Author Archives: Jen
The Art of Diplomacy (Part II)
Day 8, Monday, 9:14 PM
I wasn’t kidding last time when I called our house the loony bin. This house is a bin if I ever saw one, and we are the loonies. LOO-NIES. I could give you more evidence of that, but first I want to tell you all about my completely weird job.
After my phone conversation with Joel, a very sad and very decrepit carpool car picked me up from the loony bin, drove me out into the country, and deposited me in front of this hulking yellow villa that seemed to rise up out of nowhere.
I wandered towards what I hoped was the “office†entrance of the house, but I wasn’t sure, because there weren’t any signs anywhere. I mean, how do you choose between two front doors? Thankfully, I picked the right one. (Hey, there’s a first time for everything.)
The Art of Diplomacy (Part I)
Just Keep Swimming
Hey everyone! I have a few topics to discuss with you today.
Bon Voyage
I’m getting excited about the next EP; how about you? I’ve seen so many things already that will be PERFECT for Ahanu Bay. Pirate ships, ancient ruins, hammocks, sandcastles, and best of all – SWIMMABLE BEACH LOTS! Yeah, I’m plunking money down for this puppy today.
Other things I’m excited about:
- Massage tables, hot springs, and saunas
- Four dances your Sims can learn
- The ability to walk to community lots (instead of calling and subsquently waiting for the taxi)
- Wearable jewelry
- More turn-ons and turn-offs
- Portable camera
- Campfires
Things I’m not so excited about, but am hoping cheats will rectify:
- We won’t be able to run hotels, even if we have OFB
- Sims may have to go on vacation to eat the new foods, learn greetings, and buy souvenirs…but as my hood is already a vacation destination (in my mind, at least) I’d love it if Sims didn’t have to travel to do that stuff!
We have a nice Bon Voyage discussion going at SimScribes, if anyone is interested.
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TheSimSonian
My fellow blogger and hood-builder mildlydisguised is a contributor to a new monthly Sims web-magazine called The SimSonian. I just read the first issue this morning and was wildly entertained! Very funny stuff, as well as some useful information. Be sure to check it out!
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Answers to Your Questions
I apologize for the delay on addressing your questions from the comments on “Down by the Bay”. Here are some answers for you:
Jo – You asked about the palm trees. They’re all by alex_stanton1983 at MTS2. He has a ton of them, and they’re all lovely!
Marie – I have the free site(s) for July posted now!
Jacqueline – Yes, I am working on a credits section for Ahanu Bay. It’ll be similar to my Annabel Island credits. I’ll let you guys know when I have it up and running.
simlover – I hadn’t thought about putting any of my cottages up for download, but if you are interested, I can certainly do that!
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Proposal on the Beach
And since I hate seeing huge chunks of nothing but text on my blog, here’s a snapshot to break it up!
That’s Brice Castillon and Kelsey Pollitt, two of my Ahanu Bay founders, getting engaged on my community beach lot. They’ve already moved out of their cottages and into a small house, and gave birth to a kid! But I’m redesigning the hood slightly and writing up a real history for it, so Brice and Kelsey (and the others) are no longer “founders” — they’re just residents of AB.
I’m working on Fran this weekend (I’m determined, by golly), so stay tuned!
Also in the works (just posting it here to remind myself!):
-Barn tutorial
-House-building tutorial
-Ahanu Bay hood terrain for download (just gotta take the pics)
So much to do, so little time…
Free Site of the Month: July
I’m a month late, but I have TWO wonderful free sites to showcase for July. Only one is getting my donation money for the month, because the other doesn’t have a donation button. But they’re both awesome and deserving of praise!
The Strawberry Patch
This is like one-stop-shopping for kids’ clothing. The site’s sole owner and creator, Purplepaws, released a huge update in June with everything from toddler outerwear to lovely formal dresses for girls. She also has a few hairstyles for kids, teddy bears wearing tie-dyes, and cute child models for download. Another cool thing is that if you donate to her site, it goes straight to her webhost, so you know that your moolah is being put to good use. Start your back-to-school shopping early and head over to The Strawberry Patch!
Moune’s Neighborhood
Moune is a member of the Juniper Sun forum (where you can also find tons of cool stuff) who has started up her own site. She has exotic furniture and loads of deco items in colorful textures. I love her Le Morvan shelf collection, the Nyemo deco items, and her paintings. It’s like shopping at Pier One Imports, except for Sims…and it’s all free!
Happy Simming!
The Paysite Issue
Hey, guys! I’m back from my vacation in beautiful Alaska and ready to get back to simming. I have some new ideas for Ahanu Bay and a Fran update still in the works! But first, a few words…
I’ve changed my stance on the whole paysite vs. freesite debate. Here’s what it boils down to:
Down by the Bay
I am still hard at work on Ahanu Bay and the next Fran update. Unfortunately it might be awhile before I post them, since I’m going on vacation soon, and my free time before I leave is dwindling down to almost nil. However, I do have a few pics I can share with you, just for fun. They’re just views of Ahanu Bay and the cottages.
The first is a postcard type of shot. I discovered this view while moving the camera through the backyard of the Begonia cottage:
A Secret in the Desert
Good evening, dears! Do you remember old Maude? Some of you may. For those of you who don’t, I’m the friendly phantom that used to flit around Mt. Geneva, spying on its residents and spinning tales out of their triumphs and tragedies. A lonely job, to be sure, but better than hiding in one’s tombstone and venturing out only to scare young ruffians.
When Mt. Geneva disappeared (one day it was there; the next day it was not! Tragic!), I escaped to tranquil Shady Bluff. For awhile it showed promise, but then it, too, withered away, and I was left watching the squirrels run around and chitter at each other. Not very exciting for an old busybody like myself! Maude needs people, you know, not squirrels.
So I became a wanderer. I drifted away from Shady Bluff and traversed the vast lands of Sim Nation, through forests and fields and desert. Mostly desert. I don’t know what I was looking for, dears, but it certainly wasn’t turning up.