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My little house is looking a little better every day. When we bought it, we didn't really see all the things that needed to be done. Now that we are living in it, we notice things that aren't working properly or that need updating. Nothing major, just lots of little improvements.

I'm happy to report that the sulfur smell has died down a lot. We think that either the water softener that we installed helped, or just the fact that 4 people in the house is keeping the water on the move. I feel much better now that there isn't a nasty rotten smell permeating every room that has a faucet.

This weekend will find us painting our kitchen. It currently is a light yellow color, which I will enjoy adding my apple kitchen stuff to. We just need to add another coat of paint to freshen it up a bit. I'm also hoping for some new linoleum, a sink and a faucet. I'll have to make sure I stay off the naughty list if I want all that. ;-) hee hee hee

Our cat, Becca, is making a very easy adjustment to life here. I think she remembers us and I get the feeling that we're back to life as it was before we left her and moved to Sweden. She's a good kitty. She sleeps in the boys' bedroom, mostly on the top bunk with ~N~. We let her outside during the day for some fresh air, exploration, and some tree climbing time. When she's ready to come back in, she hangs out by the door and meows till someone lets her in. I'm so glad she's here. My house feels like a home again.

School has been a disaster since our moving process began last month. We hit the books twice this week and I feel guilty about it, yet I know we'll be fine. The boys are getting a great education on the ins and outs of moving. One night they stayed up late with Dad receiving a great lesson on plumbing, while they installed the water softener. They've also helped us paint, unpack and organize. The stuff of life.

We like living here. I'm frustrated with the heavy traffic we have in this area, all north of us. If we need to do any shopping, it requires getting out into it. Walmart is packed, the stoplights keep you sitting in one place for what seems like a good 15 minutes, and there are lines of people and cars everywhere.

Shopping in Sweden now seems easy. I can't tell you how long I stood in Walmart, at all the different prices and kinds of toilet paper, then the air freshener aisle, then the hair care aisle, trying to decide which brand to buy. I almost reached the point of giving up and forgetting it, but finally I grabbed something and threw it in the cart. I know I'm wearing out my boys' patience. Mine too. Its taking awhile to figure out where things are in the grocery store too. Its like I left my brain in Sweden. I can wander around the store for an hour and not find what I'm looking for. And we're amazed at all the new products that are available, plus the sheer variety and volume of things that one can purchase.

I understand all over again why America is the land of plenty. If you can't find it in America, you probably can't find it anywhere in the world.

I miss Sweden. I miss snow, and red houses, and quiet Swedish people. I miss friends I had there, roundabouts, and the excitement of living abroad. I hope we can get back there someday to visit.

In the meantime, there's no place like home. And home is America.