salami and cheeses. Everyone is always eager to have something Swiss so it is an easy way to get it in when they first arrive!

Something seasonal and homemade….having guests gives me the excuse to have something yummy around. I don’t often bake treats when it’s just us here so when guests come it’s fun to have something out of the ordinary. In February when the O’Leary chicas came I made those Valentine’s whoopie pies, they were fun for Valentine’s Day but also a fun memory of making devil dogs at Annie’s house!  When my parents came it was peach season so I made some Butterscotch peaches! This time around I made Southern Living’s Apple Cream Cheese Coffee Cake which isn’t on their website yet but I am sure you have seen it on the cover of their magazine last month! It was super yummy and people snacked on it and had it with coffee throughout the week. I also enlisted Jackson to make some fall M&M cookie bars to stow away for snacking.

This guy is the Guesthouse assistant, he is always the best welcomer, conversationalist and entertainer! As we left last week to run an errand I called for Jackson who was lagging behind. When I turned to see what was holding him up I overheard him saying  “bye guys, do you have everything you need before we go?”.  We have all learned a lot about hospitality this year!

3. Ring a ling

After a few rounds of guests got lost here and there and didn’t have a way to call us easily we decided to invest in a chargeable phone. It was cheap and easy and it has made it so nice to stay in touch. There would be no need for this in the US obviously but overseas this has been great. It got comical this summer when guests were so close together that they would have to take the phone back and mail it to the next guest so they would have it when they arrived in Zurich. It made train station pickups so much better!

4. Little basket

Before guests arrive I put a few snacks in their room as well as check to see that they have the Bern map and some other brochures from previous guests. Most of our friends and family are jetlagged so I make sure they have something for when they wake up at 2 AM starving and thirsty.  It’s a goal to have the wireless password written down in the room but that hasn’t happened yet.

5. Activities

So far our guests have not been lacking for things to do. It has been especially nice in the summer festival season. There is always something going on.  Nearly everything is about an hour away, or 15 mins away if it’s in Bern. I have a feeling we would have not seen nearly as much if it wasn’t for our guests.  If our guests have any plans for a day trip by train I try to strategically plan it for about midway through their trip. that allows me to get the house back into livable shape and allows my boys to get a breather day for naps, in hopes that they will refresh and be kind hosts for the remainder of the stay!

These are likely all things you all do too!  I tried to pack it with recipes and such to make it useful! If you happen to be guests in the Spring maybe we will have it running like a well-oiled machine!

It’s been a heavy week at our house. My grandfather passed away, we have been making some big decisions regarding bidding, tough news from the US, missing my bestie living in Germany so I can talk to her in my timezone and just general emotional burnout from it all.

BUT we are plugging along and enjoying the simple things.

The boys and I kept busy this week with playdates and meeting people at the pool. Our pool is more of a park/pool mix. It is a huge grassy area with a park and a bunch of different pools at different play levels. They also have a huge sandpit and a cage with bunnies so when the kids tire of the pool we just bounce around to the other areas and burn off all of that summer energy. Everyone rides home quiet and satisfied.

The other uber exciting thing from our week was the “fill a bag for 6 swiss francs!” In a country where almost nothing seems to cost CHF6  this was a bargain!! The grocery store runs a sale a couple of times a week where they have a spread of a variety of produce and you can fill a bag as full as possible for one price. Yesterday it was eggplant, a variety of peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes. I PACKED that sucker. When I checked out a pepper fell out if the top. The check out lady gave me that “are you serious lady?” look and I think my look back said something like “well, yes, yes I am, now ring it up sister”.  I see ratatouille in our future!!

We are preparing for another wave of guests! My little brother and his wife are coming in two weeks. A couple of days after they leave I will leave to go home for my grandfathers memorial service. And I will return back from the US in time to greet our friends the Angermiller’s and their boys!!  We head to the commissary next weekend to prepare.

We are looking forward to Jackson going to preschool 2 mornings a week starting in the Fall (week after next) and maybe a Mommy and Me swim class for Owen and I with friends one morning while Jackson is in school! That mixed in with playdates, trips to the park and lots of guests coming in and out is setting us up for a busy Fall!

That’s about it from here. I hope that no matter what you are going through you can find some joy in the simple things today!