1890s Week 5 | 1900s Week 1

Well, here we are, back with the Sheppards – who, currently, are not a story… but this post might be a bit different than most of my commentary posts. Because we definitely have some story here.

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This is the other half of my Decades Challenge War. “A Tangled Yarn” under the story section is the first half. This particular half of the challenge is played differently from Tangles, because I play it the “easy” way (from my experience).. By playing one generation per “decade” .. it’s not very realistic.. But it is an interesting take on the challenge. It eliminates the need to count the “years” by keeping track of sim days… but makes the challenge much longer. (Which is something that I’m good at doing – making challenges longer.) Another note: this challenge is tied up in another way with the “Tangles” story – at least one of the sims in the Sheppards’ family has jumped saves to marry into the Tangles family. (Which one? … you’ll have to read to find out, when I get it published.)

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1890s Week 4 | 1890s Week 6

(Spring)

I loaded this game back up and it immediately played the “death” sound. I panicked, trying to figure out who was dying.. hoping it was a townie. (And wondering how on earth a townie was dying on a nice day…)

… No such luck. Apparently it was time to say goodbye to Ginger – who was NOT sick the last time I saved this game and left it…. so I have no idea what to tell you. Her tombstone says she died of old age, which is somewhat comforting, but still… poor pupper.

The kids really took it hard, here’s Gertrude’s reaction after she was done with her bath.

And the boys both ran outside to say goodbye to their beloved pets. So sad. 🙁

Then.. Glenn spins up to teen. I had to re-roll aspirations a couple times until he got one that’s actually possible for the 1900’s. Not 100% happy with the Ren. Sim one, because he’ll have to quit jobs a couple times, but it will be the first time I (hopefully) complete that aspiration, so that’s a good thing. I gave Gertrude a minute to spin up as well, and then went in for both of their makeovers.

It turns out Glenn REALLY needed one because he grew up a bit “derpy” in my opinion. Huge forehead and chin, big fluffy eyebrows.. A change in hairstyle, some scruff, and finally new eyebrows effected quite a change, though I do feel sorta bad about changing the eyebrows for some reason. His look is definitely growing on me by the end of the post, though.. which is good since I’m stuck with him as the heir!

Here’s Gertrude’s traits. I had to reroll her trait, because, again, Geek was definitely not a thing back then – and the Loves Dogs really didn’t surprise me. Apparently she was really still missing Ginger.

Her makeover went far smoother than Glenn’s, however, and she’s gorgeous. Very sad in this picture because of Ginger, but still very pretty.

Okay, so the scruff on the chin only hides that weird chin a little bit. And pouting isn’t helping your case, Glenn.. LOL.

Why can’t I have a female heir!? .. Look how winsome she looks. 🙂

Glenn, however, (despite his hot headed trait) seems to be pretty happy-go-lucky, so that’s definitely a point in his favor. We immediately pay the 1k so Glenn will be able to go to school. Gertrude will be staying home with their mother, so no school fee for her.

Glenn finishes his homework and starts working on his skill so he’ll be able to get an “A” in high school. If I’m paying for school, he better get the most out of it!

Gertrude continues working on her knitting skill. By the end of the week, she’s almost got it maxed out, which I *think* will count towards Anna’s aspiration goal of child getting a skill maxed.

Valentine’s Day – so James comes home and buys a rose for his lovely wife. I don’t have them try for baby, though, because I really don’t need anymore kids, and neither do they. Where would I PUT them??

Excuse me, missy. Those didn’t exist. Put it away and get back to your chores!

Another lovely family moment brought to you by the Sheppards.

I’m not sure who knocked the trash over, but .. poor Gertrude ..!

Hm… never seen the lump of clay get turned into .. that.. before. Wonder what it’s supposed to be? (And who left it in the middle of the floor…?)

Oops.. more teenagers. I’d forgotten they had Jesse so soon after the twins. What was I thinking??

I let him keep his hair style… even though it’s a bit strange. He very clearly has different facial genetics from his brother, though.

And.. I leave you with this on their Easter Saturday. I laughed SO hard when Flower Bunny hit the ground, it probably wasn’t very nice of me.. but it was hilarious. See you next time for the last week of the 1890s for the Sheppards!

1890s Week 4 | 1890s Week 6

1890s Week 3 | 1890s Week 5

These guys are such a happy family. After the horrifying ordeal that was the twins as toddlers, things have changed drastically for the better.

James still needs some Research & Debate skill for work, so he’s talking to himself in the mirror again.

Anna is trying to get some laundry done before winter really sets in.

Glenn and Jesse decide they need to go outside to make friends – which is okay by me, since it’s a lovely day in Newcrest.

… And Edith is chatting with Rook. I know it’s Rook because of the black collar.

Omg. So cute. He gave her a big lick, too.

Jesse doing his homework at his father’s desk. Perhaps he’s thinking he’ll be a lawyer, too.

… While Gertrude and Glenn work at the kitchen table.

More laundry. The task never ends. But at least Anna seems to be good-natured about doing it.

Jesse is apparently fully reformed from his mess-making toddler days. Now he’s going around cleaning up messes that are still around.

Then he meets one of the Pancakes kids, I forget her name. She was walking by while he was cleaning, so I had him say “hi”.

Gertrude finishes a rug for her room before bed. Gives it a homey touch.

Guys – you don’t BOTH need to spray for monsters. Although maybe it’ll keep them away for longer. (Spoiler: it doesn’t.)

Breakfast the next morning. And reminder # 1 that I forgot to buy a bigger kitchen table for them – just like I said I would last chapter.

Poor Gertrude eats sitting up. Reminder #2.

After everyone is off to school and work, the toddler is busy.. so Anna finishes up yet another load of laundry.

The rug in the downstairs boys’ room. I also did a small house remodel to give them a door to their room instead of an arch. There’s now a tiny hallway to get to their room. And – everyone has dressers in their rooms. Well, except for the girls. I ran out of funds.

Gertrude enjoying a clear and bright Winterfest morning. As opposed to the horrible storms that the Tangles were “blessed” with for their winter.

Everyone gets together to trim the tree – except for Edith, who’s too little to help, and Anna, who’s making some Stew for everyone’s lunch.

Yes, James.. why in the Watcher’s name are you sitting on the knitted pouf I put there for the kids… It’s a wonder he doesn’t squash it into oblivion.

Edith is once again playing with Rook. They’ve really become good friends.

Anna finally gets a break from doing laundry and has time to do some knitting.

Since there’s still no sign of storms, I bundle the kids up and send them out to play in the snow. It’s getting dark, but nobody’s ready for bed quite yet.

Then my camera zooms across the neighborhood. …. What exactly are you doing, Darrel?

… Um.. Freezing to death? .. Never seen a townie do that before.

I laughed way too hard when he toppled over with a crash. It was kinda cool to see the Spellcaster gravestone.. although I quickly sent one of the kids across the neighborhood to pick it up and hide it in the family inventory.

It wouldn’t be a Sheppards post without at least one spin-up for aging, and it looks like Edith got the honor this week. (I didn’t get a picture of James aging up earlier)

Post-makeover Edith. That’s the hair she grew up with, and it’s perfect for her.

Anna immediately pounces on teaching her to knit, and I buy her a knitting box for her inventory.

Proof that during the house remodel I FINALLY remembered to buy them a better table. Even better, they are actually using it!

All the kids run off to school, James goes to work.. and poor Anna realizes she’s home alone with the dogs for pretty much the first time this entire challenge.

Afternoon knitting party. After homework was done, of course.

Uh-oh. James is stripey. And I -once again – forgot to have him “work hard”. He’s SO close to getting a promotion, if I would just remember that he’d get it. But nooo.. it was friday and I totally forgot.

Rook is filthy, so James gives him a bath before bed. Little does he know…

… that it’s the last bath Rook will ever get. Grim is forced to make another visit to this household, this time for someone much more dear.

I agree with James’ expression. I had almost forgotten Rook was old. For half a second, I think about filling the void in the household with another baby, but then decide that’s a totally bad idea. Where would I put them??

Anna, playing in the snow on yet another lovely winter day with Edith. Now that there’s no toddler in the house, it’s far easier to take care of the kids.

Ginger’s turn for a bath. Then the household starts all heading for bed. Annnd… my camera zooms YET AGAIN.

… No idea who this person is.. but the entire family wakes up this time to run out and mourn. They didn’t know the person at all.

Grim, checking his list and wondering why in the world he keeps getting called back to this one household. We’re becoming repeat customers!

Everyone is up, so I send them to get something to eat before I put everyone back to bed for the end of the week. I apologize for the plumbob in Anna’s face, I totally didn’t even notice it when I took the picture. LOL. OOps. All in all, it was a pretty good week for the Sheppards. More birthdays next week – both Glenn and Gertrude age bars are bubbling, so we should see them become teens at the beginning of the next chapter. See you then!

1890s Week 3 | 1890s Week 5

1890s Week 2 | 1890s Week 4

Welcome back to the madhouse. As a reminder: we’re in the 1890s, and have three toddlers and two dogs. Oh yeah, and Anna is pregnant again. Save me! No, really.. the twins have their birthday very soon, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Gertrude, dear, that’s not particularly helpful. But I guess it’s better than the toilet. Also: did not know toddlers could do this. Did you?

Bathtime for Jesse. The dog is not helping. LOL.

Then, Anna has a energy fail.. and tries to pass out while holding Jesse. Lovely glitch. She ends up stuck like this, and I have to reset her. It’s also about this time that the twins state that it’s their birthday.. and I realize 1 – I have no stove to make a cake, and 2 – you can’t make cakes off the grid anyway. Darn. I have to wait for them to spin up on their own.

James: “I saw that. You just peed yourself.”

Anna: “Shh. Let’s see you have four kids in a row and not have any accidents!”

Baby time!! Wonder what it’ll be. And yes, she’s still filthy. Bath can come later – after baby.

And it’s a girl! Welcome baby Edith. (Full disclosure: I forgot her name and had to reload the game to write this post. LOL OOPS)

Jesse being cute with the dog. Which dog? .. I dunno, can’t see the collar.

Finally. He gets randomized, and this is what he rolled. Figures, with all that red hair he has.

Post-makeover. He’s a real cutie.

She gets creative, as per challenge rules. The social butterfly was a roll.

I had the hardest time finding clothes for her. Didn’t really have anything appropriate. So we went with this.

Glenn’s first action: saying hello to his new baby sister. He seems to like her, which is good.

Then, he decides to take out the trash. I think I like this kid!

I send Gertrude to do her homework, and Glenn decides to join her. They have a conversation while doing it, so it takes forever, but that’s okay.

Ginger is babysitting Jesse.. and a stinky toilet. Neither seem to mind the toilet, though.

No idea who Anna was talking to here, but she looks great in this photo. Nevermind that she’s supposed to be cooking dinner or the fact that the counter is filthy.

Look! Jesse can fly! Still one of my favorite interactions.

I tried to get more era-appropriate beds, but they were too expensive.. so I settled on these plain wooden ones.

Sure, Gertrude, play where the dogs are supposed to be eating. You do you.

Gertrude and Glenn come to complain about a monster, and James pretty much says he’s had it for the day. Poor guy.

This, I believe is one of the Munch kids. Logan, I think his name is. I’ve been having Gertrude and Glenn meet kids at school and whoever walks by, ever keeping an eye out for future mates for them. It may be a little early – but that’s okay.

Glenn doing homework while the dogs play in the next room, doing as much as they possibly can to distract him.

Turns out Jesse is in there with them. Rook seems very interested in what he’s doing, while Ginger is occupied with Glenn in the next room.

No, Jesse, Gertrude cannot help you take a bath. Cute interaction, anyway.

Edith joins the family as the only child who got her father’s blue eyes.

My first experience with the “Teach to Knit” interaction. SO CUTE!!

Oh my gosh, she even leans in to help teach her the stitches! LOVE it!

Awww. Anna really tries so hard to be a good mom. It’s not her fault that this family is so crazy.

Kid central. This house is always filled with activity.

James getting asked advice from Glenn.

Anna, probably wondering why there’s always messes everywhere. I can point to exactly why. His name is Jesse. LOL. Gertrude is playing happily (and without making messes) behind her mother.

James comes home with a promotion, and finally, a desk to go with the chair he got earlier.

Told you the messes were Jesse’s fault. Really? You couldn’t wait until the other mess was at least cleaned up and mom left the room??

He decides chatting with his brother is more fun. Thank goodness.

Dad steps in to mop up the second mess, while Glenn brushes Ginger, who always needs brushing because she’s hairy.

Apparently, James likes the new desk idea.

Anna finally gets some knitting time of her own in.

I buy a knitting box for Gertrude, too, so she can make a little spare cash with her free time. The dog toy in the background was found by one of the dogs and brought back in a little pink box. It squeaks when they play with it, and my real life dog always tips her head, trying to figure out where the sound is coming from. It’s hilarious.

Last birthday for this update. He also gets random trait and aspiration.

Post-makeover shot. What pretty eyes!

Rook ages up to elder. Ginger doesn’t seem to realize she’s next.. and Gertrude is far too busy trying not to drop stitches in her rug to notice the party in front of her.

The kids decide to have a conference in the kitchen. Which reminds me.. they need a bigger table. I wonder if they can afford it..? (Probably not) .. Also wonder if I’ll remember to look and see whether they can in the next play session. (Also probably not. LOL.)

At least we got most the kids through being toddlers. Things should start calming down in the house now. I hope. See you next time!

1890s Week 2 | 1890s Week 4

1890s Week 1 | 1890s Week 3

We start out this week by sending Stefan to pass his bar exam for work, and then he needs level 2 logic – so he heads to the park, since we can’t really afford a chess table and chairs right now.

Our other task is selling that puppy. There’s no way I’m taking care of a puppy on top of two toddlers and being pregnant. Apparently Katrina Caliente is working for the adoption services. It has also occurred to me that I “handicapped” myself a bit by electing to have so many dogs in the house – we can’t have as many kids. So I don’t know that I’ll be trying for more puppies for a while, if at all.

Almost immediately, I discover that this is going to be a really hard week. The messes Anna has to clean up is just the beginning.

… Because there’s another one in process already. LOL.

“Hey, mama.. we’re hungry too!”

“So go get some off the counter and stop bothering me about it!”

(LOL)

Laundry time!

Gertrude is being cute, so I couldn’t resist a screenshot. Also, she’s up by herself in the middle of the night because she got hungry. She was a good girl, though, and didn’t wake anyone else – just got her meal, ate it, and crawled back upstairs to bed.

One of the few peaceful mornings before work that these two have this week. Note that the dogs need feeding, and there’s one very stinky dog behind James…

.. So we wash the dogs, and fill the food bowls.

Now that’s a happy dog!

But – as soon as those chores are done – there’s toddlers to bathe, too. The work never ends, and Anna’s energy is perpetually low.

Glenn is making friends with Rook, because mom and dad just don’t have time to talk to him right now.. so, the dogs are great for keeping up his “attention” need.

Things look so peaceful. I assure you, they’re not. I’m spending most my time yelling at pixel people who won’t do what I’m telling them to.

There’s a summer heatwave, so everyone is in their hot weather clothes. James is spending time with Gertrude, while Ginger supervises.

… I knew that was going to happen.

.. Gosh, I feel so bad for Anna. I just can’t seem to get her energy up. She keeps getting woken up.

… And now it’s baby time, too!

I love the curious dog behind Anna in this shot. Meet the newest Sheppard – Jesse. Another boy.

The toddlers, feeding themselves in the middle of the night.

… And in the morning. These guys seem to always be hungry.

What a huge storm! The lightning is actually loud enough to be jump-scaring me. LOL.

Yes, James, hurry off to work. This is what he leaves behind:

There’s also piles of laundry all over the upstairs and in the sims’ inventories. I feel like a horrible sim-watcher, because keeping up with this family is a NIGHTMARE.

Um…. James.. WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?!

“There’s a storm outside.”

That’s outside. You’re inside.

“I don’t want my head to get wet, though.”

…Sigh. He finally put away the umbrella when he got out of the bath, only to pull it out again to walk back to the house.

Amazingly, this is one of the few toddler energy fails I have this week. At least the kids have been well cared for.

.. Even if the adults aren’t. And the house is still a disaster zone.

Aww.. I feel so bad for her. Things are not likely to improve, though. That puppy dog eye look isn’t going to help.

More laundry. And a screaming baby. And a toddler that needs attention. And dog hair everywhere again. Sigh.

.. At least the baby isn’t screaming anymore?

Even poor James is down for the count. He did manage to finish Gertrude’s bath before passing out, though.

You know you’re overwhelmed when going into CAS for an age-up makeover feels a bit like heaven. LOL. This is Jesse, all toddler-ified. Yet another kid with mom’s green eyes.

Haha…. it figures. She’s pregnant again. The dogs are begging for food again, and little Glenn is playing in a puddle of.. who knows what.

That moment when you seriously just stop to care and lay down for a nap. (Only to have to go to work a half hour later… LOL)

He leaves this mess behind, and by the end of the day when he gets home, the toilet will be broken, too.

Okay, I love rocking chairs. The interactions are adorable!

Poor Anna. Now she’s going tiger-striped.

Jesse playing with blocks by a dirty toilet, with a dog sleeping in a puddle of pee. EW.

Three mostly happy toddlers. For the moment.

Jesse nearly gets knocked over with a kiss from Ginger – I only catch the tail end of the interaction, but it was really cute.

James comes home with a promotion. He’s now officially a junior lawyer with the firm, and finally gets a suit to wear to work. He’s also horribly tired, and immediately goes for a rocking chair nap, because I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to make it upstairs.

Peace. For a moment, at least.

After his nap, he has to fix the toilet that was broken – and the sink, too.. but the toilet was definitely higher priority with a pregnant wife in the house.

And – no – he doesn’t make it to bed.

To be honest, I’m not sure who was stinking in this photo.. the toddler (Glenn) or James. But someone is. The dogs are in a great mood, though. Good thing they’re easy to care for!

The clothes line broke. Again. And that poor kitchen garden hardly ever gets any tending.

I find it hilarious that you can see her tiger stripes through the nightgown/robe.

…. I didn’t know toddlers could eat there..? I mean, I’m grateful, because he was VERY low on hunger.. but.. still, it’s weird.

Finally. It’s the end of the week, and I’ve got nearly everyone in the green and happily sleeping.

Except for James. James is trying to catch up on the housework to help his wife out. I finally gave up on gender stereotypes for this family for the week, because Anna simply wasn’t going to be able to make it through on her own. So whenever he’s home, he’s helping. 🙂

On that note, it’s time to move on to the next save. Next time: Fall and week three, which will start with the twins finally aging up. I was tempted to play to their birthdays, but escaping this house was also high on the list of priorities.

1890s Week 1 | 1890s Week 3

Intro/Rules | 1890s Week Two

First of all: let’s have a huge round of applause that Nifty Knitting has finally gotten here. Then, let’s meet our founders, James and Anna.

They’re downloaded from the gallery, with a little bit in the way of makeovers. Anna, in particular, had a hair color change so that she wouldn’t look so much like my other Decades founder, Juliet. I love her freckles, however, and they look so awesome with the red hair and green eyes. When I downloaded them, I kept their names – and their (male) dog, Rook. While preparing for the challenge, another simmer posted a photo of one of their challenge founders and his (female) dog.. and one thing led to another, and we swapped dogs so we could breed them. So: meet Ginger and Rook Sheppard.

Just for reference, I did check: the breed was officially recognized in 1907, but it existed before then. So we’re stretching credibility, and saying they brought them over with them when they came to the U.S.

Oh, and the featured photo is their house, that I built literally over a month ago in preparation for this challenge. It’s based off a photo I found of a house built in the 1890s, so it’s accurate to the time period. It is EXTREMELY lacking in furnishing, however, as you’ll see in the upcoming game-play photos. I didn’t start these guys out with a loan, so most their money went into building the home… they will have to earn enough to start furnishing it.

One last thing before I start play: this is a park lot I built to be as close to time period as possible, with as many uses as I could think of. I’ll be using it for both of my Decades saves.

Yes, it’s on the Gallery, called “1890 Church & Park”.

With all that out of the way.. let’s get this party started!

It’s spring, and cold out, so they’re both in their cold weather wear. I immediately send James to another lot so he can call to get his lawyer job that I planned for him. (Off the grid means I can’t get a job while on their home lot..)

Being that James will be working outside of the house, Anna is in charge of the kitchen garden. So I get her to buy some seeds and plant away. Then, it occurs to me I should take some pictures of the house to document how it starts:

And yes, James is back home and working on his Research & Debate skill for work. I didn’t take a picture of the empty rooms – there’s one downstairs and one upstairs.

Finally finished with the gardening, Anna sits down and starts work on her very first knitting project. (After telling the dogs to try to breed.)

The dogs, of course, refuse. This might take a while.

For some reason, sims are having trouble putting books away, and I keep getting “Last Exception”s – which I brought up to the MCCC folks, and they diagnose as being the books’ fault. So that book has to be manually put away, and it stays there for a while until I get around to it. Also of note: Anna, if you look closely, is already pregnant! No such luck on the dogs, though.

EA.. thanks for programming in that they can knit on the toilet. As a knitter, I assure you.. this is not a good idea. However, it was funny that it took me a while to find Anna – I didn’t think to look in the outhouse.

The dogs are finally starting to get along. Anna is getting to be pretty good friends with both of them, too.

Yay! They’re finally breeding! Still no puppy notification, though.

Poor Anna.. this pregnancy is really taking it out of her. James has been having to help with the garden because she just doesn’t have the energy.

Yet another nap. I feel terrible for her!

No idea who she’s talking to here. James wasn’t even home.. so it was either one of the dogs, or she was just talking to herself. Perhaps she was complaining about yet another book being out. LOL.

Oh, and.. hooray!!

It must be that time. Thanks for letting me know, James. 🙂

Yep.. that’s the baby face. I waited until the game gave us a free bassinet, because money is tight for these two…. so poor Anna had to be in labor for the entire time.

LOL. What a face. I completely relate. I was in labor for 37 hours when my RL son was born.. you’ll be okay, there, Anna.

See? It was all worth it, right?

… Maybe. I cursed so loudly at the second name the baby screen that my hubby thought something was actually wrong. Nope. Just twins. in 1890. Joy. Meet Glenn (on the left) and Gertrude (on the right).

Stuff is constantly breaking. I usually make James fix it when he next wakes up or whenever he gets home from work.

This place is officially a madhouse. And yes, this is how the twins aged up. We’re going to need makeovers. The redhead is Glenn. And the puppy is a little boy, named Dash. I will probably sell him.

I come out of the makeover screen to James playing with Gertrude. Too cute. And the dogs are making hairy messes again. Fun. (sarcasm)

I did the best I could on their outfits, but it’s hard to match the kids’ outfits for the time.

Um… already??

Here’s a good shot of both twins:

They’re both adorable and both got mommy’s green eyes.

One last thing.. here’s the toddlers’ upstairs room. I was only just barely able to afford their furniture. And that’s the week. The next week will probably be pretty crazy!

Intro/Rules | 1890s Week Two