Phal - stem questions

[NTN]

I've been taking care of my very first orchid for a few months now, soaking it in water once a week, nothing special.
It lost its flowers a few weeks after I got it and the two stems seemed to dry out so I cut them off, only leaving about 3 inches. After a while a new stem started to grow and now it has 7 healthy buds.
What should I do with the old stems? Will they recover and grow again or should I cut them off completely?
Also, I was surprised that it started blooming in the middle of winter, especially in Sweden since our winters are dark and quite cold (15-30 F). I thought I'd have to wait until summer to see some new flowers. During which periods do phals bloom?