I had to stay home from work today because of a snowstorm. With all of this extra time on my hands, it was a perfect time to play Seasons, but I couldn’t…because the storm knocked out our cable! So you see, I couldn’t play Seasons…because of the weather! Bahahahaha!

Ahem. I guess I’m easily amused. ;-) At times like these, however, I do regret purchasing my EPs through EA Link. It’s nice to not have to worry about CDs, though. I’ve had no end of problems with those, too.

Anyway, my connection is back now, so I’m off to work on my new ‘hood.

Glad you guys enjoyed the Seasons pics!

Hey, folks. Seasons is here! Just for fun I created a new family in Riverblossom Hills and played them through winter. I thought I’d share some of the pics. If you’re avoiding spoilers or would rather discover some of this stuff on your own, you might want to skip this post.

And now…it’s snowtime!

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First off, thank you so much to those of you who commented in support of my game “reboot”. It means a lot to me that you continue to read this blog through the waxing and waning of my various Simming interests. And my computer is much happier with me now that I deleted those other two accounts. I’m still weeding through my downloads so that I have only the essentials in my folder, but my game already loads in half the time. I feel like I’m ready for Seasons now.

Speaking of Seasons…I won’t say any more lest I veer dangerously into giddyland, but I’ve downloaded the game via EA Link and am all ready to install it once it is released tomorrow afternoon! I plan on playing the new Maxis ‘hood for a little while just to get my feet wet (*snork*) and try out all the neat new shtuff. I guess that means I’ll be experiencing Sim winter first, even though stupid snow is about the LAST thing I want to see right now…(*shakes fist at Mother Nature*) That’s what I get for living in Minnesota.

OK, enough whining about the weather…I want to sing the praises of custom content creators! Especially ones who contribute to free sites. I want to bake cookies for them and throw crazy parties in their honor. Last night I built a town hall for my new ‘hood using macarossi’s classical window set, and I have to say, this is the most gorgeous window set I’ve ever seen. I am in total love with it. With macarossi’s, Marina’s, and phoenix_phaerie’s windows in my Downloads folder, I am a very happy little builder.

(Click “continue reading” to see some pics)

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Hey, folks. After much frustration and contemplation, I’ve decided to make a completely fresh start with my Sims game (coinciding with the release of Seasons).

I’ve simply reached the point again where I have too darned many stories and ideas and partially completed projects hanging around. The Ravelo update just isn’t working out, and I still don’t know what to do with the Burrs. Also, my computer has been running like molasses, and with my multiple Windows accounts and Sims games going on, I figured it was time to do some major deleting and consolidating.

So what does this mean for the Ravelos, the Burrs, and Shady Bluff?

The Ravelos and Burrs, as you know them, will be set aside for now. I haven’t deleted them completely, but they’re tucked away in a folder on my hard drive and will probably stay there for the foreseeable future. That doesn’t mean they won’t make a guest appearance at some point, but the stories that I have been writing for them will not continue. I am sincerely sorry to disappoint anyone, and I hope you’ll stick around and see what I have in store in the coming weeks.

As for Shady Bluff, it will undergo a complete transformation. I’m designing a smaller terrain so that I don’t have to build so many lots. I was pretty foolish to think I could build them all myself — it would have taken me until 2009, for goodness’ sake. At any rate, I don’t want to give too much away, so developments for Shady Bluff (or whatever its new name may be) are under wraps for now. But..there will be stories at some point.

Sorry to keep changing my mind on you guys. I play this game and update this blog for fun, and when it ceases to be so, I have to change things up. Unfortunately that seems to happen quite often. Thanks for being such loyal readers in spite of my scatterbrained-ness.

Have a great weekend!

Hey guys, a few things:

My Avalon house is now available from Mod the Sims 2 as well as here. My first MTS2 upload! Eventually I’ll upload more from my 1926 series, along with some other lots I’ve had sitting around forever. I also plan on building a slightly smaller version of the Ravelo house (the current one is buggy and too laggy, plus it uses a bunch of pay content).

Speaking of the Ravelos, I’m still working on their update. Because of the aforementioned bugginess and lagginess, it’s taking awhile to get all the pictures I need. And my machine keeps crashing when I play them. Sigh. It’s coming along, though.

As for Shady Bluff, I’m ready to take a break from building homes and start on the community lots and businesses. I’m also in the process of “growing” the population of the ‘hood, but I’m in the experimental stage at the moment. If it turns out well, I’ll likely write up a post on it. Sorry if that sounds vague, but I didn’t want to blab about it until I’ve seen if it’ll work or not. I have a bad habit of jumping the gun. Shame on me.

Let’s see, what else? Ah yes, the Burrs. I still haven’t figured out what I’m going to do with them. I had all of the pics taken for their next update, but that was before I decided to boycott pay sites, and there’s some pay content in those shots. So I’d have to re-do it, and I’m not sure I have the mental energy to work on them AND the Ravelos AND Shady Bluff. I’m really bad at multi-tasking, you know. It’s that Sims 2-related ADD Kay always talks about!

Have I mentioned I really need more hours in my day?

By the way, Devilfish wrote a great essay on The Problem with Pay Sites — definitely worth a read. Her Swinging On a Star stories are awesome, too. They have a science fiction feel and are a refreshing change of pace.

Happy Simming! And STAY WARM! (if you live in a freezing cold place, like I do…brrrrr)

I decided to take a break from building and do some decorating instead. Inspired by the “Favorite Room” thread over at the Sims 2 Community, I put together a room for one of my Sims (in fact, I think I’ll post it over there, too). I tried to keep the room cozy and semi-realistic, which is why there’s so much stuff in the pic. I’ve sort of fallen in love with clutter — it gives a room that lived-in look. (I only love it in the Sims, though — I need to get rid of the clutter in my house!)

As with my Sears homes, I’ve listed credits below the pic, and I’m using custom content from completely free sites only. I’ve been finding some great stuff in my search for non-pay sites. My sidebar of links is updated pretty regularly, so check it out if you’re on the hunt for some new (and totally free) creations.

Pimento Room

I’m calling this the “Pimento Room” because the colors and the curtains remind me of pimentos. I couldn’t think of anything else. Believe me, I tried.

Credits:
Bed – Delphine @ Sims in Paris
Elephant pic & books, basket (by bookshelf) – Steffor @ Avalon
Acoustic guitar – atavera @ MTS2
Chocolate linen wallpaper, bulletin board – decorgal @ MTS2
Window shade (“Inosign” curtain), small rug – Sims 2 Play
Beige plush carpet – Ennaedwyn @ MTS2
Slippers – Kjote @ MTS2
One More Slot Package for coffee table – ariffrazalin @ MTS2
Outlet with cord – KevinsHope @ MTS2
“God’s Eye” hanging decor, hanging macrame holder w/plant – CTNutmegger @ N99
Cushions on floor, long curtains, books & picture on table, large rug, bamboo plant, bookshelf – MangoSims
CD shelf (on floor by bookcase) – Sunair Sims

Happy Simming!