Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

Alex and I met at the cafe with a kiss and an embrace. After a few minutes of coaxing, I managed to talk her into going out to the local Italian restaurant for a nice dinner. She knew I was still a “struggling artist” and didn’t want me to spend my money on her, but, eventually, I convinced her it wasn’t going to break my bank account.

We walked hand in hand along the quay, and I told her about how well my paintings had been selling lately, while she chatted about a possible promotion she might be getting at work. Before I knew it, we had arrived, and I quickly requested a table.

At the restaurant, she confidently ordered for both of us, and I approved of her choice. It had certainly been a while since I’d had pasta (since most of my meals came from the pond or my cooler), and I stifled a smile. It would do me no good to tell her about my living situation… at least, not yet. I was trying to impress her, not drive her away!

We flirted lightly while waiting for the food. I blew her a kiss, and she seemed delighted by the gesture. I noticed that the restaurant was filling up quickly, and was glad we had been seated outside in a semi-private corner.

By the time the waitress brought the food, we barely took the time to say thank-you, because we were so engrossed in our conversation. It seemed we had a lot in common, and she was easy to talk to. Easy on the eyes, too, if I could say so without sounding horrible cheesey.

The pasta was delicious, and the date a huge success. We both went home with a smile, and I made sure I tipped well on our way out the door. At the last minute, I remembered to secure another date with her for the weekend, and I told her we could do something fun, but I left out the details. I had a couple ideas, but I didn’t want to give them away just yet.

Early the next morning, I awoke to a huge Summer thunderstorm. Lightning struck, and I felt electrified. Terrified, I ran to Sonia’s house for shelter, because I doubted my tent would suffice.

I was thoroughly soaked, and more than a little bit dazed by the time I got to Sonia’s, and I thanked my lucky stars (it seemed I might have a few of those, after all!) that she was home. She hurried me inside and got me a towel to dry off with.

Through the hours while the storm raged, we chatted happily. I learned why she had cat furniture all over her home – and no cat. Her last cat had passed away several months before I arrived in Forgotten Hollow, and she hadn’t had the heart to get a new one. I could understand the need for a grieving period, even though I’d never really had a pet. We talked about my paintings, and the success I was finding selling them at the Gallery.

By the time the storm started calming down, I was starving, and she was kind enough to feed me. It wasn’t much – just a sandwich – but I was immensely appreciative. It seemed Sonia had done so much for me lately. She had been very instrumental in bringing back my will to live and soldier on.. and I wondered how I could thank her properly.

All the next night, and into the morning, I pondered this. It wasn’t an easy question to answer, that’s for sure.

I took care of my garden, and my bees, and still I thought. By afternoon, the sun had finally made another appearance, and I’d had an idea.

I searched on my phone, and finally found the number for the local pet adoption center. After a long conversation with the man who answered the phone, I finally settled on a little beige kitten named Prissy, and I arranged for her to be brought over to my .. erm.. home.

I cautiously approached the kitten, and was delighted to find it to be wonderfully friendly, if a little too talkative for my tastes. The adoption agent was more than skeptical about my ability to care for the tiny kitten, but I assured him that the cat was not for me, it was for a cat-crazy friend. The agent mumbled about it being “highly unusual” to be giving a kitten to one person just to have it go to someone else, but eventually, I convinced him this cat would definitely be getting her forever home, and he seemed eager to be leaving the area. I wondered why, but he seemed more than a little apprehensive, and kept looking worriedly over his shoulders.

By the time the adoption fees finally changed hands, it was nearly evening, and I regretted my choice to wear my suit coat that day, because it had gotten quite warm in the sun. I gathered up the tiny meowing kitten, and hurried over to Sonia’s for the second day in a row.

The light that came into her eyes when she saw little Prissy made all the trouble getting the cat worth it. I thought I even saw a little tear in the corner of her eye, but I wasn’t about to call her out on it.

She gave me a big hug when she found out I had gotten the cat for her, despite the fact that she protested that she really hadn’t done all that much for me. I completely disagreed, of course. We watched the kitten exploring her new home for a while, and I helped set up the food and water bowls that had been sitting in her cupboards for months.

By the time I left for the night, little Prissy had clearly taken Sonia’s home as hers, and she watched me go from her perch on the top of Sonia’s porch stairs. I gave her one final scratch behind the ears, and even whistled a little on the way home.

The next morning, bills arrived in the mail, and I wondered how the heck they had already gotten so high, when all I really used was a little bit of water for showering. I cursed that Landgraab fellow under my breath, sure he’d had something to do with getting the property taxes mixed in with the rest of the bills so soon. I made out the checks to the necessary parties, and sent them off, thankful I had already saved a bit of a nest egg from selling my paintings.

Then, I hurried to my easel to get some more painting done. I needed to recoup the money I had just spent, after all… and with as inspired and happy as I felt, I had plenty to paint about. Life was going great. I couldn’t ask for more. Except, maybe, for a house. But that would come. I still hadn’t had the guts to apply for the permits and stuff.. and I would have to start thinking about a design for it. Eventually. For now, my mind was focused on my paintings.. and on planning the upcoming second date with Alex. I couldn’t have anything go wrong now, not when everything was starting to look so bright!

Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

House 010 Chapter 6 < | > House 010 Chapter 8

First, we need to see what our new goals are:

House 010 Building Goals:
2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom home worth at least $50k Simoleons (at about 47k)
*Include a pool and a designated personal workout area
House 010 Generational Goals:
Max Wellness Skill
Max Gourmet Cooking Skill
Eat "healthy" for the whole generation
Raise the heir to Young Adult age (teen now)

Time for posting yesterday’s play session, since it was Monday.

I start the week out with trying to max Wellness for our goals.

And… success! One more goal complete.

Now let’s play “watch how long it takes for someone to pick up the sippy cup.”

Oh, yeah, there’s another skill maxed. Woohoo.

This family.. LOVES.. the pool.

Um… thanks for doing your homework.. but please don’t wake your brother?

Sippy cup count: 2. And they’re still there. Cassidy is upgrading the sink.. and Zara is actually cleaning. No idea what Keon is doing.

… Still there. I love Cayden’s face in this one. He really hates messes.

Trying to get Blaze’s skills up so he can get an “A”. For some reason, the game is just not cooperating.

Sure, beat up the bear. Poor thing!

Look closely. Sippy cups STILL there. While Blaze is washing his bowl as if nothing is wrong.

Trevor.. that face.. gosh, he’s so cute. Despite the fact he’s filthy.

Zara says hi to ghostly grandpa.

“What’cha doin mommy??” ..

“Upgrading the toilet so I don’t have to clean it anymore.”

Karson.. really? You had to break it?

See, look, you upset Cayden.

Cassidy keeps autonomously painting. I guess it’s ok, but I don’t really need the money.

Another spar for work. This time Keon doesn’t do as badly, despite the fact he’s now an elder.

… Not a particularly appropriate place to teach him to talk, there, Keon. Right in the puddle.

Blaze comes home enraged, and, worried about him, I have Cassidy get him to work out his frustrations. Literally.

Clearly one run wasn’t enough….

Then I notice that Zara is Mortified, and needs to go for a run too.

… Then it starts snowing. Could things get any weirder?

Blaze zonks out. Thank goodness this isn’t an ISBI.. and Zara is now filthy from her run. Six sims and one bathroom is starting to cause problems.

Instead of taking a bath, both teens decide to take a nap in the hot tub. I leave them, since both are pretty miserable.

I keep forgetting Trevor is wild. Until moments like these. Somehow I don’t think right past the military honors is the best place to go streaking, though.. LOL.

Really, Blaze?  .. Please don’t start a fire…

*cuddles the cute toddler* .. Holy crap he’s really just adorable.

Zara was clearly swimming. This family seems to be in their swimsuits at least half the time.

Blaze survives. His food is “poor” though. Why didn’t he just get something out of the fridge? Who knows.

We’ve been invaded!! (In other words, it’s harvestfest.)

She heads to the bathroom.. only to bladder fail and go for a bath. Yeah. The one bathroom thing is getting old. But I don’t really have room to put it in the house. So they’ll have to suffer.

AWWW… Blaze reads to his little brother.

..Then Zara plays with him. At least the teens are finally not miserable.

The end of fall, it’s cold outside.. and Trevor is nekkid by the pool. Sigh.

Blaze shows off some pictures, and Zara listens intently. They both grew up so cute.

… Someone (Blaze) is in the pool again. Which makes him go to school in his swim trunks.

Now, see, Cayden has the right idea. Eat before school, not swim.

Keon is really such a good Dad. I find him taking care of Trevor all the time.

… This looks familiar. Although it was Blaze on the floor yesterday. And yes, Blaze is AGAIN in a mood that makes me send him out running. Where he pulls yet another muscle and I can’t get him to do anything else for the rest of the day.

However, it’s now a moot point, because he’s at least got his A.

Blaze asking for advice, while mom plays with the clay. If you look closely, you can see Trevor using his potty all by himself like a big boy.

Trick-or-treaters keep showing up for Spooky Day, so Cassidy gives them treats.

Keon seems to like the sauna. Nobody else uses it.

Zara finally decides not to take her anger out on the poor bear, and finally finds the spar dummy.

Blaze plays with Trevor.. and Cassidy just stands around doing nothing.

Blaze then finds the trainer, as well.

Happy Birthday, Trevor!

Self-Assured. That’s not too bad.

.. And just look at that smirk. He’s gonna be a cutie.

I update the toddler’s room to make a room for Zara, as the only girl.. and I add a computer to the mix.

…That Keon immediately appropriates.

..Which reminds me to check the value. Complete!

Karson visits again, and I notice Keon is REALLY skinny in the background. (He’s also playing with the dollhouse … by himself. What..?)

Blaze loses bladder control.. darn that line for the bathroom. *frown* They’ll survive.

And on that note, it’s the end of the week for them. So it’s time for me to wrap up this post. See you next time for the last week in this house!

House 010 Chapter 6 < | > House 010 Chapter 8

Back to Heir Poll #2 Results < | > On to 2.9

Welcome back! point check..

Current Points: 155
-30 Passing out
-10 Fire!
-5 Wetting self
+30 Aspiration milestones completed
+30 Births
+60 Grades
+40 NTH sims reaching the top of a career (Teen and YA/A/E)
+20 Positive Traits Earned by NTHs
+10 Randomizing every trait and aspiration for an entire generation
+10 Not using spares' Satisfaction Reward points for an entire generation

We have one more week before Becca (our heir poll winner) ages up.. so full steam ahead! (Hopefully we miss the icebergs..)

The first thing I do: move/upgrade the stereo. Now they have a better place to dance. That’s Brittney standing around doing nothing, by the way.

She then goes to check on what dad is cooking. (Which isn’t for her.)

Becca and Branden are upstairs in Branden’s new room chatting.

Alan finally finishes making the cake and putting the candles on.. and we age Branden up JUST in time before he ages himself up.

+10 points for positive traits earned!

We get him the Law job he rolled for, and kick him out.

She was waddling around forever, I was worried she was going to bladder fail. I was so happy when she finally found a bathroom.

Becca decides napping on her bed beats the floor. I agree.

Aww… who broke the bathroom??

… This picture is brought to you by the floating book society. Why do sims do that?! I quickly put the book on the end table – where it stays for days.

Alan’s sister stops over for a change, so we invite her in. I’m going more than a little stir crazy following Alan around with nothing else to do. Eventually, I decide sending him to work (alone) is the best choice. Because making him clean house and dance all day while the kids are at school is boring! (as you see by the next few pics)

Brittney cleaning up. She’s clearly upset about not being picked in the heir poll.

“You mean the poll is final?!”

“Yup. Sorry, sis.”

Salad time. Why Aimee is still hanging around is unknown.

A lonely breakfast while the kids are at school.

Putting away the clean laundry. I wish tossing it in the air to put it away worked for me…

Branden shows up – didn’t take him long to miss the comforts of home!

Too bad we’re busy fixing the bathroom someone broke.

We then chat to Branden who decides calling will get better results than knocking on the door.

Once the girls get home from school/work, we find Brittney in a mood because she’s hot-headed, and she totally takes it out on her poor sister.

Then stomps around the house for a while just to make her point.

Noo…. don’t drink coffee when you’re tired.. go to bed!

Ashley, you have no right to make a frowny face because the dishwasher is broken.. when YOU broke it.

More broken plumbing.

Ashley says “hi” while Alan is trying to clean up her mess.

One teen made it to bed.

The other decided she’d rather sleep in Branden’s bed. Sigh. I wish bed assignments actually worked these days.

Alan takes a minute to chat with his ghostly wife.

… Then decides to have a little fun with her in the shower.

At least she cleans up her mess this time…

Brittney wakes up early to take a bath..

.. and use the bathroom before school.

…Then she and Becca compare pictures on their phones.

Alan… again.. has a lonely meal.

… Some coffee…

… And does the laundry. It’s at this point I decide the next day he’s going to work by himself.

Becca comes home from school and immediately does her homework…. in her winter wear.

She then takes her salad outside to chat with visiting Branden. (Brittney is heading to work in the background)

Then Becca and Alan play a little bit of chess for lack of something else to do.

Thanks, Brittney. First you can’t find your own bed, then you fail on the floor. -5

… Then she decides to sleep in Dad’s bed. Weirdo.

And this post has gotten long enough. Will post the rest of the week tomorrow. Points check:

Current Points: 160
-35 Passing out
-10 Fire!
-5 Wetting self
+30 Aspiration milestones completed
+30 Births
+60 Grades
+40 NTH sims reaching the top of a career (Teen and YA/A/E)
+30 Positive Traits Earned by NTHs
+10 Randomizing every trait and aspiration for an entire generation
+10 Not using spares' Satisfaction Reward points for an entire generation

Back to Heir Poll #2 Results < | > On to 2.9

Chapter 2.2 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.4

Generation Two: Brown

Appearance: Brown hair, unkempt clothing style
Traits: Loves Outdoors, Loner, Child of the Island
Aspiration: Beach Life
Occupation: Conservationist
House Goal: 20,000 worth

Life Cycles

I start this entry with a heavy heart. A friend and co-worker, Wiki, has passed away. I just got the news this morning. Unable to get any more sleep after that phone call, I elected to get up early and do some household chores.

Washing laundry makes me wish I had an electric washer and dryer, but there are other needs that come before the “wants” – especially now that I’m pregnant.

The pregnancy, however, has been pretty rough, and I’ve been sick much of the time. Which means more chores to clean up the toilet. Just what I need.

Aleki has been doing really well at work, however, and has been getting better paying commissions, which is really wonderful. He really enjoys the work, even if going out to meet the clients can sometimes be very annoying and time consuming.

I’ve lately been working on my Logic skill, as getting another promotion is out of my reach until I gain another point in it. It’s hard to concentrate with the baby jumping around, though.

My brother, sister-in-law, and father stopped by to bring some nice island food for the fridge. Means that I have less cooking to do, which is good when the smells sometimes make me sick.

I took the opportunity to tell everyone the big news. My dad seemed overly happy to hear about another grandkid, and he promised to tell Mom as soon as he got home. My brother and Meilani, however, didn’t seem surprised, and I caught them sharing a secret smile. Makes me wonder if there will be more kids coming for them soon.

It sure was nice to spend some time with family, though, and it helped alleviate the sadness I felt about Wiki passing on.

Aleki has been so helpful around the house since I’ve been pregnant. I only hope it isn’t a phase .. and he keeps it up after the baby is born.

Aleki has won an award – and a promotion – for his hard work. Luckily, it even came with a bonus.. which means that the house expansion we’d been talking about can become a reality. Between his paychecks and mine we’ve been able to save up quite a bit.

So, I called the local construction company, and had them get busy. They assured me they could get everything we wanted done before the baby was born.

They were as good as their word, and before I knew it I had a REAL kitchen. With a stove and everything! I just needed to buy some stools to sit on at the counter, but that shouldn’t be tough.

We also had a real bedroom, too. With room for the baby’s bassinet. Finally, we also had a bathtub in the bathroom, too, and some upgraded plumbing, since our little mermaid would need baths. Just plopping him or her into the ocean wasn’t going to cut it, I knew.

I wasn’t able to do much in the way of work in these final days before the baby came, so I took some time off and worked on my Logic skill instead. I finally got to the point that I should get a promotion when I go back after the baby is born.

Aleki has been browsing parenting forums, and keeps coming in with all sorts of tips from them. I appreciate his willingness to learn, although I am doubtful all those tips will be useful once we get to the hands-on part of parenting.

Aleki was also the first one to try out the new stove, much to my horror. He claimed he was craving mac and cheese, and I had to tell him cravings aren’t really a “thing” for expectant dads like they are for pregnant moms.

Luckily, nothing bad happened, and we enjoyed a nice, actual “sit down” dinner for the first time. I was still determined to eventually get a real dining table like the one I grew up with, but a room for when the little one grew up was a more pressing need.

Speaking of the baby.. Aleki and I woke up in the night, and we just knew it was time. He, of course, panicked, and trundled me off to the hospital as fast as he could.

The Doctor seemed nice, and the check in procedure was quick, but poor Aleki couldn’t contain his nervousness. He ran around the hospital like a maniac, trying to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

The machine made me nervous, being that it seemed very frightening, but the doctor was extremely calm and seemed competent.

Poor Aleki still hadn’t been able to calm down, as I strained to birth our firstborn.

It seemed like hours, but before long, the pain was over, and our little girl, Kali, was born. We proudly took her home, took care of her needs, and fell back into bed, exhausted.

To celebrate our new kitchen.. and the baby, we invited some island friends over for a Kava party. Everyone was amazed at how much the house had changed since I started with a one room hut, and the baby was cooed over by everyone. I got a gold award for the party, which helped my aspiration out, and everyone seemed to have a great time.

The party, once over, left me with a huge mess, however. Just what I needed. Aleki was more than happy to help clean up, however, and we got things back shipshape before you know it.

Kali has been a great baby, and we’ve both been thrilled to be able to work from home to watch her grow. Every day is something new with her, and just recently she’s even been starting to crawl. I suspect we’ll have a toddler before we know it.

Monday arrives with the bills, but they’re not a problem to be dreaded anymore, so I send off the check, and get back to my baby girl inside the house. Aleki is off meeting with a client, but nap-time gives me the moments I needed to check the fish traps, take some pictures of some turtles for work, and have time to do some chores, too. Life couldn’t be better for now.. even though I still miss Wiki!

(A/N: Sorry it’s been so long since I posted anything for these guys! Now that I’m back to playing, it shouldn’t be so long between posts anymore.)

Chapter 2.2 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.4

Back to Chapter 3.2 | On to Chapter 3.4

First, we check on our goals…

Set #16 – Retail Mogul (Get to Work) - Brock Ireland (heir)
Own a Retail Store worth at least 100,000 Simoleons
Have 3 top level employees (1)
Have Spent 15,000 points on Retail Perks (4150)

Set #26 – Comedian - Brynn Myles (spouse)
Get to Level 10 in the Entertainer Career (Comedian)
Master the Charisma Skill (2/10)
Master the Comedy Skill (9/10)
Complete the Joke Star Aspiration
Have 10 Excellent Comedy Routines (9/10)
Have 3 Excellent Long Comedy Routines
Perform a Excellent Comedy Routine at a Gold Level Party 2 Times

Then we get going. This is a short update, because I didn’t take a huge amount of pictures. Only so many pictures I could take of the same old store that we kept grinding away at getting perk points. Poor heir is so neglected in this generation!

The heir (Claire) is currently a Toddler with 3 Days left, and 2 skills maxed. She’s also adorable.

And by the end of the night, Brynn has her last comedy routine done… and is halfway through Comedy level 9.

See? Neglect. Or just a very sleepy toddler. She won’t get to Top Notch, unfortunately.

1. That looks Safe.
2. That’s NOT the kitchen. I could have sworn I put decor on the bathroom counters so they couldn’t be used for that exact reason.

Work work work on comedy. While Brent fiddles around the house. Hard to get any work done on the retail store while there’s a toddler in the house. The game doesn’t take care of them very well for “active” careers.

So we take care of the tyke for a few days, and put the store “on ice”.

Brynn finally finishes her comedy skill..

And with it..

Her aspiration. Lots of things to cross off for her. Now she needs two gold parties.. and Charisma. *shudder*

Time to slurp up a sleep replacer and head to work, Brent.

Yay! Skill-up for Samaria!

And it’s that time!

Claire ages up, and rolls a 41 on her goal set… so, yay, we get to train doggies next Generation!

This house is too dark. And there’s no room in the yard for doggos.. so we’ll probably move for next generation again.

Claire works hard on her homework. In the inbetween times when Brent is actually at home from the store.

Aww.. Brent. Not a good time to pass out!!

Another 1200 perk points spent. I’m beginning to doubt that 15000 is possible. Ok, I’m past beginning to doubt.

Yet another 1400 perk points spent.. Yeah, I may have to change that goal to a more reasonable 10k points spent. Meanwhile, Our Employee, Hollie, ages up to elder upon getting to work.

And that’s the end of the pictures.

Back to Chapter 3.2 | On to Chapter 3.4

House 010 Chapter 5 < | > House 010 Chapter 7

It’s Friday! Which means it’s Rambler day… First, we need to see where we are on our goals:

House 010 Building Goals:
2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom home worth at least $50k Simoleons (at about 39k)
*Include a pool and a designated personal workout area
House 010 Generational Goals:
Max Wellness Skill (8/10)
Max Gourmet Cooking Skill (8/10)
Eat "healthy" for the whole generation
Raise the heir to Young Adult age (child now - 6 days to go)

Then, we can get to playing another week.

Cassidy’s fun is low, and the kids are so cute.. I couldn’t help it. We tried for another baby.

And…. back to the Charisma grind. One more point until we hit the top of the skill, and she’ll be due for a promotion. Which will definitely help on the money issue. They always seem to be just scraping by.

The rest of the family.. is taking care of themselves. Just like they’re supposed to.

Success! Baby on the way. Crossing our fingers that it’s not twins.

Keon, dork that he is.. is super excited about a baby.

Wait.. you’re doing something useful? Really?

Cayden escapes!

Whew. He’s back under control.

Helpful ghosts. I like.

And…

… We’re done. Finally. No more talking to herself in the mirror.

Time to get back to the Wellness skill. Since we need it for goals.

… For a moment, I forgot they can levitate, and freaked out.

Keon, take care of the kid you’ve got… and quit staring off into space, eh?

The next day, we start off with a promotion.

… Which finishes our medal collection. Also, first time I’ve maxed that career, so that’s cool.

Then, unexpectedly..

.. We get this while cooking dinner. Nice.

You made.. a bowl. To go with the other one?

Keon, for being so excited, completely naps through the birth of their next kid.

Another son, Trevor. This puts us at four kids, and I think I’m done with kids. I have no place else to put them in this house.

Keon is at like 7 athletic skill now from all his swimming and working out. Fairly impressive for an uncontrollable sim.

I do some house updating. And finally paint the rest of the walls.

We add a sauna and a hot tub, as planned.

And Cassidy immediately finds the new TV.

Dad shows up in a good mood for a while.

Cayden goes to chat with his dad.. while Keon is .. again.. working out.

Ghostly grandpa helping out.

Oh my gosh. I LOVE this kid. That FACE!!! Please grow up well!?

Okay, I can deal with that.

Cute, but not as cute as he was as a toddler. Still say Cassidy and Keon make really cute kids, though.

Happy Birthday, Keon!

… And sorry about your back. Also, Cassidy is in GREAT shape for having had four kids, don’t you think? I swear, I wish I’d looked like that after the ONE I had!

Updating the kid’s rooms.

Toddler room got shrunk. Also: I’m SO very glad Cayden is grown up now.. because him waking up Blaze and Zara EVERY night had gotten beyond old.

It’s summer fest. So I buy them a barbeque. Although I may not let them keep it once we have teens in the house. Dangerous, you know.

Wild!

Another cutie! I just can’t even! And the new hairstyle is so hilarious on a toddler. I forgot they gave it to toddlers, too.

The glasses! Why can’t the youngest be the heir??

Cayden, that’s not how you sleep in a bed. That’s called napping, and is not useful. The constant energized moodlet in this house can be very annoying, I often have to put the kids “to bed” with Cassidy instead of letting them just nap. This is also when I notice the tub is broken, hence Zara in the background being stinky.

… I didn’t buy the hot tub for that, Blaze.

Finally, everyone is going to bed.

The next morning. Interesting place to eat, Trevor.

Keon, please don’t Sauna yourself to death.

Thank goodness, both twins have A’s.. and it’s that time.

Ugh. Really?

Redeeming factor: he’s cute as heck.

Zara’s turn!

Evil?!? What is it with these kids??

Again, she’s very pretty, although I’m not sure about that hairstyle. Zara and Blaze have very similar face shapes. And on that note, the week is over. More pictures than I usually like to put in one post, but it wasn’t quite enough for two. See you Monday! Oh, and the house is at about 47k value. SO CLOSE! Guess I’m going to have to find some art that fits.

House 010 Chapter 5 < | > House 010 Chapter 7

Welcome/Contents/Links | Chapter 2

So it begins. I started this one a while ago, took a few pictures (read: a very few), and started playing. I was on a tear of starting new things, and getting to a point where I was bored of Sims. So.. here’s those pictures, and then some.

Before we start, a couple introductions: (both were created via story, and randomized for looks. Explains the outfits. LOL)

Adelynn Hook

Kory Hook

I buy them what little they can afford, then Adalynn immediately quits her job.. because, per the rules, only one parent can have a job at a time.

And, now that we know the parents.. time to get started on kids… right?

Adalynn is thrilled, Kory.. less so. Starting on the lawn has it’s own challenges, as it seems to be raining constantly.

The first toddler. Not going to be the last.

Kory’s reaction to the second kid.

Two toddlers. And another baby on the way.

Which makes this happen. Poor lil’ Betsy and mom.

I forgot to get her age up picture, apparently.

And we’re back to two toddlers. This is the house at this point. -mostly funded by Adalynn’s garden. This is also where I stopped to take a break from Sims.

When I came back, this is where we started.

Betsy and Mom having dinner.

Owen and Betsy working on skills. I try to push Owen to Top Notch Toddler, but he’s two skills short.

Yeah, because prying the knife out of the cutting board like that looks safe.

Clearly, we ran out of food, because poor Kory is grimacing over Fruit Loops. Probably the generic kind. *wink*

REALLY?!?  The CAT won? … Time to adopt a cat?

Still working on Owen’s skills. While Oliver makes a disaster.

And mom is clearly pregnant again. Note the stellar parenting skills as poor Oliver is now in the corner, alone and filthy.

Owen grows up with a bubbly bar, and missing said skills. At least he got Happy toddler.

And the Lazy trait. Hm. Ok…

Time for the next baby.

Meet a new baby boy: Lucas. (We’re going with the Boolpropboolprop naming scheme.) So that puts us to 3 boys, 1 girl.

Betsy, you’re not supposed to tick off the gnome. Kory then decides to play “kick the gnome” with the rest of them.

He apologizes by taking care of Lucas by himself.

I add onto the house, realizing that they have no living room, and Owen needs a chess table for his aspiration.

Said Chess table in use. Betsy loses. Twice.

It’s that time again.

Baby #5 on the way!… And that’s a good place to pause, I think. On to the next save… and done with this full rotation! Woohoo!

Welcome/Contents/Links | Chapter 2

**ON HIATUS**

I “needed” more medals on the boolprop forums, so I started a Baby Boom Challenge. I didn’t have much in the way of reasoning beyond that, other than that, maybe, I needed a shorter challenge that I could complete. (Shorter – as defined against the other challenges I’m undertaking. LOL.) The title of the challenge comes from 1, the family name of Hook.. and 2, my husband who came up with a nice catchy name. .. When I restarted in Chapter 2, I changed family names and, hence the name of the challenge. I then restarted – yet AGAIN – in Chapter three.. but I think this time will stick. The last restart was so I could take on extra mini challenges, and keep score this time.

The basic premise is to start with a Sim couple, and get them to have a minimum of 24 kids. 12 boys, 12 girls. You’re not done until you have all 12 of each. Anything over that amount doesn’t count – so you can’t do, say 15 boys and 9 girls. At the very least, it’s an interesting challenge. I find it better than 100 baby challenge, for sure, but I had to put some of my challenges on hold for a while. So this is one of them.

Welcome/Contents/Links | Chapter 1.2

Welcome to the challenge! My first decision was which sim to go with, and I ended up choosing my simself. +15 points to start with.

Here’s my traits and aspiration. The next thing: picking a world and building a home. I picked the Sapphire Shores lot in Sulani, partially, because I love the look of this world, and partially because I’d seriously love to live on a beach. Excluding the hurricanes and storms, of course.

Being that the lot itself was 11k, I elect to build a Tiny Home. It’s the mid-size one.. and the only lot trait I have on it is Oceanic Paradise. For now. That may change.

Finally. Time to start skilling. My plan is to send her off to college first, to get the boosts to her job.. and also because I’ve never completed sims 4 uni yet on any character. Since I’m trying to get her into a distinguished degree, I start working immediately on her charisma and research and debate.

The welcome committee shows up, and we decide that we’d better say hello. They could be bringing food, after all. (Spoiler: They brought Kava instead.)

Getting some more charisma points and getting to know the neighbors.

Oh, come on, Wyld. Life isn’t THAT bad, is it??

A huge storm moves in overnight, partially because I started in the “Fall” season.

And.. by morning.. the bed is broken. Lovely.

Since we now have charisma and research and debate at level four, we head to the library to get to level four writing. Then I can apply and should get distinguished without a problem.

The Humor and Hijinks festival interrupts us, and we go there just to get some extra funds. Definitely my favorite festival for getting more money, although since I don’t really want her getting much mischief skill, I go Jokers side, which is less money. We still win, of course, and happily sell all the fireworks and head home.

… To fix the bed.

The next day, we skip the Willow Creek library (the librarian is a girl).. and try Windenburg. Score. This is Aleki, and I think he’s adorable. Definitely possible spouse material. Provided I don’t decide to go for baby occults.

We promptly “steal” his computer, and work on writing and making a friend.

Wait.. we need the Inspired moodlet. Time to get one.

While working on writing, Harvestfest pops up.. and I learn if you start a holiday at a community lot, the gnomes show up where-ever you are. Interesting. Does bunny gnome like salad??

Yes! .. At which point, I discover that you can also SELL the gnomes at community lots. Woot! I’m as happy as Wyld is.

Wyld needs fun. So we invite Aleki over and get to romancing.

Yay for insta-full fun bar.

… And Aleki immediately decides to go for a lengthy ocean swim? OOkay. Fine.

The neighbors show up with food. Works for me. Less Wyld has to cook on her own.

I finally get enough parts and skill to upgrade the bed to be less breakable. Maybe now it won’t kill her….?

Another possible spouse. He turns out to be studying to be a Villain, though, and we decide to pass.

Homework. That’s what our days are FILLED with now. I’m taking a full course load, and aiming for as high of grades as I possibly can.

Presentation. Gotta do it to pass, kiddo.

The bed tries to kill her. I get very worried for a moment, but it lets her back out. She’s just freaked out for a few hours, so once again, we’re sleeping on the lounge chair on the deck. (That’s apparently what I put it there for.)

Winterfest! We get absolutely nothing useful. But at least she’s happy now.

Father Winter shows up. And gives us upgrade parts. Thanks??

Our first Vampire sighting. In another thirty minutes, Vlad shows up as well, which I find hilarious. Two vamps in one night.

I discover that building a sand castle gives a LOT of fun. Which she in in constant need of because of classes.

Term paper. At least you only ever have to do one of those per term.

My first straight A’s!

New Years. We make a resolution to write a book. (Spoiler: we get it done in time, easily.)

The next semester’s homework.

I finally decide that we ought to move in Aleki. So we get hitched.

And with his 20k, we upgrade the house a little bit. She will no longer have to go to the library to work on her writing and do computer work. And there’s enough room for Aleki to get into bed. And a TV. .. And a new rug. I was  busy. The house is still (barely) in the mid size Tiny home realm, too, so we’ll still get those bonuses.

Meanwhile, I decide that’s enough play for one session.

Welcome/Contents/Links | Chapter 1.2

**ON HIATUS**

I couldn’t resist. With what seems like everyone in the boolprop discord server starting Name Games, I broke and started one myself. I chose to start with my Simself, and on an expensive lot.. so we’ll see how this goes. Wish me luck!

What’s a name game, you ask? Well, you start with a founder. Whatever their name is, you have to have that many kiddos. So my founder, Wyld – needs four kids. One each starting with each letter of her name. Multiples only count as one letter. The goal is to get through the whole alphabet with kids with names starting with each letter in the shortest amount of time you possibly can. It’s.. interesting. 

This challenge is currently on hiatus, because my priorities lie in my other challenge attempts for now. It’s also the challenge in which I learned that it is absolutely possible to win the lottery with your sim. How? .. I won it. (LOL) Eventually, I will be picking up this family again.