Garbage

When we moved to Sweden 3 years ago, it took some time to get use to the garbage system. Yes, we recycled in the states, but nothing compared to the sorting we were expected to do here. Even at hotels you are expected to sort your garbage. I think the hardest thing was that our garbage was picked up every two weeks and the size of our container was a little bigger than the small outside garbage cans. If you had more, you had to pay extra.

Well, this week we received new bins for more extensive recycling. We have 10 different places to place our things. Now we even sort our organics. Our buses here run on bio gas which is made from organic wastes. I'm glad we are starting this now that the weather is getting a bit cooler. My friends who did it over the summer mentioned the smell. It is amazing how little garbage we actually have. I put a new bag in our bin under the sink on Tuesday and it is only half full. Not to mention that we have an extra adult staying with us.

It does take a little more time, but not much. I wonder if we will compost when we move back to the States?

Addicted

I have been meaning to update the blog for a few days now, but because of an addiction to the Olympics, I have been unable to. I find myself at the computer constantly checking for updates. At night, the computer comes upstairs and I lay in bed watching the events from the night before.

Last February, I cancelled our television package. It took a while for the kids to even realize we didn't have TV anymore. Well, after 6 months I am realizing it. We do have Sling Box which allows us to watch American TV via the computer. We can record things and watch them when we want. That is why in the evenings, I get to see the events from the previous day.

Since the Olympics have started, I have probably watched more TV than I have all year long. I don't know if it is because we are living abroad that I am so into the Olympics this year, or if it is just that exciting. Maybe it is a combination of both.

What is really embarrassing is that I find myself yelling and screaming at the computer, even when I know the results. The good thing about this addiction is that it is only for a short time every two years. I guess it could be worse.

By the way, my sling box is not working right now. It is amazing what is getting done today!

Birthday Boy

It is hard to believe that Josh is 9. He was very excited to ride his new bike yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate much. It rained on and off most of the day. Instead, we spent some time at Busfabriken. It is a huge indoor playground which the kids love.
Here he is with Ellie and Annika. They couldn't wait to eat cupcakes.

This evening, Josh decided to get his head stuck under the oven. I know this sounds terrible, but all I could do was laugh. It reminded me of when my brother stuck a BB in his nose as a kid. I have no idea what caused him to put his head under the oven. After I got his head out, I asked him what he was thinking. He informed me he was looking for gold. I don't think he will be looking under the oven for a while.

Good Byes

I've never been one who likes saying "Good Bye." I don't know many people who do. Tim even makes fun of how long it takes me to say 'bye' even at church. Well, living in an international community people are always moving in and out. Last night, we had to say 'see you later' to our friends Arno and Jiska. Not an easy thing to do. We will miss them tremendously. Jiska was a strong push to get the women's bible study going and on track. Arno was great at organizing and moving our English service in Helsingborg forward. They are a great encouragement and wonderful friends.

Now today, I have to take my niece to the airport. After spending the last 5 weeks with us, Caitlyn has to go home. (Not by my choice! I even looked into changing her ticket.) It has been so much fun having her with us. We have enjoyed spending so much time with her. Last night we had a cookout at the beach. Then we played mini golf. I wish I had that on video! What a blast. We finshed the evening off with nothing less than ice cream. (Not to mention that we had it earlier in the day as well.)

Tim said that "byes" should be getting easier, seeing as we are doing it so much. I don't think so. I'm already not looking forward to the drive to the airport. Yes, I've even cried already.