Elena Revan Montgomery: Generation 2 Chapter 1

Having babies is dirty work! Poor Ember needed a bath!

In the last chapter Ember popped out a ton of kids and finally had a baby girl! If you've not checked it out yet you can do that here

With the birth of an heir, the Montgomery household has been undergoing a lot of change.  I suppose that's just life even for sims...right? Life is about change and about passing from one stage of life to another.

These are joyous times but also kind of sad for me. I've really gotten connected to Ember and I'm going to miss her. All things come to their end though so it was very important to start buckling down and getting the house better equipped to support the second generation. 

 

This is our lovely new abode! We now have 4 bedrooms  3 bathrooms and when I upgraded, I also invested in the wall lights that keep the monster under the bed away because my kids and even teens were completely miserable!

I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Before I was able to update the house Ember  maxed out her career and also got a promotion after she reached the top! I never knew that was possible.  This is my very first time reaching the top of a career in sims 4. This  is also the first time I've ever finished the bestseller aspiration as well! I'm really excited about both accomplishments.

 

 Josh and Ember both made it to Elder, mostly happy. Josh got fired for going to work absolutely worn out because of the blasted monster and the kids waking him up every night but he didn't make enough for me to even worry about getting him another job. I'm just letting him take care of the house.

Ember is helping mentor her daughter in writing and the skills are going very fast.  I had Ember start a Legacy Club and set up a community lot with equipment for all the skills points.  Of course they don't yet have much unlocked for the club but between the first unlock for writing plus mentoring, Elena has skilled up pretty fast.  

Then the thing I had been dreading happened. Honestly, I was sad when Ember passed away of old age. Maybe it's silly but I wasn't sad just because Elena lost her mentor  but also because I had honestly gotten close to her. I don't often form emotional attachments to sims but I did feel slightly let down when she passed away quietly in the bathroom.

 

Elena threw herself into her work and by the time she turned to young adult she had a B average and eight writing skill points so making her an author like her mother was an easy choice.  She's already making decent royalties. Unlike her mother who always wrote fantasy, I think I will make Elena a writer of Science Fiction. For now she's writing a lot of Children's books but eventually she'll make the switch.

As soon as Elena made the transition into young adult life and settled on her career, I decided it was time to go ahead and find her a life partner.  I want to really concentrate on skilling and being better prepared than Ember had been so having a partner early on will allow her to have more time to take care of her needs. Not to mention, with the last remaining brother leaving the home and her elderly father near death—the house felt lonely to her.

So, I sent Elena out to The Narwhal Arms Nightclub that her parents had tied the knot in and she chatted up several guys but to my complete surprise she really hit it off with one gruff looking guy named Leslie Barnhart.

 

Elena and Leslie had a fantastic date and I  sent them back to the nightclub the following evening because it has special meanings for Elena. After all, her parents were married there! 

 

Things heated up really fast and  erm...I think this picture explains it all.

After a whirlwind romance of their own  Leslie and Elena exchanged vows on the dance floor just as her parents had years before.  Here's to hoping that their marriage is just as successful and loving!  Elena was so excited and surprised that she got such a nice ring too at such a speedy wedding!  Good man she picked! He was prepared!

First order of business has been to get Mr. Barnhart a makeover and maybe it's wrong but I can't stand the name Leslie for a guy. Good thing is...he loved Elena enough to agree to change his name to satisfy her creator. 

I'm very pleased to introduce Mr. Edwin Montgomery! He cleaned up super nice.  He is an outdoor enthusiast with the following traits: Goofball, outgoing, good, collector. He is a young adult and I felt he might be a good fit for the scientist career.  I figure that scientists still get to look for collectables so hopefully it'll be enough to keep him happy!

With two days before either of them have to return to work, I decided to send Elena and Edwin on a honey moon to Granite Falls.  Imagine my surprise when this popped up!!!  Oh my goodness. I do have a risky woohoo mod in (2% chance of pregnancy) but I honestly didn't think about having her take a pregnancy test after that bit of fun at the nightclub.  Oh boy...that's going to be one wild tale for the future generations, "Yes, I was conceived in a closet at a nightclub on the night my mom and dad eloped. Did I mention that they'd only known each other for 48 hours?" 

 

Elena's face when she figured out she was pregnant

I have to say, Edwin's reaction was pretty funny. Both of them were chuckling and in shock as she broke the news. It was a total, "Dude, we did that?! Are you sure?" kind of moment. These two are adorable and while I wish they'd have waited a little bit...life just threw us a surprise and I can't be too upset! Oh who am I kidding...I love babies! Babies, babies, babies for everyone!

 

So, this is where we are...looks like we're starting generation three a bit early but I guess we will have the baby making done and out of the way and can focus on skills and such when baby grows up!  

Before I sign off I just wanted to take a little moment to share some throwback pictures of Ember and how things were. That last farewell to one generation before we plunge feet first into the next.

 

 

 

Stay tuned for the next chapter and a new beginning for the Montgomery Legacy.

Tifani Triumph: The College Years

Oh those college years.  They were hard enough actually doing them in real life however they have their own sort of drudgery to them in Sims 2.  Perhaps due to the fact that I never really was into the whole 'going out and about' both in real life or in game.  Perhaps because I always forget to slow down a second and 'smell the roses' so to speak - in game specifically.  Poor Tifani is a Popularity Sim who I am bound and determined to have meet and greet as many people as possible now while I have the tools and ability to keep her happy.  It is the one area that I am willing to really bend to as I know the restrictions and how hard it will be once the actual Apocalypse happens for her to meet people.  I am making a conscious effort not to 'skill' her to the brink in anticipation.  I let her spin the want for her major, political science, which will be of no help to her later but so be it.  Honestly, didn't even try to talk her out of it.  Thought about it the just repeated 'pick your battles' and let it go.  Truth be told, none of us know when our own lives will spin out of orbit so why should she be any different.  I'm trying valiantly to let her live in the moment.  While I know the trials to come she needs to be allowed focus on school, and people.

The hardest part is she so desperately wants to join a sorority which is forbidden, even for the founder pre-apocalypse.  Try telling her that!  Have you seen the 'why my two year old is throwing a fit photos on Facebook'?  Yea, like that only with a pixilated college kid.  Rockin', telling ya, not pretty.

Tifani:  Hey you!
Me:  Yes dear?
Tifani: I wanna join a Greek house.
Me:  Um, no ya don't.
Tifani: Yes, I do.
Me:  Sounds boring, no ya don't.
Tifani:  Sounds exciting and glamorous with really cool people.  Yes I do.
Me:  Ok well then um No.
Tifani: YES!
Me: How about you finish you skills for this semester and your term paper and we'll see.

Super wasn't happy with me, let me tell ya.  But like I said I did let me meet people so it couldn't have been all bad.

Tifani gained a LOT of logic skills making friends.   It's a great way to build social and getting happy at the same time.  She wrote her term paper every semester, which was at times a whole other battle.  And didn't guarantee an A each semester based on how the final time fell in regard to her class time and if she had build enough grade up even with the term paper.  Look at my girl hard at work! 

Term Paper Time!

However, dear sweet Tifani had to go throw a hiccup in the plan.  The plan was that she would  enjoy her college years, build some great memories, a little something to carry through the dark times to come.  A few friends, a few jokes, a few kisses.  Yea, the last one was NOT in the plan.  Tifani can't marry until she unlocks a career.  (Don't tell her that yet!).  But then she met doo rag.  I'm sure he has a name but well, doo rag.

Tifani:  Hey you.
Me:  Yes dear?
Tifani:  I'm ready to take the next step.
Me:  You already declared your major.  You still have a few semesters until you graduate.
Tifani:  I think I'm going to ask Joshua if he wants to get engaged.
Me:  (chocking on my Dr Pepper) you want to what?!?
Tifani:  I love him.  I want to get engaged.
Me:  You don't love him.
Tifani: I do.  Didn't you see the red hearts.
Me:  Doo Rag?
Tifani: His name is Joshua and I love him.
Me: Sweetie you know don't love him, you don't even know what love is yet.
Tifani: I do too love him, hello red hearts!  And he loves me!  How did you not see the red hearts??
Me: How about you finish you skills for this semester and your term paper and we'll see.

Tifani and Doo Rag flirting over breakfast.  Now do those look like red hearts to you?

 Good Gravy but this child is gonna be the end of me!  However, hallelujah  dear Tifani graduated with a 3.8 GPA and became a hopefully respectful adult.  Once I get her back to the home neighborhood and get her settled into her very restricted Apocalypse Abode I'll be back to share the next adventure as she learns what's actually in store for the next chapter of her life~

All grown up~

Ella Matthews Legacy Challenge - G1E5

If you're new to the Ella Matthews Legacy, you can go {here} to begin reading with Episode 1!

The previous chapter of Ella's journey ended with a house renovation. The beginning of this journey starts with another renovation.

The house is slowly accumulating more stuff as Ella and Sergio get more rewards from their job promotions. Ella's items specifically take a lot of room, as she's in the Painter career. And thanks to Sergio's field of Music, he's got a honkin' piano in the basement. One of these days I hope that piano can be moved to the living room. Unfortunately, though, I'm sure Papa Sergio will be long gone. 

But for now, here you can see the improvements I made to the first floor. A second floor will have to be added soon, as the kids are quickly going to need more room for all of their stuff.

L-R: Sebastian, Alyson (next heir), Ella, Sergio, and Amelia

I promised you a family photo, and this is the best I could achieve. These people are totally uncooperative and clearly camera shy. Only Sebastian seems to want to stare at the camera. Too bad there's not an acting career--I bet he'd be a shoo-in.

Yes, I sprang that on you really fast, huh? Alyson caught her a man really fast. His name is Quentin Hagan. He's a Romantic Snob with a Painter aspiration. He is actually in Alyson's study group and they hit it off really quickly. 

They quickly became Boyfriend and Girlfriend, and they became quite besotted. 

Alyson and Quentin exchanged Promise rings, and as you can see, Mom Ella is looking on and has no qualms about Alyson's choice to take on the family line.

Speaking of Ella, neither she nor Sergio have sprung any desire to have further children at this point. Sergio is literally moments from going elder, but Alyson is still several days behind him, as he was an Adult when they married. As I've mentioned in the past, my rule is that I control the neighborhood population by only allowing my sims to have children when they spin the want. It helps with my already bloated neighborhoods.

Speaking of Sergio, he got himself another promotion. Yay! Means my second floor is coming right up in 5, 4, 3, 2 ....


See this? This is Quentin moving in. Since he's an NPC and he is not living in any neighborhood, I decided to move him into the household while he's still a teen, so that when Alyson ages up, he can age up with her and they can get married at that point. There are no rules in the Legacy Challenge that speak against it, so I figured this would be the easiest way to get him into the home and allow everything to transition smoothly.

And now it's time for the second floor. Unfortunately, there's not enough money in the funds to do much more than build the second floor and add doors to the rooms. Beds will be moved up there, as well as a shower, but that will be all that I'll be allowed to do financially.

The room setup is (l-r) Alyson and Amelia, Quentin, and Sebastian. The last room on the far right will eventually be a master suite for Alyson and Quentin. Sergio and Ella will remain downstairs in the in-law suite.

Right after Quentin's moving in, Amelia aged up to Teen. Remember my talking about Evil being my worst nightmare to roll for my sims? Well, Amelia rolled the Chief of Mischief Aspiration. Glorious. I really have no desire to cause mayhem in my legacy house, but if Amelia really wants to be a dastardly individual, I won't stop her. But I'm not going to encourage it either.

Meh. At least she's not Evil.

 






























 Poor girl aged up quite unfortunate looking. The dress is not a fit for her personality, and the bluish black hair totally washes her out. So, I sent her on for a makeover. The After photo is much better.

Three days later, it was Alyson's turn. Which meant it was Quentin's turn, too. They used the same cake. Yeah, we're cheap like that in this legacy house.

Alyson looks like she's ready for her turn as legacy matriarch. Good luck, girlfriend. Good luck.

Thankfully, her Young Adult trait rolled as Family Oriented, which is good. I'm glad she doesn't hate children, because we kinda need children to keep this thing going. *ahem*

I purchased "Entrepreneurial" from the Rewards Store, and I hope that doesn't break the rules. I didn't read anything that led me to believe that it was wrong to do so. I stay away from the Rewards that reduce their bills, give them money, etc. Entrepreneurial gives them promotions faster, but I figure it's all going to come out in the wash--they only get so many promotions, so I figure it's not that big of a deal. She's not going to go to work right away right now anyway--I'm going to wait till Papa Sergio is gone first, then I'll put her into the Cooking field since she already has a garden.

Quentin rolled the trait Jealous for his Young Adult aging. That one annoys me, but I can deal with it.

He's a Painter like his mother-in-law, so there will be a nice, steady stream of income coming in when Sergio and Ella are passed.

That's all for Ella's generation. At this point, Sergio and Ella will continue to live in the downstairs suite and continue working like always, but my major focus will be on Quentin and Alyson. By the way, Quentin took on the Matthews name since Alyson technically is the Matriarch and heir to the family.

Check back in a few days for Alyson's taking over the challenge!

Fizzy's Sims 2 Apocalypse Challenge

It's the super bowl and all across the region, people are watching. The whistle blows for half time and every Sim in the city goes to use the toilet. Every single toilet in the region is flushed at the same time. The resulting drop in water pressure causes the three nuclear power plants in the area to go critical and melt down, devastating the region. Thankfully, the founder is off at college when this happens, but when he returns to start his family, he finds a very different world he must survive in.

  

Meet Tifani Triumph. Right now she’s just your typical millennial college kid, the world is her oyster and the sense of entitlement is high. What she doesn’t know is that by the time she finishes her degree the entire world she knows will no longer exist. A large part of restoring balance and order will start on her shoulders, and the shoulders of her heirs. The largest question is can she overcome herself in order to successfully do her part or will she crumble under the pressure? Can a young adult who has never had to shoulder any sense of responsibility take on the greater responsibility of a society, a generation? Can that same young adult instill that same sense of community and responsibility into her children? With millennials at the helm will society survive the Apocalypse or are we doomed to fail?

I chose to do the Apocalypse challenge sorta kinda maybe ok really on a whim.  I wanted to do something different than what Jami and Kristin were doing just to keep it fresh and interesting.  I am still rocking only the base game for Sims 4 so that limits the 'extras' I have access to flavor a legacy as well.  I've looked over the Apocalypse Challenge before and became extremely overwhelmed.  There are pages and pages of things you CAN'T have/do until you unlock them with each career.  The original rules are here  however Phaenoh over at Mod the Sims organized them a little bit and created a game plan/tier system that I'm choosing to follow.  You can find all that information here.  I am choosing to use the tiered version for my challenge for several reasons.  Primarily it breaks the careers down into the idea that first you need to secure the basics (military, medical and culinary), then rebuild society before rebuilding culture.  By having a guideline to how determine a general idea of the best way to unlock the 35 (yes 35!) total careers it makes the pages and pages of can't s easier to manage.

Tifani is going to college, Academie Le Tour, like generations before her.  She's a popularity sim since that seemed to fit the stereotype I developed for her to begin with.  The rest will follow.  I will play her as if she would return to a 'normal' neighborhood and let the game spin the want for the major she will select.  This can really only go one of two ways..we can Triumph and come out ahead or crash and burn.  I guess three ways a slow crash or a burn right out of the gate.  Though first, college.  And right now Tifani isn't too happy with me, someone keeps ringing the doorbell at the dorm and I keep telling her to 'go here' trying to get her picture!  That being said, let's get going...sink of swim!

Ember Madison Montgomery: Generation 1 Chapter 1.4

Daddy and Liam Daniel

Really big news since the last update. 

Life with the twins has been surprisingly easy. They were such good babies,  And yes...you're right! That happens to be furniture and walls you're seeing!

I'm so in love with their little cottage! It's not very big. It is a tiny little home without room for much extras but it sure beats living under the stars!

Of course all of this was made possible by this big promotion!!! Which I can't help but showing off because I've never had a sim make it this far in the writing career! One thing about it, Ember has been very determined!

 There's been a lot of skilling, various promotions and then there's been a few birthdays with the twins aging up to children.

Liam is a "Self Assured" and "Artistic Prodigy"

For Joel I rolled "Social Butterfly" with the dreaded "Mean" trait.


I'm a little scared because I've never played a mean sim and they tend to not make it anywhere in life. Luckily though, these are not my Legacy Heirs (unless I do not get a girl) and I don't really have to worry about having a mean sim ruining everything for my Legacy Family.

Ember and Josh have also celebrated a birthday and are now adults and thinking about having another baby together.

With upcoming vacation days, the boys aging along nicely and another promotion for Josh just around the corner it seems like the perfect time to add to their little family and hopefully get an heir!

 Ember became pregnant very quickly and before I knew it baby number three was born. I really needed a female heir but it just wasn't meant to be because she gave birth to another son, Aden James.

Ember is halfway through her adult life so I had her try for a baby again right away and build on a little more on the house

We now have a kitchen and living room and three bedrooms, two kid's rooms and a tiny master bedroom.  I wanted to hurry and get her pregnant again to get my girlie. I need boys and lace and all that fun stuff. I'm done with boys! 

Despite a little more exhaustion than before...she continued to work right up until the day she was due to have the new little bundle of joy.   Which allowed me to fix up the outside of the lot to match the existing siding and that kind of thing. The little home is cute but I just don't know if I'll keep it as I am not good at landscaping and this lot is so huge that I need a bigger lot that has been landscaped. For now I'm happy though.

  

Aden James

Grady arrived on big brother Aden's birthday. Making Ember the mother of four little boys and her biological clock is ticking so darn loud I can practically hear it. 

I think all these pregnancies and promotions have gone to her brain because I had her raise her needs after giving birth and sent her off for another woohoo...I've lost my ever loving mind!  I can't even care for the baby she has right now because she needs to skill up for her next promotion and she's exhausted from what I think is another pregnancy so...I hired a nanny.  Let me just say that the nannies in this game are a million times better than they were in sims 2. So far they clean and take care of the baby and don't leave bottles all over the floor which is a huge improvement.

 Ember was able to get her biography done and was promoted to Fan Favorite (8) during this pregnancy (which better be a girl or I will cry) and Josh maxed out the fitness skill.  Ember is also on 3/4 of her best selling author aspiration which I'm very excited about. I've never had a sim progress that far in that aspiration or in the career for that matter. 

Finally our heir was born, Elena Revan Montgomery! Woohoo! Bring on generation two...SOON!  Going to start busting out her skills and get her aged up soon!  Her aging to child was kind of a bittersweet day though because her older twin brothers both aged to adult and Joel decided to move out.  I can't say they contributed much to the household. I didn't skill them or anything and Joel is just mean so it was best to see him go. I hope to see Liam flourish now that his mean twin is out of the house...we'll see.

 

I mean, just look how mean Joel looks! He was always being mean to everyone and made the whole family miserable so I'm hopeful that him being gone will bring some peace into the household. 

 

  So, this is where we stand as of now.  Stay tuned as I wrap up generation one and allow Elena her time to shine!

Ella Matthews Legacy Challenge G1E4

If you're new to the Ella Matthews Legacy, you can go {here} to begin reading with Episode 1!

After the birth of Baby Amelia in the {last episode}, the family continued on as usual. 

Sergio is almost an elder now, and Ella is inching closer to adult status. Little Alyson is about to become a teen.

Literally the next day after having Amelia, Ella spun the want to have a baby. Are you kidding me?! Oh my goodness. I've never had sims want to have kids like this back to back to back. They're wearing me out, and they really have no idea how nervous they're making me with their finances.

But I relented and allowed her to have her wish. She woke up in the middle of the night, woke Sergio too. The two of them have been exhausted with trying to keep up with their jobs, take care of baby Amelia and pay the bills.

Sergio, ever the charming, has had no qualms about being wakened. Bless him.

These four are living in a cramped home. They obviously need some more space. I'm going to try to give them a basement where she can put her easels (she has two now, thanks to her career advance unlocking a spiffy easel). Now maybe her friend Ulrike will stop reading 5,000 books and leaving them all over the floor! Ulrike never ceases to annoy me.

Another couple of days passed (sorry I didn't get pictures--this has been an insane week and I've only played hit and miss). Amelia became a child, and Ella is about to pop. In fact, she went into labor in this photo as you see.

Sergio is getting some skilling finished before the baby comes.

Let me take a moment to brag on these two. I work them to the BONE but they seem to always want to talk and interact with their kids. They're a pretty phenomenal team.

Yes, Ella. I'm not joking this time.

Keep eating your yogurt. Ahem.

Literally moments later, she had to go to the bathroom and then it was go time.

She cracks me up with her facial expressions when she's in labor. She really makes childbirth look quite frightening.

This is baby number three, Ella. Are we done now? You look like you're considering wrapping up your childbearing.

She had a boy this time! Baby Sebastian it is. Thanks, Kristin, for the name! 

Kiddo has his daddy's eye color--brown. So far Alyson is the only one with her mama's blue eyes. I guess the heir will keep the blue eye genes in the pool.

Sebastian looks pleasant, doesn't he? I like his little monkey jumper.

Let's hope his personality traits spin nicely and he doesn't become evil or something. I hate that.

Ella, sweetie, you did good. He's a cutie! A great last baby, eh? What? Don't tell me....

Two days after Sebastian's birth, the two of them had enough money ($5k) that I was able to do a little expanding. The basement was started, and furnished sparingly. But now they have more room to move around and more room when their club company comes over. Alyson's study group has six members (including herself and her sister), so the house gets feeling cramped quickly. I threw in a third bathroom, because they're a family of five now. Since Ella is still a young adult (though barely), she may have quite a bit more time to have some more kids.

This just happened. Golly gee, girlfriend. It just seems like yesterday you were born. Sniff. Soon enough you'll be taking over the reins and having your own kids.

She randomly rolled {like I've said before, I use this trait randomizer} Freelance Botanist. Not the worst trait, but not my favorite either. Gardening takes a lot of time, and I hate having to do it with a Legacy Heir.

I sent her right away to gather seeds. Wouldn't you know it--the tomato plant cannot be harvested. Isn't that glorious? Sigh.

This sweet girl needs a makeover so badly. I hadn't noticed her shoes until now. Her shorts are quite hideous too.

Oh well--first things first. We'll worry about your lack of style when we have more time, Alyson.

She gathered quite a bit of loot and headed home. It was almost 11PM by this point, so I sent her home.

Tomorrow, she'll plant!

I got her home and made sure she got her shower and ate some yogurt. Then she headed to the mirror for a little quick makeover.

I didn't change her hair. It seemed to go with her gardening trait, and seemed to fit her personality, so I just went with it.

Her outfit and shoes though had to go.

The after shot is much better.

This little dude just grew right up! Thankfully, his traits weren't disastrous. I was so afraid he'd wind up with Evil or something just as hideous.

He's Lazy, but that's not too awfully bad of a trait to get stuck with. Maybe he'll luck out with something better next time.

Like Genius. Hehehe

I mentioned when he was born that he was born with his dad's eyes, and he definitely was. But what I wasn't expecting was that blond hair! I couldn't tell really when he was a baby, because their eyebrows often look the same. So the blond really surprised me.

Cool dispersion of the gene pool! He's kind of rough looking though. I'll be anxious to see what he looks like when he's a teen.

So far, so good, with these kids. No one has been a complete disaster yet.

Remember how I told you that they have a houseful when the Study club comes by? Here's what I mean. The living room and kitchen are combined into one small space, and all of those people in one room make me feel anxious!

And there's Ella right in the middle of it, eating her yogurt. See that thought bubble she has? Yup. She's trying to drown out all the noise and focus on her yogurt. I get you, Ella. *thumbs up*

The next day Ella and Sergio both got promotions.

Sergio's promotion meant that he had to choose whether he was going to choose Musician or Comedian. He's a musician, so that was obvious. But now that meant I had to buy them a piano. Wah-wah-wah. That hurt. I've been saving up their money to buy a build-on to the house, but that ate into the budget, big time. Not to mention I wanted to spruce up Alyson's garden a bit, which I eventually did. (See below.)



After two sim days, I had enough money to build a fence all the way around Alyson's garden and build on to the house. Here's the result:

The little property is coming along. It has no sprucing up outdoors. We've got several generations who can be working on that. For now, it's about survival and having space for all of the people living there.

Stick around for the next episode of Ella's Legacy Challenge.
I'll be finally getting a family portrait and we'll see if
Ella and Sergio decide more kids are in the plans!