Happy Subie.
The adventures of Brian the pug and his devotees.
20 December 2015
08 December 2015
Main Bathroom
Spent the last couple days doing demo on our existing bathroom. It was awesome to take out our old, nasty vanity, and the cast iron tub. Tiling starts in a couple days. I can't wait! We are replacing the tub with a walk in shower.
![]() |
Starting demo |
![]() |
Bye bye tub |
![]() |
Almost there! |
![]() |
Bye bye sink. Enjoy your new life in the landfill. |
![]() |
Done! At least it's spacious! |
![]() |
The stamp on the bottom of the cast iron tub |
![]() |
Made in November 1925. Thank you for 90 years of service. See ya! |
Labels: bathroom, demo, demolition derby, ne portland, reno, renovation, vernon neighborhood
03 December 2015
Guest Bath
We're making progress on the 2nd bath addition. For such a tiny bathroom, it's been a big headache. A lot of planning goes into such a tiny space. I agonized for weeks over the placement of the bathroom, and then where all the fixtures will go. But it's going to be worth it!
![]() |
Outside looking in. It's hard to get a good photo of such a small space! |
![]() |
Ben hard at work. I wasn't allowed to do much for a few weeks after my surgery, so I was in charge of photography and handing Ben tools. It was horrible! |
We've borrowed most of the tilling tools from the North East Portland Tool Library (NEPTL for the win), and we're doing the tiling ourselves, so we've been able to keep the cost manageable.
![]() |
Bonus pug photo. Not long after I made the bed this morning, I went to check on the dogs, Brian had buried himself under the covers. |
02 December 2015
Wall, would you look at that!
![]() |
Here's what we started with |
![]() |
Going, |
![]() |
Going, |
![]() |
Gone! And after the addition of the header. |
![]() |
Artichoke and spinach dip stuffed bread. So good. |
![]() |
Homemade croutons and quinoa salad. |
28 November 2015
21 November 2015
You want us to go where in this weather?
Labels: Betty, betty betty meat mouth, Brian, pug, pugs, the life of brian
20 November 2015
World Famous
Our house was unexpectedly on the news. We're having some trees taken down, and they interviewed the crew doing the work.
Here's the link to the KOIN article and video. They made it seem like we were removing them because they are dangerous, but it's actually because they are ugly weed trees, and I want our yard to be full of lovely plants that are native to Oregon.
![Arborist Jesse Martin, Nov. 19, 2015 (KOIN](https://lintvkoin.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/jesse-martin-arborist-11192015.jpg?w=438&h=248)
Labels: killingsworth, ne portland, trees, vernon neighborhood, weeds
04 November 2015
01 November 2015
22 October 2015
Fixing a hole
Trying to fix the squeaks in the wood floor is proving to take longer than I had hoped. But it will be worth the effort.
04 October 2015
More Progress
Today we started to remove the chimney, and tore down most of the kitchen wall. There is already a huge difference in the amount of light that comes into the kitchen. Next week we have someone coming to patch the roof, so we'll disconnect the appliances that vent through the chimney and knock it down all together. I can't wait! I was jealous that Ben got to go on the roof, and I didn't, but with my ear condition, it's just not safe for me. Boo.
Labels: bungalow, chimney, craftsman, kitchen, ne portland, reno, renovation, vernon neighborhood
02 October 2015
Houston, we have a table
Look at the dining table I got off Craigslist! It's the best thing ever. Drop leaf, and it has two removable leaves so it can seat from two to eight people. It fits perfectly in our house. Now who's coming over for dinner? We don't have a kitchen, but I'm sure we can work something out.
Labels: bungalow, craftsman, ne portland, portland, table, vernon neighborhood
29 September 2015
Success!
Labels: built in, bungalow, craftsman, ne portland, reno, renovation, vernon neighborhood
Now I Know Why it's Called a Built-in
Alternate post title: Easier Said than Done
Our designer suggested we move our built-in cabinet to the adjacent wall in order to create space for a dining table. I have been attempting to remove this stupid thing for two days, and it's still stubbornly stuck in place. It's starting to look like it would make great firewood at this point. There are millions of trim nails in every nook and cranny which are difficult to see, and even harder to remove. Every time I think I've pulled the last one, the cabinet still won't move, and I find another nail.
In happier news, we have layout plans for our kitchen, so it's a bit easier to envision what it will be like when all this work is done.
Labels: bungalow, craftsman, ne portland, reno, renovation, vernon neighborhood
28 September 2015
11 September 2015
Renovation Commence!
We started to pull up the floor in the kitchen at our house in NE Portland. Or shall I say floors? Guess how many layers we found (so far).
Brian the project manager is helping by sleeping on top of discarded carpet from the bedroom. Betty just chased her tail.
Labels: Brian, bungalow, craftsman, lino, ne portland, portland, reno, renovation, the life of brian
30 August 2015
08 August 2015
Slime Mold
Recently at work, I encountered this amazing organism; a slime mold! The slime mold is fascinating because most of its life is spent as a single celled organism, but in order to feed, these organisms band together to form what you see here.
I had another not-so-fortunate encounter this week with a bee that ended in a trip to urgent care and a prescription for an epi-pen. Sad face. (Sad face full of hives.)
In other news, Ben and I are embarking on a major renovation project at our house. So expect the next several months to be full of "exciting" house updates with lots of before and after pics. Our first purchase was a vintage sink for the bathroom at a re-building shop.
Bye!
Labels: bungalow, craftsman, reno, renovation, slime mold
17 July 2015
09 July 2015
02 June 2015
03 May 2015
Jackson Bottom
Went for a walk at the Jackson Bottom wetlands in Hillsboro yesterday. We saw tons of birds, and even saw a beaver and its dam!
Labels: beaver, birding, Hillsboro, Jackson Bottom, wetlands
05 April 2015
16 March 2015
No pants policy
It's nice to be reminded of the no pants policy once in a while.
Leslie Hall: No Pants Policy {NEW REMIX ALBUM}
Labels: no pants policy
08 March 2015
01 March 2015
Live long and prosper
Saddened by the loss of the great Leonard Nimoy. But cookies make everything better. Also, I concluded it was illogical to use regular sugar in place of powdered sugar in the frosting. Fascinating.
Labels: leonard nimoy, LLAP, not a pug post, spock, star trek
24 February 2015
These are a few of her least favorite things
This week, we've added two items to the list of things Betty doesn't like:
1. Caterpillars
2. Wheel of Fortune
22 February 2015
15 February 2015
01 February 2015
New Digs
Our pied-รก-terre has finally come together, and it's nice to be settled. My mom and I built the table in the right of the photo of the kitchenette, and my dad and I put up all those shelves today. We're using my great-grandpa's sewing machine for a computer desk. You can see the manual foot pedal used to run the machine.
I had a great first week at my new job last week, and I'm looking forward to another one.
Bye for now!
Labels: Betty, betty betty meat mouth, house