{bad, bad blogger}

i am so very sorry for being neglectful here on haus maus. truth is i have been so busy with friends and family, travel, and of course work that i haven't had a lot of time to blog - especially since i'm trying to enjoy the last few days of summer weather i can before the cold weather moves in. i've been thinking about you all so often and wonder how you are and whether or not you've grown completely bored with haus maus and have roamed away to explore other blogs instead. but if you're reading, please do not lose faith in this little maus -- i'm here! i'm here! and i promise to be a better blogger going forward.

(new print from amsterdam)

so let's talk about the latest in my apartment. first i have good news! my bed from octopus arrived after waiting for nearly 4 months. and when it arrived, the frame was broken. yes, really. i can't begin to explain how pissed i was. but my husband is handy so he rebuilt the frame with lumber and screws and it is now perfect. we complained to octopus and they agreed to refund us the 60- Euro shipping fee but that hasn't happened yet and it's been two weeks. i'm still waiting for my dining room table to arrive from them, it was supposed to be here last week but octopus never called to confirm the ship date yet. should be this week i think. i'm so eager for my table to arrive because i've been blogging from my bed since i arrived here in germany 6 weeks ago so it's time to actually have a table, ya know!? all i can say to everyone who is even considering placing an order with octopus in hamburg - DO NOT. they are honestly the worst company i've ever dealt with in my entire life. i'm removing their link from my shopping links in the right column here on haus maus because i don't want any of you to go through the rotten experience i've had with them over the past 4 months.

(more goodies from amsterdam.)

as you may know, i spent last weekend in amsterdam for 4 days. it was nice but i was happy to get back to hannover because the weather is so much better here. it's already quite cold and gray in am'dam and here in hannover it's very sunny and wonderful. i was surprised when i was in am'dam to see how much i missed hannover and my apartment here. i was homesick! funny i think. i kept comparing dutch life to german life. it's funny how you can be in a country for only a short period of time and you start to call it home and adjust so quickly. truth is, i LOVE it here in hannover. i mean, i really LOVE it. i have had no 'hard' days since i arrived, i miss nothing about american life except my friends back home and my family (esp. my mommy) and i really miss certain foods but if i only pull my kitchen together i can create my favorite foods myself so it's okay.

(my new little myrtle tree.)

so what's new with my little apartment? here are some things i've picked up since i've talked to you last: 1. my bed is here! yay! and it looks GREAT 2. i have new bedding 3. my bedroom curtains are up but still need a hem sewn in 4. i found a great 1950s mirror for my bedroom that i've installed, i am now looking for a desk or dresser to place beneath it. 5. i have a pendant light in my bedroom, we found it at ligne roset. it's gorgeous and white, it's called Bloom. 6. we found two night tables today in the city at this second hand shop, they are mid century and very cute. $20- Euro for both! we'll pick them up this week. 7. my kitchen is still a mess and has nothing but a sink, dryer, fridge, and oven. sad. 8. my bathroom has a washing machine now. we plan to stack the dryer from the kitchen on top of it since the 'stacker' thing arrived yesterday by mail. 9. i have a new end table for my sofa. 10. i hung the pendant lights in both the hallway and kitchen 11. i hung 3 different pendants in my living room and i'm still not happy so i'm trying to find a new pendant for the living room all over again. 12. my cabinet arrived for the living room, glass doors, white, perfect for storing fabric, china, etc. 13. i bought a little myrtle tree for my window that i love so much. 14. i found a great ethnic floor pillow that i must show you... 15. purchased more home design books and magazines. my weakness. 16. picked up a great 50's light today at the flea market for 20- Euros. not sure where it will end up, but it's very cute. 17. purchased a great celery green bench for my living room to put with the new dining room table but now i'm not sure i like it in the space so it may end up in the hallway... that's all i can think of! now i need: 1. to finish my kitchen, buy shelfing, sink, dishwasher, cute rug, pots and pans, etc. 2. buy dinnerware 3. purchase a little desk or dresser for my bedroom 4. purchase a sofa table 5. buy frames so i can start hanging my prints 6. find curtains for living room and kitchen (or roman blinds) 7. find a pendant light for the living room 8. buy a small kitchen table and two small chairs 9. buy dining room chairs 10. waiting for dining room table to arrive... 11. waiting for hallway furniture and mirror to arrive from car moebel... 12. buy a few shelves from ikea for the hallway for displaying art... 13. sewing machine

(fabric for future projects from the amsterdam fabric market.)

(four new white plastic placemats for the table that never seems to arrive.)

(new paumes books from yvestown. that is my new floor cushion that i told you about beneath the books.)

(a box for my pencils and pens.)

(loot from amsterdam, this is from a shop called hema that is also in germany.)

(more fun loot from hema.)

so i have a long way to go but i expect to be finished with all i've listed above by the end of september. this is my goal at least. i'll show you some photos this week, it's too dark now to photograph my house. lots of love... holly