Generation 1.14

The city gave me an award for having raised so much money on my crops. I thought it was a little over the top, but I appreciated the thought anyhow. I put it in my bedroom though, so I’d only have to deal with Sunglow’s good-natured snickering.

I wasn’t the only one receiving accolades, of course. My wonderful husband was now what one would consider a Sports Superstar. Sims would remember his name for years and years to come when it came to the game, and he couldn’t be more proud. And I couldn’t be more proud of him.

“You know,” Honey began one morning while the girls watched TV before the bus, “with your natural skills in fishing and liking the outdoors, you’d make a great scientist. You could have a great career at it.”

Lemon Tart just sighed and rolled her eyes. “Not all of us are bound and determined to become filthy rich in our adult years, sis. If that’s what you want, more power to you. I’m content to enjoy my teen years without stressing about what I’m gonna do with the rest of my life.”

Poor Honey Dew could scarcely wrap her head around such an easy-going attitude, unfortunately. She was constantly thinking about what she would do for a career, stressing about her grades and whether or not they were high enough. They were, of course. She’d been on the Honor Roll since she was in Pre-K. That never stopped her from striving for more, though.

“Hello?”

“Hey Honey, it’s Melon.”

“Oh, hey! How are you?”

“Fine . . . listen, I was wondering if you wanted to meet up somewhere this evening, hang out maybe? I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“Um . . . well, my brother Saffron is having his teen birthday today . . .

“Oh.”

“I’m sure I could meet up for a little bit before-hand. How about the Esplanade?”

“Sounds great! See you there!”

Later that evening most of us gathered for Saffron’s next birthday. There was one notable absence, however, and for once it wasn't Sunglow.

Saffron didn’t let it get him down, however, enjoying his cake.

He and his other sister Lemon sat down to enjoy it after the candles were blown out and his transition was complete.

“Hey . . . where’s Honey? She never misses this stuff.”

“I think she’s out with Melon,” was Lemon’s half-mumbled response, her mouth full of cake. “Don’t take it personal, bro. In fact, this is more reason to celebrate. Maybe if they hook up she’ll finally loosen up some.”

“Yeah .  . . you’re definitely right about that.”

Point in fact, Honey was meeting with Melon at the Esplanade right at that moment. Perhaps it was the lighting, the balmy evening air, but there was something different about her long-time friend that night. Her belly was suddenly full of butterflies, she could hardly catch her breath.

They’d talked like this a hundred thousand times before, but for some reason that night, under that street lamp, it became something magical and new.

Honey felt her heart swell, sure that she’d just realized the love of her life. Her best-friend and confidant, she was certain that Melon felt the same as well. Curfew soon forced them to part, but Honey knew they’d see each other at school the next day. And suddenly, earning good grades weren’t the only reason why she wanted to attend so badly. Melon never got around to sharing the important news they’d met up to discuss, but Honey was sure he’d shown it instead.

It wasn’t until the final period the next day when Lemon approached her, expression confused. “Hey sis, I thought you said you and Melon were dating now.”

“Well . . . I mean, he hasn’t officially asked me or anything, but we might as well be. Why?”

Lemon’s expression became pained. “Well because . . . I just saw him talking to Paisley. He told him that he’d just started dating Caramel Éclair . . .”

Honey Dew could barely comprehend it. What did he mean, he was dating Caramel?! What about last night?! The bell rang, it was time to go home . . . Honey managed to keep a straight face as she approached her beaming friend and requested that he accompany her home that day. He agreed.

As soon as they approached the house, however, she held him back while the others quickly escaped inside.

“I can’t believe you!”

“What’re you talking about?” Melon questioned, looking very confused and sounding it too.

“You’re dating Caramel now?! Where did that come from?!”

“Hey, sorry, it just kind’ve happened today. That’s why I called you out last night, I wanted to talk to you about it. But . . . I guess I got kind’ve distracted.”

Honey was devastated. She’d thought he wanted to be with her, when all along he’d wanted her opinion on some other girl.

“Honey? Are you alright? What’s wrong?” Melon wondered, clueless as always. She felt like such a fool.

“Nothing,” she managed, tone gone robotic. “Just . . . maybe it’s best if you don’t hang out here today. I’ll . . . see you tomorrow.”

And with that she turned around and went inside, closing the door in Melon’s still very confused face.

For the first time since she began school she didn’t immediately pull out her homework. Instead she retreated to her room, where she had herself a nice long cry. How could she have been so wrong?!

After a while, though, the tears eventually dried. The heartache remained, but it would probably fade in time as well. But not for a long while, she feared.

After that, Honey threw herself into her school work even more, determined that she would succeed in at least one area of her life. Even if she wasn’t quite sure where that path would lead just yet.

But then, one afternoon toward the end of her senior year in high-school, Honey Dew was given an extra-credit assignment at Sweet-n-Sour Corporate Towers. As she walked up the front walk toward the glass double doors, she felt an odd sensation. Almost like . . . coming home. Inside, Honey was in awe with the atmosphere. Power brokers and high-end business deals, suits and ties and even the cramped little cubicles. She loved it all.

And suddenly, Honey Dew knew just where it was she wanted to be.

Finally, that day had come at last. My eldest daughter was becoming a young adult. I could scarcely believe it was happening, but it was. My little Honey Dew would be a woman after today.

We all cheered her on as she stepped up to the cake. A part of me felt like crying, but I was determined not to let her see it.

Berry above, she’s so beautiful. A perfect blend of her father and me.

While her brother and sister immediately dug into the cake, Honey suddenly caught my arm and pulled me aside.

“Mom, I need to talk to you about something.” A sense of dread filled me.

“What about, sweetpea?”

“I . . . I want to move out.”

I was stunned. “What? Why in Berry’s name would you want to do that?”

“Mom,” she sighed, looking pained but determined too. More than I’ve ever seen, and that’s definitely saying something. “I know you and daddy love it out here in the country, on the farm surrounded by nature, but I never have and you know it. I want to live in the city, I want to have a career and make something of myself. I’m going to apply for a job at Sweet-n-Sour Towers.”

I won’t lie. A very large part of me was devastated. This house, this farm, meant so much to me. It was my life’s work. And here my eldest child was telling me that she hated it, and wanted nothing more than to get away from it for the rest of her life.

“Please don’t be mad, mama,” Honey suddenly whispered, sounding more vulnerable than I’d ever heard. “This is what I want to do, and I . . . I really need your support.”

Mother’s instinct took over after that, thankfully. I put on a bright smile, and pulled her in for a hug.

“Of course I support you, Honey Dew. You’re my baby, and I’ll always love you no matter what you decide to do with your life. This farm—and this family—was my dream. Now it’s time for you to go out and find your own.”

I could feel the relief ebb out of her as she returned the hug. “Thank you so much, mama. You’re the best.” At that, I had to chuckle.

“Well, I dunno about that. But I’ll agree that I’m not too shabby. Most of the time.” The both of us laughed through our tears. Even though watching her leave was going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I think . . . no, I know that we’ll both be okay.

Generation One is officially complete! *wipes away tears* My little Vanilla Cream can officially retire. I’m actually having Honey move because the placement of the current house drives me nuts with lag due to all the reeds and the fog in the yard. >_> Plus, it makes sense for Honey to want to move out of the country (and the ‘shabby’ farm house) and live closer to work.

Now that the Gen is completed, I’ll share with you my scorecard. Not that I’m keeping official score or anything, but it’s fun to see what I did and didn’t complete.

·         Vanilla’s Lifetime Wish [  ] I was THIS close. She had 7/8 perfect plants. Oh wells.

·         Sunglow’s Lifetime Wish [X] Done and done.

·         Grow a garden with every type of plant from the store (including egg, steak and omni). [  ] Again, THIS close. I had everything but Omni, and I was in the middle of the opportunity that would have given me the seed.

·         Marriage (no woo-hoo beforehand) [X]

·         Have kids, at least one boy and one girl. [X]

·         Master the Gardening skill. [X]

·         Marry someone who Loves the Outdoors [X]

So, not too shabby all in all. Hope you enjoyed Vanilla’s story. Next chapter will be the start of Honey Dew Palette's dream. Stay tuned!

Generation 1.13

It was starting to feel like every other day was a birthday in this house, though I didn’t really mind. Birthdays were happy days, after all, and it also meant leftover cake in the fridge. That was always a good thing, in my opinion. Today we were celebrating a double-birthday. Honey Dew was becoming a teenager, and Saffron Spice was leaving his toddler days behind him. I would no longer have any babies in the house. It was a bittersweet realization on my part.

Honey was the first to her cake, looking happier than I’d seen her in a long time. She even styled her hair in preparation for her transition.

Lemon Tart and I were sure to cheer her on. Sunglow was, once again, at work and missed the party. He had recently become the team’s MVP, however, which meant more money and shorter work days, and one step closer to his life-time goal of becoming an athletic superstar.

Honey grew up even lovelier, if that was at all possible. She and Lemon sat down to begin enjoying the cake while I slipped into the nursery and got Saffron. It was now his turn to blow out the candles.

He turned out as handsome as I’d suspected. He was a little down that his dad missed out, but a big slice of cake went a long way to cheering him back up again.

Now that Saffron was old enough to do things on his own, I quickly realized what a little angel he was in a child’s body. He made up his own bed without me having to say anything.

He always washed his hands after using the bathroom.

And helped me around the house, cleaning the toilets, the sinks, the dishes, anything that happened to get dirty.

It was a big load off my shoulders, leaving me more time to tend the garden. I had several species bred to what I considered to be a perfect strain, but I still wanted to have a few more. Only then would I consider myself to have the ‘perfect garden.’

But as natural as the process was--and as silly as it made me--whenever I had to dispose of one of my plants I always cried. I hated losing one of my 'babies.'

I was caught a little off guard by my own birthday. I’d completely forgotten it. The kids were asleep and Sunglow was down in the basement working out, so I cheerily transitioned into a full-fledged adult alone in the kitchen.

I sat down afterward, to take everything in, I suppose. I didn’t feel very different, but glancing in the mirror I could see a few new lines on my face that hadn’t been there before. At that, I started to worry a little bit. Would Sunglow mind my new look?

I headed down into the basement to find out. I found him at the new weight bench, pumping iron. Looking as sexy as ever, which somehow only made me feel worse. He gave me a look after I’d descended the stairs, picking up on my melancholy.

“Something wrong, Nilla Bean?”

The sound of that nickname still brought a slight smile to my face even after all this time. “Nothing really,” I returned. “I just had my Adult birthday.”

His eyes widened. “Happy birthday! Aw, Vanilla, why didn’t you come get me? I would’ve cheered you on, love.”

“I know you would have,” I chuckled. “I kind’ve forgot myself, and I don’t know,” here I shrugged half-heartedly and glanced away. “Getting older and more wrinkly isn’t really a cause to celebrate all that much.”

I normally wasn’t one for pity-parties, but something had taken hold of me after my transition. Sunglow picked up on it immediately of course. The next thing I knew he was up from the weight bench with his arms wrapped around me, holding me close.

“I love you Vanilla Cream,” he pronounced firmly, tone almost stern, “and I’ll always love you, even when we’re both old and gray and so senile we can’t remember what we did two minutes ago let alone what we had for breakfast that morning. Don’t ever doubt that. Ever.”

I sagged a bit with relief, snuggling into his front. “You always know just what to say to make me feel better,” I murmured into his chest, sighing with contentment. At that he chuckled, rubbing my back.

“It’s a talent,” he mused playfully. We stayed that way for a long moment, and then, “you know, I was thinking. That new tree-house we had installed hasn’t really been tested. I think we should check it out first, make sure it’s safe for the kids.”

I leaned back in Sunglow’s arms, meeting his mischievous yellow eyes, and an answering grin slowly spread.

“I think that’s an excellent idea. We wouldn’t want the kids to get hurt.”

The days started flying by again after that, and the next thing I knew it was time for yet another birthday. It was time for Lemon Tart to join her sister in teen-hood. She stood at the cake, smiling at us as we cheered her on and generally made fools of ourselves. But that’s what birthdays are for, right?

She transitioned and became every bit as wonderful as I suspected. Like her sister, she was a wonderful blend of Sunglow and I, but with a flair of her own personality thrown in.

Both of my girls were now teenagers, each of them beautiful in their own little ways. So far Honey’s teenage years had been fairly uneventful, but with two of them in the house now, something told me that wouldn’t last much longer.

Sunglow was at work for the first part of the party, but luckily he would be getting off in time to still celebrate with us. Not only would he be celebrating Lemon’s birthday, however, but also the fact that he’d just been named the Superstar of the team. His lifetime wish had been fulfilled, and I couldn’t be happier or more proud.

Sunglow made it home just in time for cake with the girls.

They all sat down at the bar to dig in. I sat back, content to watch them, filled to the brim with love and dreams of what tomorrow might bring.

((Aaaaand another one bites the dust! One more chapter after this, and Gen 1 is officially completed! Woo! If you're thinking that Saffron grew up awfully fast, it's because he did. I logged off with him having like 5 days left as a toddler, and when I logged back in he had none. >.< Annoying glitch, but whatevs. Also, a little info nugget for you, that sim that’s behind Sunglow as he’s leaving work is my husband’s berry sim!self, Beige Mulberry. :D He also happens to be Sunglow's boss, lol, and consequently one of his BFs. ))

Generation 1.12

((Just a quick note, I got Pets inbetween this update, so Lemon’s hairstyle is different in some, sorry for the continuity bug)).

It was time for Lemon Tart’s birthday, at last. I took her to the cake, confident that she would turn out beautifully. I told her to make a wish, and then we both blew out the candles together.

I wasn’t disappointed. She’s adorably gorgeous, just like her sister. My hair and freckles with Sunglow’s skin and eyes. A wonderful combination if I do say so myself.

Lemon Tart and Honey Dew sat down to enjoy her birthday cake. I was glad they were getting along so well, I’d worried that their different personalities might clash. It was especially comforting, considering that they would now be sharing a room.

Meanwhile I went into the nursery to make sure little Saffron was doing alright. He was, of course, cooing sweetly as I gave him some snuggles before putting him down for bed. It would be his birthday tomorrow, my last child aged up to a toddler. I couldn’t wait to see how handsome he would be.

The next morning the girls headed out for some exploring before their brother’s party. Honey normally wouldn’t be interested in such a thing, but she’d been offered extra credit at school for catching some bugs around town. The experience was like pulling teeth for her, but she was determined to get that boost to her grades. Lemon had a blast, as I understand it, having no qualms digging her hands in the dirt looking for creepy-crawlies.

Once the girls got home, I pulled out Saffron’s cake and we had his birthday together. Sunglow had to work, unfortunately, but he was moving up the ranks of the team by leaps and bounds. He’d already been given the Starter position and now had his eye on Team Captain. The money we got from his promotions and raises had allowed us to renovate the house once again, replacing the warped floors with fresh wood and buying the kids a few more things as well, so I couldn’t complain.

I was a little sad that he was missing out on Saffron’s big day, but I didn’t let myself dwell on it. And I certainly didn’t let the kids pick up on it. Honey and Lemon did their best to cheer Saff on, so I don’t think he even noticed at all.

Much like my girls, Saffron Spice did not disappoint me. He’s such a cutie! He’s got my skin and hair, but his daddy’s lemon-yellow eyes. No freckles, but he’s no less adorable in my heavily biased opinion. Saffron entertained himself with his new doll Jellybean while the girls and I enjoyed some more yummy birthday cake.

As soon as Sunglow came home from work he went right to the nursery. Snuggling with Saffron and telling him how sorry he was that he’d missed his birthday and how proud he was.

Sunglow was the one to put Saffron in his pajamas and put him to bed. Reluctantly on both their parts, I think.

And since Sunglow was still sleeping early next morning, I got the honor of letting our little man out of his crib the next day. Look at that face! He’s the most precious toddler ever born, I’m sure of it.

After making sure Saffron was alright in the nursery, I headed outside to get started on tending the garden for the day. As it was the weekend, it didn’t take long for Lemon to join me outdoors. She immediately began playing in the sprinklers—just like her daddy—and her excited peals of laughter brought more than one smile to my face as I worked.

She also took the time to explore the jungle gym that Sunglow and I had bought the kids with his latest raise. She had a blast on it, unsurprisingly.

Lemon made sure to help out with her little brother too, making sure Saffron had a bottle when he became hungry and fussy while Sunglow or I were busy.

Honey Dew couldn’t be bothered with playing outside, much to my disappointment. She mostly stayed indoors, either painting or watching her favorite shows on TV.

After Sunglow got up that morning he made sure to spend some time working with Saffron, teaching him how to walk. Sunglow had been the one to teach Honey and Lemon most of their life skills, by now he was a champion at it.

After Saffron went down for his nap, Sunglow went out to spend some time with Honey Dew. He tried to get into the historical documentary she was watching, but I get the feeling he didn’t understand a lot of it. Still, it’s the thought that counts.

Through it all, Sunglow and I still made time for each other here and there. I don’t think it’s possible for me to love this man any more than I already do.

Well . . . except for maybe when he does this.

((Woot, another one down! Sorry the updates haven’t been as regular, my game and I are having a bit of a tiff right now. Second Gen is sooooon, I promise. And as for heir votes (as I’ve gotten a few questions about it), I’ve already picked one for Gen 2, and Gen 3 should only have one possibility if all goes according to story-plot, so the earliest vote will be for Gen 4. ))