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Generation 1

I went with plan “B” for my floor plan.

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The Pasta Factory (Restaurant):

Download link: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/4555E4DDDA6611EA88BA1B3C63FBD266

Harbor Community Space:

(Community Space)

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(Community Garden)

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(Marketplace)

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(Maker Space)

Download Link: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/2ADFB242DB4311EA8545CBD06C2743CA

1893 | 1895

Early 1894 (Spring)

Spring was coming, and the snow was finally receding. The plants were waking, and things were starting to look up.

Stefan was particularly happy to be able to once again spend time out in the fields, getting his hands dirty with some honest work. He looked forward to the produce finally starting to ripen again so this winter time money crunch would go away. It would certainly take a load off of his shoulders.

Juliet was starting to get the babies on a better schedule, so they were getting at least a little bit more sleep, too. Which allowed her to get back in the kitchen so they could have “real” meals again. Stefan was glad, because he was really getting tired of Spinach salads.

Nellie seemed to have sprouted useful legs overnight, and had immediately started getting into trouble. Scolding her really didn’t appear to do much good, either, because she would just wait until your back was turned to find something else to make a mess of.

Now that Nellie was a toddler, and was happily sleeping in the nursery instead of her bassinet, the twins were easier to keep asleep and both he and Juliet relished the idea of more sleep. Maybe the constant exhaustion would start to abate.

… If you didn’t count the nightmares. He didn’t remember Florence having those, and she certainly didn’t seem to wake when Nellie had them, so getting woken up in the night by a toddler was new territory. He usually stopped her before she woke up Juliet, though, and managed to tuck her back into bed with a little comfortings.

Speaking of Florence, she was really the jewel of the family. She was cheerful and cooperative – all the things Nellie was not. She enjoyed spending time quietly with either parent, and didn’t play favorites.

The time for paying the bills and the loan came and went with barely a dent in the bank balance. He was amazing even himself with how well the farm was providing for his growing family – and was starting to consider simply paying the balance of the loan off with the farm’s profits.

Since it was a cold afternoon and the fields were all taken care of for the day, Stefan decided to take a nap while he could. Nellie was playing quietly by herself for a change, and Florence was “helping” her Mother in the kitchen.

Florence seemed to very much enjoy having a sister she could actually play with, and the two of them were simply adorable together.

Valentine’s Day came with very little fanfare, and, although they were too busy with the children to do something just the two of them, Stefan still tried to make the day special for Juliet. He presented her with flowers, and they cuddled before falling asleep. Risking having another baby at this point, though, was still out of the question.

Nellie continued to be a problem child. As soon as your attention wavered, she would find something to spill all over the floor. Juliet seemed to constantly be cleaning. But today, Stefan had other concerns. There had been another letter from Juliet’s parents, and he didn’t have a good feeling about it since the last time they had actually heard from them was after Mary had died. This time, the letter was addressed in different handwriting, too. Handwriting Stefan didn’t recognize and could tell was shaky at best.

So, before bed, he asked Juliet to join him in the bedroom, and tried to make her as comfortable as possible before handing her the letter. They read it together, hearts nearly stopping at the news enclosed. Juliet’s mother had died suddenly, and now her step-father was ailing. He could no longer care for her younger half-brother, and asked the unthinkable. To prevent young Abraham from being sent to the orphanage, he wanted Juliet to take the boy in. Stefan being part of the household, or the fact that he and Juliet had their own family to care for already were not even mentioned.

In stunned silence, he and Juliet sat together on the ottoman. Stefan took the letter back from her shaking hands, and re-read it to himself.

“Stefan… I can’t let him be taken away. He IS my brother, after all. Mother and I used to donate things to that orphanage – you can’t even imagine how horrible the conditions are there. I wouldn’t wish that on any child. We have to take him in.” Juliet blinked away what looked suspiciously like tears, and looked beseechingly at Stefan.

“I suppose you’re right.” Stefan replied. “Your step-father cannot travel in his condition, and you have the babies to feed and care for, so you can’t travel either. It must be me.”

Looking away in frustration and anger at the coming trip, he clenched his jaw, then bit out, “I must go back to Brindleton Bay to get your brother and bring him here.” He didn’t see Juliet look at him with worry and pity, and he stood up and left the room. He needed to be alone for a moment.

Stefan had never planned on going home. He had never met Juliet’s step-father, even at the wedding. It had been like the man had never accepted the fact that Juliet had even gotten married. And as for her half-brother, he knew absolutely nothing about the boy. Other than the fact that he would now be their ward. Clenching his fists, he looked about the spare room he had found himself in. At least they had room for the boy to sleep. For now. The twins would be growing up soon, and this room had been planned for them. It was a good thing Stefan hadn’t chosen to pay the loan off fully. The money he had saved was going to have to go towards an addition to the house. He wouldn’t have time to arrange for that until he returned, however. Who knew how long Juliet’s step-father had left: Stefan needed to pack and leave by train in the morning.

Sighing deeply, Stefan headed back upstairs and told Juliet of his plans. He would get Abraham, and be home as fast as he could. In his mind, he simply hoped he wouldn’t run into his father or brothers while he was home. By now, his duplicity in cashing out his land inheritance would surely have been found out, and he was sure they would be even angrier at him than usual.

Late July 1894

Tangles’ Home, Willow Creek

Stefan had barely been gone for a day, and already the house was falling apart at the seams. Juliet seemed to run from one task to the next, never having time to even catch her breath.

There were meals to cook, laundry to do, and two very active toddlers to watch. Not to mention, the babies were starting to crawl.

Keeping Samuel and Benjamin in their cribs was becoming a chore, and their near constant (or so it felt) crying frayed what little nerves Juliet had left.

She tried, however, to keep home life as normal as possible for Florence and Nellie. They ate together in the kitchen, and they still went to bed just after dark and woke first thing in the morning.

Provided Nellie didn’t have a nightmare in the middle of the night, the only thing that interrupted her sleep were the babies. Still, sleep was fitful at best without the security of Stefan beside her. She had never expected to miss him this much, and a niggling insecurity played at the back of her mind. What was he doing on his trip? Where would he stay? Who else might he meet? And, above all, when would he be back?

The Bates’ House, Brindleton Bay

Stefan felt tired, dirty, and annoyed. He could nearly taste the grit from the train in between his clenched teeth. Not wanting to find a rooming house to clean up at, he headed straight to the Bates’ farm, hoping to get this over with as fast as possible, and head back to the train station with young Abraham.

The moment he saw Juliet’s step-father, he knew his condition was more dire than even he had let on in the letter. The man could barely keep his feet. Stefan approached him, entirely prepared to catch the man should he tip over.

Coughing harshly, Willam Bates ground out, “Where’s my daughter? Where’s Juliet?”

Stopping and blinking in confusion, Stefan replied, “She can’t travel right now. Not with the twins still needing feedings, and Florence and Nellie still need her, too. I had to come in her stead.”

“Hmph. Good-for-nothing Tangles. Always sticking your nose into business that wasn’t yours in the first place. I should have known you would keep Juliet under lock and key.”

Stunned at the man’s vitriol, Stefan just looked at him blankly, feeling his temper rise.

William again began coughing, and nearly bent double. Despite his anger, Stefan quickly came to his aid and helped him sit on the nearby porch bench. Sitting next to him, Stefan cursed.

“How dare you malign my family. What have we ever done to you?” Stefan bit out.

“What have you ever done FOR us? My wife and daughter are dead because you took Juliet away from us. They would still be here but for your meddlesome Tangle ways!” Willam again devolved into a coughing fit, barely able to breathe. After a tense moment, he continued, “You can stay in the guest room. Elizabeth’s funeral is in two days. After that, you may take Abraham and go. I am afraid, that no matter what my feelings are for you, I must trust you with my most trusted possession – my son and heir. I have not long for this world, and cannot continue to care for him on my own.”

Unbeknownst to either Stefan or William, little Abraham had tiptoed up to the front door of his house, and was now listening to every word spoken outside. He gasped at this statement from his father, and quickly slapped a hand over his mouth so he wouldn’t be heard.

Stefan was livid. “How DARE you say that Mary and Elizabeth’s deaths are Juliet’s fault. Perhaps if you had treated Juliet better, she would not have been so eager to leave this home and your family. She has done nothing but good for you and yours, and even now, she is being gracious and stepping in when she is needed. You are nothing but a petty and sick old man, taking things out on a girl who deserves none of your anger and blame.”

William tried to answer, but lost his voice to another fit of coughing. Waving Stefan off, he merely said, “No matter. What’s done is done. Your room is upstairs.”

Early September, 1894

TANGLES’ HOME, WILLOW CREEK

There was still no sign of Stefan. Juliet had fully expected him home by now, and there was no sign of him, and no word either.

Trying to put aside her worry, Juliet continued the best she could with her daily tasks.

The house, however, was starting to look worse for the wear, and her already frayed nerves were gone. The twins were crawling everywhere when they were awake, and Florence was starting to pick up on Nellie’s troublesome ways, getting into the cabinets to bang the pans when Juliet wasn’t looking.

Even a trip to the outhouse wasn’t fraught with problems, because the pump sink was now spraying water everywhere. Juliet tried to mop up the water and stem the flow, but she knew nothing of it’s workings and failed miserably. On the way back to the house, she looked at the weeds growing in the fields, and hoped that the harvest wouldn’t be forever ruined by Stefan’s absence.

By the time she got back in the house, the twins were once again screaming in hunger, and she trudged upstairs to care for them. Hearing a commotion behind her, she turned to find, of all things, Florence spilling a cup of flour all over the upstairs hallway rug. Scolding her, she sent her to her room to play, and went to find where Nellie had gotten off to.

After searching the entire house, and not finding her, in a panic, Juliet ran outside.

She tripped on the stairs and nearly fell, suddenly realizing that her head was spinning in a most disconcerting way, and she felt terribly feverish. Holding on to the railing for a moment, she got her bearings, then began the search for Nellie again.

Finding her making a mess on the side of the house by Stefan’s fields, Juliet took a breath, and yelled at Nellie for making her worry and for making a mess. Nellie immediately burst into tears, and Juliet stopped, taking a deep breath.

Suddenly laughing at herself, she shook her head to try to clear it, then laughed again, almost deliriously.

Apologizing to Nellie, she comforted her as best she could and took the toddler back inside, only hoping that the rest of the children had been okay in her absence.

By midnight, things had completely fallen apart inside the house and Juliet’s head. She curled up under the covers and cried miserably while the twins slept on, oblivious, and Florence and Nellie ate their last meal of the day. The girls then quietly took themselves off to bed, confused and a bit afraid of their mother’s flood of tears.

at the Brindleton Bay Parish church

Stefan sat and waited while William lit a candle for his daughter. He had kept quiet for the last couple of days, sitting on his anger at the old man’s hatred and unreasonable blame. He had seen for himself William’s condition was indeed dire, and it seemed he was holding on only to bury his late wife.

Young Abraham had yet to say a single word to Stefan, either. He seemed almost afraid of him, and under the circumstances, Stefan couldn’t really blame him. He didn’t push the lad, and kept mostly to himself, wondering how Juliet and the children were faring.

The funeral was short and sweet, thankfully, and Stefan helped the gravediggers carry her coffin to her grave and cover it over with dirt. She was buried beside her beloved daughter, Mary, with a conspicuous plot of land next to her for William.

Seeing the boy crying at his mother’s graveside pulled at Stefan’s heartstrings, and he walked over to console the youngster, not knowing what else to do.

Abraham wiped his tears away, and took a deep breath.

“Thanks, sir.” he said, quietly.

“Think nothing of it, son.” Stefan replied, and began to say something else, but was interrupted.

William had collapsed on the ground near his wife and daughter’s graves. Watching as the horror dawned in Abraham’s eyes, Stefan turned to find the Grim Reaper coming in through the cemetery gates. Clearly William had breathed his last.

Abraham cried inconsolably, and understandably. Not knowing exactly what to do, Stefan watched the whole scene with a growing knot in his stomach. He would, clearly, not be going home to Juliet and his children today. They had another funeral to arrange.

Late September, 1984

AT THE BRINDLETON BAY PARISH CHURCH

Stefan still didn’t really know what to say to his wife’s half brother. The boy seemed to have ceased to talk altogether, and stayed alone in his room. He didn’t force the youngster to go to school, he felt that was far too much to be asking of the grieving boy, but he did insist he eat. The housekeeper had agreed to stay on to make their meals and clean the house until such time as William could be buried and Stefan and Abraham left for home. For now, there were other arrangements to be made.

Stefan met with the bank manager, who seemed happy to see him, and congratulated him on keeping up payments faithfully on his loan. Stefan ignored the man’s cheer, and inquired about the Bates’ estate in relation to his young brother-in-law. There had been wills, of course, and, sobering quickly, the bank manager guided him into a back room to discuss it. As the boy’s guardian now, he was given trust of the boy’s accounts until such time as Abraham was old enough to actually inherit it. Despite the pleasant and prosperous appearance of the Bates’ farm, apparently there was little left, and there had been no dispensation in the wills for Juliet at all. It was as if her parents had ceased to acknowledge she even existed. Most of the money seemed to have gone to medical care and the household help over these last few years. The farm had been mortgaged to the hilt, too, so by all rights, it belonged to the bank, and there would be nothing coming in from it.

Soberly, Stefan collected the papers and headed back to the Bates’ farm. He was starting to feel sorry for the boy, it seemed he was destined to have nothing in this world – or at least, very little.

The date for the funeral of William finally arrived, and Stefan dutifully escorted the boy to the church. The service passed quickly enough, and again Stefan helped the gravediggers finish the process. He was about to fetch the boy so they could leave when he heard a voice he had hoped to never hear again. His stomach dropping into his shoes, he turned to find his father outside the cemetery gates, calling for him.

“Boy! How dare you show your face in this town after what you’ve done!”

Stefan hurried over to him, hoping to at least convince him to lower his voice at such a sober gathering.

Apparently that wasn’t about to happen. His father was beyond furious, it seemed, and there was nothing Stefan could do but listen to the man berate him.

The tirade seemed to go on forever. Clearly his father had found out about the inheritance, and the loan.

Finally, cursing, his father seemed to be losing steam, and finished with: “You have stolen from my family and my town for the last time! I wash my hands of you. You no longer exist.”

Gasping at such a harsh statement, Stefan tried to collect his thoughts to reply, aware that most of the town was watching the two of them with avid interest. There was nothing like a scandal, after all.

“BEGONE! Get out of my town, and never return or I’ll have you arrested!”

Unable to think through the rush of anger and emotions, Stefan turned and walked away with a huge lump in his throat, going to collect his ward and his belongings so they could leave.

On his way back to the church, he passed a forlorn form by the fresh graves. Stumbling to a stop, Stefan walked over to his Mother.

“I’m Sorry, Mom. I never meant to cause you all this trouble. I just wanted my own life.” he began, then stopped when he realized his mother hadn’t even heard him.

“She was one of my dearest friends.” his mother said absently, still staring at Elizabeth’s grave.

“I’m sorry.” Stefan said, trying to console her as best he could.

“And now I have lost my son, too. Your father will have nothing of you in the home, and wants you gone.”

Taking a deep breath, Stefan replied dryly, “So I’ve been told.”

“Even your brothers fear to speak of you and what you have done to this family’s reputation. I must comply, and this must be goodbye.”

Stefan knew that steely look in his mother’s eye, and knew very well that he could say nothing to change her mind about what had actually happened. She believed what she had been told. In reality, he had only taken what was his to make a new start somewhere else. He was no thief.

“Fine. Goodbye, Mother.”

He turned to go, then thought twice about it. “I still love you, though, and I’m sorry.” he said softly, and threw his arms about his mother. He heard her voice catch, and she hugged him back tightly, then turned away from him to follow his father.

Unable to speak anymore, Stefan turned to Abraham, who was standing by their luggage, waiting. He nodded at the boy, and helped him load it onto a carriage bound for the train station. Finally. It was time to go home.

TANGLES’ HOME, WILLOW CREEK

Juliet had never been so lonely in her life. Surely Stefan should have been back by now. She couldn’t imagine what had gone wrong to keep him away for so long. Perhaps he wasn’t coming back at all. Perhaps he had found someone else. Someone without so many children to be a burden to him. Someone without a half brother she was now to be in charge of. Provided she could get him here and save him from the orphanage. Her thoughts a despairing muddle, Juliet went to bed, again, alone.

Of course, she wasn’t able to sleep long before the boys were up again, screaming for food and diaper changes. Miserably, she cared for them, and crawled back into bed.

Morning dawned with a clinging rain – and a welcome surprise at her doorstep.

Stefan and Abraham were home! The sadness on the young boy’s face drew her attention immediately, and she folded him into her arms before turning to welcome Stefan home.

Being back in his arms made her feel incredibly foolish for worrying and doubting him. Of course he was home. Explanations could wait for later.

Abraham set his suitcases on the bed that was to be his, and immediately pitched in to start cleaning up the disaster that was the house. Once things seemed under control, still without a word, he sat at the mostly unused desk and began doing some schoolwork. Florence and Nellie watched him curiously, soberly, and Juliet wondered what they thought of the new household addition.

Stefan spent most the morning in the fields, trying to repair the damage done by neglect. Once he felt things were under control, he came back into the house to help get that back in hand, as well.

Abraham had retreated to the spare room, and was talking quietly to the big bear. Juliet wondered what he was saying, but didn’t want to interrupt. She closed the door again, and when she checked back, he was sound asleep. Poor thing.

Stefan and she finally had the house clean, the toddlers cared for, and the boys asleep. Stefan went upstairs to wash the travel dirt from his body, but Florence interrupted him, begging for a story before bed. It appeared she had missed her Father.

Everyone was in bed, the house was clean, and Stefan was glad to see her. That was all that mattered anymore to Juliet. He tried to tell her about the trip, about her father, but she interrupted him. All that could wait. First, he deserved a proper welcome home.

(Author’s Note: This was completely, totally, amazingly, all unplanned. I couldn’t have come up with this stuff had it not actually happened in game and I had to be creative to make up the story as to exactly why and how. I had never, ever, planned to have anything to do with Brindleton Bay again, and it was just on a whim I had even added those lots and the extended family to the game at all (the prologue was shot in a different save). I did not make Juliet’s family, nor did I make the lots that are shown in Brindleton Bay – all were found on the Gallery under the 1890s search term. I’m just glad that the lots were well enough put together to withstand the impromptu photo shoot session I had to put on mid-week to explain what happened. And Juliet really did “lose it” over those couple days without Stefan, I did not make that up. (To simulate him being gone, and facilitate the photo shoot, he was moved out of the household temporarily.) I think the chapter turned out well, if way too long for my tastes – but there was no place to split it, really. It all needed to be together to explain the entire week. Hopefully you enjoyed the read!)

1893 | 1895

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

1892 Part 2 | 1894

(Author’s Note: With an eye towards getting through possibly more than one generation this month with this story (and, consequently, the Sheppards as well), I am increasing the length of the posts for this family, and I’m going to TRY to fit a whole “year” into each chapter instead of splitting them up. If this creates a problem for you, please comment and I can go back to splitting the years into two.)

1893 (Winter)

Winter was moving in fast, and the outhouse seemed to get farther away every day. Last night’s frost had put the bees to sleep, and many of the plants had died off for the winter. Juliet could see the storm clouds rolling in and knew that the tiny flakes filtering down from the sky would be joined by many more soon. She hurried with her business and headed back inside as quickly as possible.

She passed Stefan on her way in, but he was so preoccupied by whatever he was making he barely acknowledged her. He had been hard at work on his woodworking bench a lot lately, and she wondered what he was up to. She wasn’t going to ask, however, not wanting to distract him.

She fed Florence some dinner, and smiled as she watched her fumble with the spoon. The new chair in the dining room allowed Florence to be where Mom was working, so Juliet could keep an eye on her while she ate. The last thing she wanted was to have to scrub the rug in the living room because of food dropped on it again, so having Florence here was so much better.

Juliet had been right about the storm, and the whole family was glad for the fireplaces that helped to heat their house. The windows were frozen over, and through the haze you could see that it was quickly turning into blizzard conditions.

There were other things on her mind than the snow, though. She had been keeping track carefully, and as of tonight, she was sure. She called Stefan upstairs once he had changed out of his snowy clothes, and waited with a babbling Florence impatiently.

She knew how the news of a pregnancy would go over, and she wasn’t wrong. Stefan was overjoyed. He immediately began talking of all the things he would teach his son as he grew up, and his entire attitude changed.

---

Stefan felt his spirits rise exponentially. It was like all the hope that had left when Nellie had been born had come back in a heady rush. He had started to worry Juliet wouldn’t get pregnant again, even though they hadn’t been trying all that long this time. Some of his church friends told horror stories of wives who had seemed to be barren after bearing only girls, and he had let it go to his head. He apologized to his wife for doubting her, and missed the secret laughter on her face when he cheerily headed back downstairs. There were preparations to make.

The days passed slowly, and he kept a careful eye on his wife’s waistline, waiting impatiently for it to start expanding. His mood remained upbeat, however, despite the fact that the fields had stopped producing and money simply wasn’t coming in anymore. The holly bushes and the spinach plants were pretty much the only things out there worth harvesting, and with the on and off blizzards, even those were hard to get to.

He was glad his workbench was close to the house, as it seemed mostly protected from the wind and snow there, so he was able to keep working on his current project. He’d started on it a while ago, with an eye to the coming season, and was especially keen now that he knew there was another baby on the way to get it done in time for the holidays. Florence was being put to bed by the time he came in for the night, and he smiled as he peeked in on his wife reading the toddler to sleep. He could just barely see the tot’s eyes struggling to stay open, and he knew she would be asleep soon.

He checked in on a sleeping Nellie, then headed downstairs to pull leftovers out of the icebox for dinner. Before the meal was over, however, Nellie was back awake again, and expecting her nightly feeding and diaper change. Of course she was. Shaking his head, he cleaned up from the meal then took one last trip to the outhouse before retiring.

The morning brought with it sunny skies, a headache, and the knowledge that today he had to pay the bills and the loan payment when he knew he wouldn’t have any income until spring came again. He wondered if the headache was from that, and sent off the missives quickly, heading back inside to take a nap on the couch.

Luckily, the headache had subsided by the time he woke up, and he was able to spend some time with Florence while Juliet did some housework.

She was growing so fast, and as she grew, spending time with her became more and more enjoyable. She was learning to put away her own toys, and her vocabulary grew almost daily. He hoped when his son came that he would be as bright as Florence was proving to be.

---

Juliet had manged to get a recipe for a hearty forager’s stew from one of the ladies at church this past weekend, and decided to give it a try this evening.

Before long, the entire house was filled with delicious smells, and both Stefan and Florence had found their way to the kitchen to inquire when dinner would be served.

Supper was a huge success, and all of the bowls ended up being practically licked clean. There was plenty to put in the icebox for later, too. This was definitely a recipe she would be keeping!

She tried not to burden Stefan with her troubles, but this pregnancy had been taking a toll on her that the last two had not. She felt her energy being constantly sapped, and getting things done always seemed harder than it should be. She wondered if this meant that Stefan would finally get the boy he so desperately wanted. Or – at the very least, she hoped that it didn’t point to something being wrong. The doctor was too far away to be of much help in dire circumstances even during the warmer months, so with the near constant snowfall, he was more than likely beyond reach entirely.

To keep her mind off of the constant physical discomfort and mental worries, she spent more time knitting than she probably should. A new pattern for warmer baby clothes had been passed on to her, and she was attempting to get all the complicated stitches and mind-boggling color changes for the tiny outfit “just right”. She’d had to restart the whole project at least twice, but she was determined to get it done.

As her belly grew, so, too, did Florence. She was becoming more and more well-behaved, and pleasant to be around. The picture books she had gotten at their last trip to the market had been a good buy, as well, because the toddler seemed to almost memorize them with as many times as they were repeated to her.

---

With the holidays fast approaching, Stefan finally gave up on hoping there would be a break in the weather. He put on as many layers as he could fit under his coat, and let Juliet know he would be out for most of the afternoon. What he didn’t tell her was what he would be doing.

The wind howled and the snow was near blinding, but he was determined, and he slowly made his way to the field of pine trees he had noted earlier in the year while exploring the town.

He managed to get everything done before nightfall, and stood back to admire his handiwork. The cheery decorations probably wouldn’t be noticed by many, but he thought it looked quite lovely.

Even the indoors was strewn with holiday cheer. He had put garlands on the mantels and above each fireplace, and the tree he had drug all the way home looked amazing in the parlor. He was exhausted now, though, and laid down for a nap, figuring that he would wake up in time to surprise his wife and child when they came out of the spare room.

When he woke up, however, they were already preoccupied checking out his changes to the house. Florence seemed to be in awe of the fact that a tree was inside the house, while Juliet took the whole thing in stride and went back to knitting her tiny outfits.

Giving Juliet some time to work, he ushered the excited toddler back into the playroom and found one of her favorite stories, the one about the dinosaurs. He was sick of reading it, but could never be tired of the joy on Florence’s face every time he made the roaring “dialogue” come to life.

---

Juliet finished off the last bit of cast-off and sewing required, and sat back to admire her work. Tucking in the last ends of yarn to secure the knitting was the last part she had to do, and it didn’t take very long to do that.

Hurrying upstairs, she did one of those taboo things, and woke the slumbering baby. She just had to try the outfit on. Nellie blinked blearily at her and started to demand to be fed, but she looked adorable in her new sleeper. Even better, she would be warmer at night. With a satisfied smile, she fed Nellie and put the infant back to bed before curling up on the bed and giving into the sleep that was tugging at her eyelids.

---

By Christmas morning, Florence was fully into the holiday spirit, and she woke up early. Consequently, both Juliet and Stefan were also up, albeit a bit less cheerfully.

Waiting for the time for presents, Florence played with the rocking chair to occupy herself. Stefan was glad she didn’t flip the silly thing over with how hard she was playing. That would have been a disaster.

After a hearty meal of Forager Stew and a nap in the parlor by the tree for Juliet, they all gathered around the decorated tree and opened their presents. Most were new toys for Florence, and her delight with each gaily wrapped box was infectious. They were all laughing before long, and there was paper and ribbons strewn about the room.

Finally, there was only one box left. Juliet was thoroughly confused when she opened the box and found it empty. She turned to Stefan to ask, and he pointed with a little boy’s glee towards the kitchen.

Her confusion turned to amazement when he showed her the new furniture he had made. End tables for the bedroom upstairs, and a full dining room set. There was a new stuffed bear on the mantelpiece in the spare room for Florence, too, so she didn’t feel completely left out. She lavished him with praise, and he actually started to feel pretty embarrassed about it. Stopping her, he insisted she go take another nap, that he would watch the children. She was tired enough that there was very little complaint, and she curled up on one of the spare beds.

Juliet had made some little cards with numbers and alphabet letters on them, so he got them out and occupied Florence with them. She was a quick study, and started picking up the connection between the letters she could speak and the letters on the cards.

The rest of the day passed by peacefully, despite the raging weather outside. Stefan had hoped to take Florence out to enjoy the snow at some point, but the storm just didn’t seem to be letting up. So, resignedly, he put his family to bed and hoped for another day with better weather.

The weather didn’t let up, however. The next day he kept himself busy, even through the storm. The laundry had been piling up, and Juliet was just too worn out to do much about it. It took several trips in and out to keep his fingers warm, and some upgrades to the clothesline so it wouldn’t break, but he finally got the clothes clean enough to start drying by the fire. They would put them outside when they were closer to dry.

---

Juliet appreciated all that Stefan was doing to try to make life easier for her, but she was still worried. By this late stage of the pregnancy, she had figured things would be hard, but between the trips to the outhouse and still breastfeeding the now-crawling Nellie, she could barely stay awake for more than an hour.

She had been trying to get more knitting done, so she would have a warm outfit or two for the newborn (of course, it was in blue because Stefan wouldn’t hear of the possibility it could yet be another girl), but it had been a struggle. She watched Stefan roughhousing with Florence and decided she was – again – going to have to take her leave for a nap.

What started out to be a peaceful and comfortable nap on the quilt didn’t end up the same way. When the pains started, she tried to ignore them and just go back to sleep, sure it was more false starts like she had been fighting in the past couple weeks.

Before long, however, she knew differently. It’s a good thing they had gotten another bassinet, because it seemed that this baby was coming now, and not waiting until Nellie was ready to walk. She yelled for Stefan to come, that it was time for the baby, and leaned over the bassinet in agony.

She could hear him pounding up the stairs in a panic, and was terribly grateful when he was by her side, even though he could do little to help.

Hours later, they were cleaning and dressing not one little boy – but two. Juliet wiped the sweat off her brow and tried to help as much as she could, despite how exhausted she was. Stefan looked completely shell-shocked, and the two names they had been arguing over suddenly became a moot point. They could use both of them.

The two of them finally got little Samuel and his younger brother (by mere minutes) Benjamin settled, fed, and into their bassinets. They had to scrounge to find a place for all three babies for the night, but somehow they had managed it. Juliet fell, spent, into bed, and had to trust that Stefan could handle things for a while.

---

Twins. Stefan looked over his perfect little sons with pride, then let Florence in to meet them. He had been running back and forth between making sure she was occupied, and then checking that Juliet was doing alright for what felt like most of the day.

Florence was not as impressed with the boys, however, and she began crying, nearly waking Juliet and the babies. He picked her up and trundled her out of the room to deal with the temper tantrum, trying to explain that there was no way they could “put the babies back in Mommy’s tummy” just because Florence had decided she didn’t want them anymore. Finally, exasperated, he just found some toys to distract her and left the rest of the explanation to Juliet.

The next few days passed in a blur. Juliet was still suffering from carrying the twins and the harrowing birth, and now she had to deal with breastfeeding three babies. New Year’s Day technically started at midnight, but resolutions were barely given a thought. Stefan’s only concern was taking care of Juliet and the youngsters, even taking to the kitchen to attempt a rough salad of fresh garden greens (the Spinach was still harvest-able, thankfully). Juliet had attempted to make it downstairs for dinner, but Stefan quickly had to force her back to bed when she ended up face down on the floor. Florence was, luckily, still sleeping peacefully through the night, so she wasn’t an issue. The babies, however, couldn’t seem to agree on a time to all be awake, and they kept insisting on being fed on different schedules. Stefan finally got everyone sleeping at the same time and found a book, sitting exhaustedly in the chair to keep watch over Juliet and the babies as the sun began to rise on a new year.

1892 Part 2 | 1894

Gen 1 Heir Poll Results | Chapter 1.9

Just as a reminder, this is where we stand on points:

Total Points: 165 
Self Wetting: -10
Pass Out: -90
Failing School: 0
Negative Traits Earned by NTHs: -5
Accidental Deaths: 0
Fires: -10
Social Worker Visit: 0

Single Birth: +5
Twins: +10
Triplets: 0
Any sim in the household completing Any Aspiration Milestones (Child and Adult): +105
Any sim in the household completing Aspirations (Child and Adult): +10
Toddler Skills maxed by NTH toddlers: +40
Skills (Child and Adult) maxed by NTH family members: +10
NTH children (Child and Teen) earning an A in school: +30
Positive Traits Earned by NTHs: +30
Happy Toddler Trait Earned: +15
Top-Notch Toddler Trait Earned: 0
NTH sims reaching the top of a career (Teen and YA/A/E): 0
Randomizing every trait and aspiration for an entire generation: 0
Not using spares' Satisfaction Reward points for an entire generation: 0
Every 100,000 simoleons earned: +20
Immortalizing the Torch-Holder: +5

Now, as of last chapter, I had assumed the eldest (Jax) was heir. But I was apparently quite wrong, because I had forgotten the heir poll. Heir poll has been completed – and Coty won. So much for best laid plans. I guess I have two weeks more than I thought I did to play before we get a new Torch Holder. I did my best to get through as much of it in one play session as I possibly could… but it’ll take one more session before we’re through. So there’s that. Here’s what happened:

We start with the featured photo of Fetia cooking. Why is she cooking? Because she wants my hair to be as grey as hers is. LOL. Ok, so no fires happened.. but they could have. And that’s the problem.

What does Jax think about not being heir?

…. Let’s just say he doesn’t look impressed.

I’m not 100% sure Coty expected to win, either. However, taking a closer look at him, he’s not a half bad looking sim. I mean – he needs a makeover, but doesn’t every sim dressed by EA randomizers?

We immediately start working on Jesse’s current aspiration, which is painting, and he needs three more masterpieces. This isn’t one of them.

Okay, who broke the computer?? (And didn’t fix it!?)

Thanks, Tyson… but sorry, the heir poll is over. You had no chance.. sorry.

Tyson: “Awww… darn. … But ..what if I help out more?”

Me: Nope. it’s done.

I guess Jaxson is giving up on his career. He’s decided to teach himself guitar instead of cooking. LOL. (And he’s NOT good)

No idea why this neighbor woman just invited herself in.. but okayyy….

Then she decides to start a painting with a lump of clay. And never finish it. Thanks. I think. At least she takes the clay with her.

Happy New Years! Apparently only Jesse and Jax are interested in celebrating.

Hey! I see that embarrassed moodlet! -5 .. The future TH peed himself.

Okay, so this isn’t looking good for me. -5

Hurry, if you’re in the room, take cover!

They’re both miserably sick.. one has spots, the other has stripes.. and yet BOTH see the need to cook dinner. And neither is a chef. (AND there’s food in the FRIDGE, guys!!) I checked.

Jax’s turn. Maybe I need a second bathroom. -5

Tyson.. why are you in your brother’s bed?? .. NM I don’t wanna know.

Food party. While Jesse’s home. So I invite them in. Maybe the “kids” will stop cooking for themselves then.

Someone got sparkly.

… So, um.. yay? I turn off the celeb walk, because it’s just annoying.

Jaxson is apparently all about the arts these days. Now he’s learning painting. But at least he finishes it.

Hooray. Finally, a masterpiece.

Then, Coty gets this notification. I decide he would take the encore… so he gets a promotion. He’s unlikely to get another until he takes over the Torch.

However, he is obsessed with cooking lately. Which is good and bad. There seems to be a line for the stove in this family.

Then:

That’s one done! +5

That’s two! +5

And this one counts as four… because I hadn’t clicked on this one at all before. +20

In the interest of getting another milestone, I have him read three books for the first for Ren. Sim. +5

It’s Love Day – and since it’s likely Fetia’s last Love Day, I let Jesse go all out on celebrating it. We give her a Lily..

Romance her a bit…

… And take her to the restaurant on a date.

Which is where I notice that I never set aging for the other sims in the world to “On” .. how.. annoying. I fix it.

They have dinner, and complete a gold date.

Then, just because Sulani is gorgeous, I have them renew their vows.

Congrats, you two. Such a cute couple, and Fetia has been an amazing spouse.

I’ve run out of easy to get milestones. And I’m bored. LOL. So I start him on the knitting one. +5

See? He made a rug. Among other things. And he sells one on plopsy. +5

Tyson apparently likes METAL, too. LOL.

This is proof he did show off his sweater successfully. Right after this.. he glitches. And gets stuck as a “neighbor”. The only way I know of to fix it is kick him out of the house and invite him back in… so I start to do that.

… And while he’s out of the house.. Fetia dies. He gets invited back just in time to NOT have time to plead for her life with Grim. Sigh. Poor Jesse. The love of his life is gone. How sad. *frowny face*

I put her here, next to her bed, so Jesse can keep her close.

Apparently, Grim is a fan. ROFLMAO. Too funny. I couldn’t resist giving him an autograph.

And.. the second potion Jesse has needed tonight. He has some 20,000 points banked, plus another potion on the wall, and he should only need the one more potion I think. If that. I’m considering making Coty get his own darn points and keep the challenge difficult next generation by sending Jesse to his grave with all his points and potions…. but I haven’t quite decided yet. I still have 9 days to play… which is far better than the 21 I had when I started. Checking on our funds made:

Nope. Still at only 200k.

Time to count up points:

Total Points: 225
Self Wetting: -20
Pass Out: -95
Failing School: 0
Negative Traits Earned by NTHs: -5
Accidental Deaths: 0
Fires: -10
Social Worker Visit: 0

Single Birth: +5
Twins: +10
Triplets: 0
Any sim in the household completing Any Aspiration Milestones (Child and Adult): +150
Any sim in the household completing Aspirations (Child and Adult): +40
Toddler Skills maxed by NTH toddlers: +40
Skills (Child and Adult) maxed by NTH family members: +10
NTH children (Child and Teen) earning an A in school: +30
Positive Traits Earned by NTHs: +30
Happy Toddler Trait Earned: +15
Top-Notch Toddler Trait Earned: 0
NTH sims reaching the top of a career (Teen and YA/A/E): 0
Randomizing every trait and aspiration for an entire generation: 0
Not using spares' Satisfaction Reward points for an entire generation: 0
Every 100,000 simoleons earned: +20
Immortalizing the Torch-Holder: +5

All those milestones gave me a TON of points. Way to go, Jesse. Anyway.. see you next time, for the the last chapter of the generation!

Gen 1 Heir Poll Results | Chapter 1.9

Chapter 4 | Chapter 6

Kids Count:
6 Young Adult (moved out)
0 Teenager
3 Child
2 Toddlers
0 Babies

First off, I apologize about this being a short update. It was a four hour play session, but somehow I ended up with only these pictures. Apparently I got bored and was paying more attention to my youtube video than my game. =P Not my fault that the 100 baby challenge is particularly boring! (And nothing much of interest happened except for what was pictured – so, yeah.) The next play session for these guys will be more interesting, I promise, because there’s a ton of birthdays coming up.

Anyway.. the first order of business was to get poor Malakai abducted yet again. Gotta feel a bit sorry for the guy at this point.

The next day is Winterfest, and it starts out with housecleaning tasks while all the kids are still sleeping. Fun stuff. (sarcasm)

Once the kids are up and fed, I have everyone who’s old enough get to work on the tree.

Then it’s present time.

… Just because it’s Winterfest doesn’t mean you get to skip out on your homework, kids.

After a successful Winterfest, I elect not to reload the save since the abduction clearly didn’t work.. and I just have him get abducted again. These are the mysterious lights he’s supposedly investigating.

What feels like an hour later.. the third try appears to have been the charm. He really should not look so surprised. LOL.

Yeah. That’s not just a tummy ache, buddy. You should know by now!

Hey, Dana.. I saw that. Naughty kid. At least I know who’s doing it now, though.

Another homework party. It’s a full time job keeping up with cleaning in this house, and I never seem to get it actually “done”.

Awww. Poor Malakai. I bet he’s wondering why his last name is “Lucky” at this point, because I doubt he’s feeling all that lucky.

The kids get home from school….

… And Dana (finally) is ready for her age-up.

Okay, cutie. Time to grow up.

… Evil.. and Paranoid. Well, I guess Strangerville Mystery is appropriate for her, then!

*Face in hands* … WHAT are you wearing?!?! .. EA really did a number on you, huh? Poor Dana.

Since she’s supposed to do the Strangerville Mystery, I let her level 3 skill for school be Fitness. I’m not sure she agrees with me about it being a good idea, though.

New Years.. and we’re still waiting for babies. Everyone makes their resolutions and heads to bed, while my resolution is MORE BABIES…

Finally. In the middle of the night, the alien stork arrives.

… With twin – PURPLE!! – girls. Welcome to Genesis and Gianna. So glad I finally got some purple skin tone, though.

Eduardo and Ernesto playing quietly while the new babies sleep. At least, I hope they’re playing quietly. Otherwise, they’re in big trouble. =P

And with the babies finally being born, it was bedtime for me… so that’s where I ended this update. As I said at the beginning, the next one will be more interesting.

Chapter 4 | Chapter 6

1892 Part 1 | 1893

1892 (Late Fall)

Watching Florence grow and start to explore her world really made Juliet impatient for this next baby to be born. So impatient that, when her labor actually started, it took a couple hours for her to believe it was really truly time.

Of course, it was in the middle of a thunderstorm – which was worrying, because how would they contact a doctor if something went wrong? – but at least the time was here.

Predictably, Stefan panicked, so Juliet tried to remain as calm as she could under the circumstances. He ran about the house boiling water, finding towels, and trying to keep Florence from making a pest of herself, but he was generally as unhelpful as males usually are at this time.

---

Finally, little Nellie was born. Stefan made sure not to express his disappointment to his wife, but inside he seethed. Why couldn’t this have been a boy? Frowning, he left Juliet to tend to their newest child, and went to find out where Florence had run off to. It was suspiciously quiet in her room, so she was definitely up to something!

It turns out, Florence had figured out how to navigate the stairs on her own, and was halfway down by the time he found her. He quickly found something for her to do until Juliet would be available to watch her again so he could get back to the business of farming. Perhaps one of the new picture books would keep her interest?..

Going out to the garden was actually a little bit of a vacation at this point, and he whistled to himself as he worked. The cold season was definitely moving in, but the plants were still producing, so money was still coming in. He wasn’t sure how long that would last, however, so he was glad to have a healthy buffer in the bank. From the Almanac, and reports of previous winters from the locals, they were probably in for quite a bit of snow this year. He only hoped that buffer would last them until the spring thaw.

Juliet was again exhausted by the time he got back inside from gardening, so he offered to bathe Florence and keep her occupied before bed while she took a nap. The newborn was asleep again, and he hoped she would stay that way, because he still wasn’t quite ready to face the fact that he had failed – again – to produce a son.

---

When Juliet awoke, she found Stefan teaching Florence to talk in the upstairs hallway. Whether the attempt was doing any good or not was hard to tell. Florence was babbling happily along, however, so at least it seemed she was having a good time. Juliet turned to care for Nellie, then headed downstairs to do some knitting.

She had found a pattern for a toddler sleeper that would look adorable on Florence, and she was dying to get working on it. It wasn’t done by the time Stefan had gotten Florence put down for the night, however, and she regretfully stashed the project with the others in her knitting basket and headed up to care for Nellie before bed.

The days passed in much of a blur, but Juliet was slowly becoming aware of just how disappointed Stefan was about Nellie’s gender. He had started hinting that they should get to work on having a boy, and before long, she agreed that it was time.

Keeping Florence unaware of their nightly attempts for another pregnancy was more difficult, however, and Juliet was always hyper-aware of where her oldest was at any one given time.

On the subject of Florence: she was growing quickly. She spent a lot more time downstairs, which allowed Juliet to do her housework without bothering Stefan to watch the toddler. Florence was also learning to potty train, and her vocabulary was finally becoming at least decipherable.

Florence looked great in her new sleepwear, and it kept her nice and warm in the colder nights. There wasn’t a fireplace in her room, so the extra warmth was important. Granted, a fireplace in a toddler’s room would just be asking for trouble, so Juliet was glad that there wasn’t one there. For the most part, Florence was good at keeping away from the fireplaces in general, because she had found the play area in the spare bedroom – and that seemed to keep her attention away from dangerous trouble-making.

---

Stefan was definitely getting tired of being awoken at all hours of the night by the newest baby. At least Florence slept through the night. It would all be different if Nellie had been a boy.

Furiously, he stomped down the stairs to get some breakfast before taking yet another very early morning out in the fields. He and Juliet’s nightly romps still had yet to produce any results, and Thanksgiving had come and gone with Stefan feeling like there was precious little to be truly thankful for. Perhaps it was the upcoming winter that had him worried, perhaps it was just stress that Juliet hadn’t gotten pregnant again yet – but he was struggling not to take his anger out on his wife. Digging in the garden helped relieve his anger – but today’s storm had prevented that. By nighttime he was in a horrible mood, and Nellie was crying again.

By the time they had gotten to sleep, it was nearly midnight, and Stefan had truly lost his patience with the whole day. He could only hope that the thunder and lightning wouldn’t wake Florence up and he could finally get a little bit of rest.

---

Blooper:

I love this thing because it makes caring for the garden so much faster, but it certainly is immersion-breaking. It does look funny with his old fashioned clothes, though. LOL.

1892 Part 1 | 1893

1891 | 1892 Part 2

1892 (Early Fall)

Juliet smiled to herself, thinking of how happy Stefan had been to know that they were expecting a second child. All he kept talking about was how he would send his little boy to school to give him the best of chances in life – chances he had been denied. Apparently when he had asked to further his own education, his father had refused, which was something he didn’t want for his son. To that end, he had already started putting away some extra money so that we could afford to pay for high school.

I didn’t dissuade him from believing that this was going to be a boy, but I was certainly well aware it could be another girl. My morning sickness seemed better this time around, but taking care of the baby at night as well as being pregnant was exhausting. I did what I could to help with the farm finances by knitting, but I wasn’t able to do as much as I had been in the past.

Having to waddle out to the outhouse in the middle of a night time thunderstorm was miserable, but at least I made it all the way there. How I wished I could run back to the house to escape the storm – but, alas, I was stuck waddling. How undignified.

Thankfully, the storm was gone by the time we got up in the morning, and I was able to do some laundry. Leaning over the washbasin while pregnant was no one’s idea of fun, but it was a necessary chore.

---

Stefan was proud of how their little farm was doing. Once again, making the weekly loan payment wasn’t a problem, and he still had enough to start putting money away for his son’s education.

He addressed the envelope to the bank, and headed out to the mailbox to send it. Opening the box, he discovered a letter addressed to Juliet from Brindleton Bay, and his heart sank. She was always so upset after hearing from her mother, and he had a bad feeling about this one. The last letter had not been good news, and he feared this would be worse.

He hoped that it wouldn’t affect her pregnancy, but he knew he couldn’t keep the letter from her. That wouldn’t be right, either. He held onto it until dinner time, letting her finish up her daily chores and caring for Florence for the afternoon before burdening her with the letter.

As they were eating dinner, he brought up the letter, and Juliet immediately wanted to read it. He convinced her to at least finish her meal first – but she was too worried about what it might contain to eat any more.

Watching her read the letter was torturous. He watched her face go from worried to … something worse.. in the space of a few moments. She almost looked angry. Apparently, her step sister had finally succumbed to her illness. The anger came from her mother assuming that Juliet could and would simply come home now. How could she? She was married now, and expecting another child. Traveling was out of the question. It was almost like Juliet’s mother was saying we should move our entire family back to Brindleton Bay just because Mary was gone. Ridiculous. I comforted Juliet as much as I could, then went out to do some woodworking.

---

Juliet couldn’t decide whether to be heartbroken or furious, and figuring out what to write back to her mother was out of the question. How dare her mother simply assume that Juliet would return in the wake of Mary’s death. She had a life here now, a family. And her mother seemed unable to acknowledge it. Juliet took a deep breath and placed a hand over the baby in her abdomen. She had other things to worry about now, and she was no longer at her mother’s beck and call. She gathered the dinner dishes and set about cleaning up from the meal.

She could hear Stefan outside working away on his newest project, whatever it was, and the baby was stirring upstairs by the time the dishes were done. She firmly put the matter of her mother’s letter out of her head, and went to see to Florence.

The rest of the week passed in a blur. Between caring for the house, herself, and Florence, she was completely swamped, and the lingering sadness over Mary’s death was soon forgotten.

By the weekend, she was more than ready for a holiday, and welcomed the local Trick-or-Treaters in with some homemade treats. Midway through the evening, however, she heard a ruckus upstairs, and left Stefan in charge of answering the door so she could go investigate.

She had known the day was coming, but finding Florence up and walking around was still a bit of a surprise. Juliet had thought she was already asleep for the evening. Clearly not. She had gotten into the wardrobe and strewn clothes all over the room. Chuckling to herself, Juliet cleaned up the mess and carried little Florence back to the bedroom to put her back to bed.

Florence, of course, had other ideas, and wanted to babble on excitedly about who knows what. Juliet smiled and brought out her knitting, trying to remember to reply to Florence as she would anyone else, to encourage the now-toddler to start to learn to talk.

She was utterly exhausted by the time she finally got Florence to sleep in her new room, and she trudged downstairs to head to the outhouse before she herself could join Stefan in bed.

She made it to the outhouse.. but not back to bed. Waking up on the kitchen floor was a horrible way to come to one’s senses, too. Blinking in confusion for a moment, she pushed herself to her feet and practically crawled upstairs to her bed.

The sun was starting to come over the horizon when she woke again, urgently needing the outhouse. She had been so exhausted, she had slept too long.. and she ended up having to hurriedly clean up the mess so that Stefan wouldn’t know of her embarrassment. What a way to start a day!

1891 | 1892 Part 2

Chapter 1.7 | Chapter 1.9

Caizey had spent days painting, and finally her money tree garden was paying off. The first day alone netted more than 150,000 simoleons. There was no way she would be hurting for money anymore. She picked up her dog-eared home improvement catalog and made a call to the local contractors. It was time to “finish” her home.

While she waited on the call to confirm when the workers would be there, she called Kabir up and got back to work on her aspiration. There were more kisses to be stolen.

Kabir seemed completely happy with the proposition, and she added him to her growing tally of men. He got bored and left when the construction company called her back, though. She couldn’t really blame him – all the details were pretty boring. The good news was, with a little monetary incentive, the construction company would be done by morning. With this in mind, she grabbed her bag of potions and headed off to the local bar. It was time to try out that Charmer potion and have a baby. (Which sounded terrifying to her.. but the letter had insisted on an heir.. so she had to comply!)

The bar was packed, as usual, and Lucian was there working, so she was going to have to be careful so as not to offend him. While waiting for him to have a spare moment so she could at least greet him, she met Cullen sitting at the bar, and got to know him a little bit.

To her surprise, it was apparently “bear night” at the bar, and guys in bear suits kept coming through the door. Everyone, including Caizey, got tense about it – which was silly, because it’s not like they were real bears! Taking a deep breath, she decided it was about time just to get this over with. She had a baby daddy in mind – he wasn’t here – but a phone call should fix that. Maybe she could meet him outside and Lucian would be none the wiser.

With this in mind, she chugged two potions. The Transcendent Charmer one the letter had mentioned, and an Alluring Aura one – just in case the Charmer didn’t work. Then she pulled out her phone and called the only full blooded Spellcaster she knew of in town – her arch enemy, Darrel. He claimed he couldn’t go out for the evening, and for a moment, Caizey was completely nonplussed about what to do. She watched a local, Chris, finally get fed up with the bar service and go to serve himself behind the bar, and a couple of bears chatting at a nearby table, and thought to herself about what the letter had said. Technically, her benefactor hadn’t said the baby had to be conceived at the bar, right? Just that she had to take the potion here. Maybe she could just walk over to Darren’s house and surprise him.

So, brazenly, she did just that. With his girlfriend standing right there, she planted a kiss on his hand, and giggled to herself at his shocked reaction. The girlfriend apparently could have cared less, and turned to go back into the house. Darrel reacted much as she figured he would, and recoiled. She tried to use the power of the Charmer potion, but that backfired.

So.. she tried again. That just made him angry… and before she knew it, he attacked her!

Startled, she fought back – and lost, of course. Then, she tried to apologize and start sweet talking him again… but he wouldn’t hear of the apology. The romancing worked, though, because of the Alluring Aura potion (he never knew what hit him, she was sure..) and soon she’d convinced him she was the most attractive sim around. He still hated her.. but apparently that didn’t matter much to him at the moment.

She drug him upstairs to a shower, and grabbed a couple towels off a nearby rack. Might as well get this over with!

It turned out it wasn’t as bad as she was expecting, and they managed to steam up the shower pretty well. Giggling again, she took out a pregnancy test and checked while Darrel wandered off, muttering something about dinner.

… Negative. Drat. Well, if you don’t succeed, try again, right? Wryly, she chased Darrel down and convinced him to go for another round in the shower. Obviously, she didn’t tell him WHY.. but then, he didn’t NEED to know, right?

Second try was the “Charm” (she laughed at her own play on words).. and she quickly left the house, being careful to hide the evidence of the pregnancy tests and to stow the towels at the bottom of the laundry basket in the corner.

By the time she got home, it was nearly dawn.. and there was a note in the mailbox stating that all the work she’d contracted for was complete. Gleefully, she checked everything out, chugged a needs potion, and headed to the basement to her newly finished workroom.

She was definitely going to need some more potions. Time became irrelevant as she worked, although she stayed very aware of how high her spellcaster charge was getting. She didn’t want to find out what an overload would do to the little bundle in her belly.

By mid afternoon, she had restocked her potion supply, and become a Virtuoso. L Faba would be so proud! And – for that matter.. Caizey was pretty proud of herself, too. She’d accomplished so much in such a short time. It hardly seemed real.

Heading upstairs, she whistled happily to herself while taking care of her garden, and harvesting her money trees for another 150k. No sense in leaving all the money on the trees, right? Once everything was done, she chugged another Needs potion, and made a phone call. Time to really get to work on that aspiration – because she didn’t want her baby to grow up with a bunch of randomly rotating “uncles” coming over to visit.

Making up with Paolo was the first thing on her list, and he was quick to act like he was the one who needed apologizing. Which was, quite frankly, hilarious.. and it took everything Caizey had not to break into full laughter over it.

She sent him home, and called the next guy on her list. Deangelo. She’d met him at the bar, but she didn’t remember when. Did it matter? Nope. He was just as gullible as the other guys she’d met….

… and before long, she’d conned a first kiss out of him and convinced him to be her boyfriend. Then she sent him home. And decided to take a walk. It was Harvestfest, after all… And it was a gorgeous day outside.

To her surprise, she ran across one of the bears from last night – Glen. Taking the opportunity, she spent some time getting to know him.

He never knew what hit him. Another kiss checked off her list.

On the walk home, she ran across the other bear, Robert. Laughing to herself, she made sure no one was around and quickly romanced this guy, too. This was too easy.

That’s pretty much how the day went for Caizey. One guy after another, a needs potion or two.. and she just kept racking up kisses for her aspiration. Then she figured out she needed actual boyfriends and dates for the next part. Sighing, she went through her phone book again, and made things “official” with her beaus.

She did finally manage to find out what Glen looked like without the bear suit, though – so that was a bonus.

With the last guy sleeping soundly in her bed, she counted the third successful date of the day under her belt, and took a moment to appease the various gnomes running around her house.

… Just in time, too. Caizey completed her aspiration with mere hours to spare. Now she had nothing to worry about except the baby.

She could do everything else on her own – she figured she had this baby thing in the “bag”… and she quickly made use of the bassinet she had bought. A short while and a lot of pain later –

… and a little baby girl that she named Kailyn Farstrider was born. She had her “heir”. Caizey wondered she sort of quest little Kailyn would get when she grew up, whether it would be as easy as the one she herself had been given. Tucking the baby into her bassinet, Caizey wandered downstairs to take care of her garden.

Then, while paying the bills, she had a thought. Why did she need to clean house or take care of the garden… it wasn’t like she couldn’t afford help! She got her phone out and called for the local maid and gardening services. She would just make sure to harvest the money trees before the gardener showed up each day. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them – but it was a lot of money to just leave dangling in front of a sim she didn’t know very well.

The week passed in mostly a blur. Sleeping, painting, baby care, potion making… she kept herself busy and before she knew it, the baby was up and walking around. Another room makeover later, and Caizey settled in to learn how to be a Mom. She was determined to be a great one, since she hadn’t exactly had one, herself. Pushing thoughts of her foster family away, she sat down to teach little Kailyn to talk. Life couldn’t be any better.

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(A/N: I’ve never gotten this achievement before. I guess Harvestfest counts as a social event. Laughed so hard when this popped up. WTG Caizey!)

Chapter 1.7 | Chapter 1.9