Art flows through

Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend Upon thyself thy beauty's legacy?

2012-02-15T03:44:00.000-08:00

It was bright and early in the morning. I was up and ready to rock the world.

Dad chose then to poke his head and seriously rumpled hair out of his room. "Hey, Dad."

"Yes, Kitten?"

"You remember I wrote you were going to be my bass man if you weren't in a band?" I was pulling my guitar out of the assortment of bags still dumped near the door.

"Yes. I do."

"Well, are you in a band?"

He laughed, "Not yet Kitten, but I have a feeling that might just change."

"Well, go grab that bass and let's go rock the park. You can decide if that Art school was money well spent."

On our way to the park, we had noticed a car up in the bushes near City Hall. It looked like someone had been hitting the nectar too hard last night.

I hope no one was hurt. But I wonder how long it's going to be before the police tow that wreck away.

Once we got to the park, we set up near the centre and starting jamming.

It did take some time for anyone to notice our little jam session that day. Not that it mattered to Dad or me, we were finding our groove. We had to try a few times to find music that we both knew and each time find the rhythm that worked for us.

Dad's really a fine bass player. He could easily teach at my Arts school.

After a while, a few people like Brad Kane, stopped for a quick listen before heading to their jobs. His son James was about to go to the public school just across the road.

It wasn't until late morning that we finally started to really attract a crowd. Mostly the town's self employed people and the ones who work at jobs that start late.

Uncle Hans, my mom Alaina, my new step-dad Travis were some of the faces that I knew in the audience. There were plenty of others that I didn't know by name, even if I knew their faces.

My cousin Picasso, who I haven't seen in ages managed to stop by. Most of them really seemed to enjoy the music too.

It was mid afternoon when I called to Dad. "Dad, I think I'd better stop for today."

He slowed down. He gave me a look like he was about to ask why, when suddenly he flexed his hand. "Woah, you are right, Cat. My fingers ache."

"My fingers are nearly nubs and my stomach thinks my throat has been cut."

"Not surprising," he replied. "Look at the time, we've been at this for hours."

I glanced in my guitar case and nearly fell over. There was a lot of money in there and more in Dad's collection jar. When we finished counting the money, we discovered that we'd earned over 500 simoleons from donations.

"Dad, does busking always pay this well?"

"Not in my experience, this was an unusually busy day in the park. Still, if art is what you love, then you play because it's what you just need to do. Your grandfather insisted on earning money through writing novels. The writing stressed him some but he just loved it." He looked at me with a grin. "Kitten, if that school managed to help all of your arts as much as it did guitar, then that was money very well spent. Even if we all missed you a lot."

Dad wandered off to chat to some people while I decided to go and grill some dogs.

Not the most exciting lunch on the planet and definitely not the healthiest. But when they've been grilled outside, they smell fantastic. They taste pretty darned good as well.

Unfortunately, one of the people who missed our music entirely was Jared. His work as a cop has him out fairly early in the morning. I left him a message that we were in the park if he wanted to pop by after work.

He arrived about 3 minutes after getting off duty from the police. I have a feeling that he wanted to see me again as much as I wanted to see him.

He met me with a big smooch. "Hey, Beautiful."

"Hey there, Handsome. You missed our concert." One of his eyebrows arched up. "Dad and I spent the morning jamming here. We had a good crowd too."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Is there a way I can make it up to you?"

I nodded. "I can think of one. Would you be my boyfriend?"

"Yes, definitely, I'd love that. Cat, you are a special girl. I knew it from the moment we met."

I squeezed his hands. "I think you're pretty special as well, Jared. And there was that unicorn on our first date. If that's not a good omen, I don't know what is."

He laughed softly. "I know what you mean. It was a special night already, that date. And then there was a unicorn which brought it to a new level of special."

"Jared, I'd love it if you came home with me. Spent the night, get to meet my family."

"Cat, I'd love to meet your family. Do you think they are ready to meet me?"

"Sure, Dad would love it and so would everyone else. I live with my dad, my step mom, and my two half siblings."

We popped into a taxi and went home. The house was looking quiet, how long had the two of us spent together in the park?

"Do you think they are all asleep?" Jared asked softly.

"I don't know but maybe we should save the introductions for tomorrow."

He sat down and patted the ground next to him. "Let's watch some stars. I think there's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight."

What I really wanted to watch was Jared, not the sky. I admired him for a moment before nestling against him.

"Hey, they were right. There are some meteors in the sky tonight." We watched the distant falling stars. "You going to make a wish, Jared?"

"You know," he mused quietly, "I can't think of a thing to wish for just now. I believe my wishes came true very recently." I didn't have time to ask him what he meant. When I turned my head to look at him, he gave me a kiss that left me breathless. "You were what I wished for. I just had to meet you first."

---

What I'm really doing here is having Cat spend a few more days with her family so she can get to know her siblings. Also her dad Johnny might be able to reach his life want of mastering three skills. He has mastered sculpture. Bass and charisma are high level 8 or low level 9 so he can do it with some concentrated effort. And Mason wants to catch 20 small animals. He has inherited the family Collection Helper so the coming weekend, he should do it easily. He's already at 11. I think the Collection Helper is an heirloom from his granddad Sam Grant.

Odd moment: when you type in step-dad for Kaleeko's Travis Kane. For him to be Cat's step-dad just feels weird.
---

Bonus pics

For DreadPirateSara

Moe Pesce World Renown Surgeon

Good thing Cat is stronger than she looks. It just seems so wrong when the guy jumps into the girl's arms.

Happy couples spooning. It makes me happy to see. I've been watching my Sim couples do this for years and it still is endearing.

If the treehouse is rocking, don't come knocking.

Jared seems very pleased with his night's effort here.

Jared is leaving his shirt on for the moment. I blame that he's with Cat's family and is a little worried about being under dressed. :) Just you wait, dear boy. Grant men aren't allowed to be too fond of their clothes.

As truth and beauty shall together thrive

2012-01-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

Finally home. I'm so happy, I'm finally home.

I can't wait to see everyone. It feels like it's been forever and ever since I've been home. I could never get up the cash to come back even just for a weekend. And most weekends, we had assignments. Boarding school had a lot of assignments and outings to keep us busy.

Then the summers were for part time jobs so I could afford a few luxuries during the school year. Barnacle Bay doesn't have much employment for teens so I stayed near the school.

All up, coming home just wasn't possible.

Check it out, even the deer celebrate that I'm finally back.

By the time I got home, it was getting dark and I was tired from the travel. But there was a lot I wanted to do.

The first and most important thing was to find Dad. I dropped the bags by the front door as I went looking for him. I need a hug from him like I've never needed anything else.

I ran into his arms. "Daddy, I did it. I graduated with full honours." There was a small oof as I managed to squeeze the breath out of him.

"Kitten, I know and I am so proud of you." His big grin said it all.

"I've missed you guys so much. Thanks for all the letters."

"I've missed you a lot too, Kitten. It wasn't the same without my girl." I was torn for a moment between chatting with Dad more or seeing everyone else. I finally decided that I should say hello to everyone, there would be time to talk to Dad later.

So I went to talk to Shannon. She's looking so calm and happy. "Shannon, I have a question to ask you."

"Well, Catherine, go ahead," she smiled encouragingly at me.

"Can I call you Mom? Because..."

I didn't get any further. "Of course you can call me mom if you like." She pulled me into a big hug. "I was hoping we'd get to this some time. You're important to both of us and I'm just as proud of your accomplishments as I can be."

"That's so sweet of you. Do you know how much my other mother contacted me in the years I've been in school?" Shannon shook her head. "Never. Not once did I hear a peep from her."

I whispered to her, "I'm so glad that you've made Daddy so happy. I think you deserve each other."

Next I picked up Dixie. She's so big, I hate that I've missed all of her life so far. "Hey there, baby sister. Do you know who I am?"

Dixie looked at me with her big grey eyes. "Nooo. Don' know."

"I'm Catherine, your big sister."

She frowned in concentration for a moment. "Catrine?"

I laughed. "Close enough, you adorable munchkin. Can I get your nose?" She giggled as I lightly tapped her nose. "You have to be the most adorable child in Barnacle Bay. I can't think how you could be any cuter."

I spent a couple of minutes cuddling and chatting to Dixie.

By the time I'd seen everyone else it was already too late for me to talk to Mason. It was a school night and he was in bed. I'd just have to wait for my next chance.

The next day, I decided to wander around town and see if there was anything new. I did make it home for something I'd been missing lately.

Mason and Dixie were sharing a birthday party.

Mason blew out his candles first.

Then Shannon helped Dixie blow out her candles.

So my baby brother is a teen now. Wow, I can't believe that he's a teen.

And Dixie is ready to start school. I didn't think I'd been gone from home that long, but I guess the time passed quicker than I realised.

Dad called me over. "Kitten, would you like to pose for an ice sculpture?"

"Sure thing, Daddy. Will this pose do?"

"That's fine." He started preparing the ice. "I've heard from your mother."

The tone of voice said it all. He'd never refer to Shannon quite that way. "So, what's up?"

"She wanted us to know that she's now Mrs Alaina Kane."

It took me a moment to process. "I've met him. He's that red head dude she's been living with for years now. He seemed like a nice enough guy, I can't imagine how mom conned him into marriage. Does it bother you?"

"It might have once, but I have Shannon now and forever. If her new husband makes her happy, well, I'm glad for her."

"Speaking of happy."

"Yes, Kitten?"

"I was over at the restaurant today and meet someone. His name is Jared Van Allen."

"I don't think I've met him."

"Probably not, Daddy. He moved into town just the other day."

"At any rate, we walked over to the beach and before I quite knew what was happening, well..."

Dad looked at me speculatively. "Love?"

"It might just be a serious case of lust but it does feel like love, Daddy. We spent hours on the beach, just holding hands. He has the cutest expressions." I sighed. "It was a magical night."

"Early days in a relationship usually do feel magical."

"Actually, I meant it literally. A unicorn appeared on the beach not far away. It feels like that's a sign."

I do believe that unicorn was a sign. I want to see Jared again and I hope soon. Very soon.

-----
Behind the scenes

Since Elizabeth and Derrick jumped into marriage, I decided that Cat was definitely not going to marry Derrick's younger brother Clayton. So I moved a few new Sims into the hood for her.

Ice Crisp (altheaquin and from Noir Nights)
Qualifications - handsome dude, fond of children.

Jared Van Allen (from Camimh - Cami's Sims)
Qualifications - handsome dude, hates wearing shirts

Ice! You are already boozing it up? It's not that tragic, surely?

Finally a vanilla'ed copy of Merlot Pinot Noir (berrypie and part of the Splash of Color story)
Qualifications - umm, he's Merlot, that's surely enough.

Cat wasn't sure what to do with all these guys. So she wanted to give Ice a gift.

God, Merlot, you boozing it up too? What is it with you guys?

Jared! This is worse. You've gone completely away. Then again, there are single beds in that house - at least you left room for a friend...

Catherine isn't that bad, for heavens sake. She is a Grant girl so maybe not your usual standard of lovely but still.

Poor Cat. If she thinks her adult life is going to continue like this with attention from so many guys, she is going to be sorely disappointed.

Since the group thing wasn't working out, the next thing to try was individual outings.

Merlot went first because he happened to answer the door that evening.

So Cat asked him to go out (outing and not a date at this point).

They did switch to date pretty quickly and enjoyed a bit of star watching.

Which put them in a good mood.

She tried flowers but things weren't moving that quick and it was very late. So after about 1/2 a date, she ended it and went home.

Merlot - the date is over, why did you follow her home? That was very odd, she had definitely ended the date at that point. So she talked to him a little then sent him home.

Next morning, it was Ice's turn. Now this was a promising start, meeting a girl in undies.

They did a tour.

And then Ice started to show *exactly* how interesting he found Cat. Because she would flirt, and he'd respond by chatting or brightening her day or ... well, pretty much anything other then flirt back.

Ok, and he offered her flowers of purity not romance.

Then he took flowers from Nina Caliente while still on a date with Catherine. That means that he's out of the running entirely. You just don't do that.

Ice now lives in a small house way out of town with 100 simeleons to his name. He's lucky he doesn't have 2 or 3 babies as well. You don't do that on a date!

Ice and Merlot were both going to be at work so the next lucky victi...er...date was Jared.

----

Cat did one round of Compliments and Flirts and after that, they both kept it up. Very very happily.
(Serious pic span of the date. Some of the sepia versions are in the story but I left the rest down here so you can see the original and altered pics.)

Jared and cat 1

Jared and cat 2

Jared and cat 3

Jared and cat 4

Jared and cat 5

Jared and cat 6

Jared and cat 7

Jared and cat 8

Jared and cat last

----
Other bonus pics

Thomas behave! The only females here to do the "You're hot" is the wife of your best friend or his daughter who used to go out with one of your sons. Can you say "Off limits"?

Besides, you love Zayne.

Mason glitch - my sims to teen usually like to start off as giraffe wannabes.

Shannon read to sleep (in your bed?) - Later I found that Dixie did go to her own bed to sleep the rest of the night.

Our doggie, Muffin. I aged the puppy up because I was tired of needing to check up on her quite so often. And I gave her a heart mark.

Just some random pics while waiting for Catherine

2012-01-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

Pictures from the last two days while we were patiently waiting for Catherine to come home. No story, just pics.

Quick note - in case you've forgotten. John Edward (Johnny) Grant has a half sister Brooke. Brooke and husband Hans have three children; Picasso, Elizabeth and Leonardo. Johnny's oldest is Catherine from his first wife. Mason and Dixie are children from his second wife.

I'm still not fond of IF but little Dixie loves hers.

Sleepover night == cocoons of children everywhere. They just seem to flop where ever there is space at bedtime. Zonk.

Johnny's first marriage to Alaina was a huge mistake. They got along but it wasn't a good marriage and she played around - a lot.

Shannon and he have a great relationship. They go all lovey at the slightest provocation. If I tell them flirt, they'll take it from there.

Ok, word of warning here. Mittens just ate a parrot that was in the bird tree. I noticed in time to watch the final feathers fall. Do not have bird trees in a house with a cat.

Speaking of lovey dovey, Alaina Grant and Travis Kane actually out somewhere together. He's been living with her for some time, but they never go further or break off. I think she's still a tramp and has a few more lovers on the side.

As far as I know, he doesn't. But he could be hiding a few lovers and SP just doesn't tell me.

So it was interesting to see them actually be a couple out in a random park.

I gave Mason the LTW of Zoologist. If you have the Collection Helper, it's a disgustingly easy LTW - he should finish before he leaves high school. But it's expensive because you need 20 small pets and buying the cages and buying them food at least once a day adds up. (Hmm, Carl's Sims says they don't have to keep them. That would save money.)

I must say they went to some effort to make the various small animals interesting.

Muffin was in a chewing mood. Humbug, bad puppy.

You really can't do enough with the puppies. They can't go up or down stairs. They can't get into the pet toy box. They can't get into the bigger dog houses. Sheesh.

Why did Picasso (Brooke and Hans Grant oldest son) decide to interrupt a Kane family outing. Yes, this is the same lot of Kanes that I used over in World Adventures with the Grants. But in this blog, they are pretty much just doing what they please. The oldest son James is dating Picasso's younger brother Leonardo. Abbey is romantically involved with Bob Leman, the youngest of the Leman boys.

I always make sure daddy spends lots of time toddler training.

Mason is talented like his dad. He floats!

This is the coolest looking bird. Hawk body, owl head.

Leonardo and Hans Grant. Hans and Brooke had three lovely kids, I must say. Even if the boys got dad's bright red hair. (Hans's mom was Autumn Cusack pizza delivery girl)

Just a stroller shot.

Mittens tackled Mason knocking him over. Mittens is quite the handful.

Mason told him off for that.

The pets move in their sleep from dreams. AWWWW.

Elizabeth Grant, Brooke and Hans second child. She just aged to young adult. Very pretty girl.

Derrick Leman, the oldest son of Thomas Leman and Zayne Hunter. He spent his teen years dating Elizabeth and the day they grew up, they got married. I hope Elizabeth feeds him up a bit, he's just bones.

Derrick moved in with Brooke, Hans, Leo and Elizabeth Grant. They have plenty of beds in that place.

Johnny got hair dye - booby trap.

It didn't make him happy.

Not many Sims can make this outfit cute.

cuddle the puppy!

Love the tail on this stray cat.

Muffin meets stray cat.

Shannon is a good mom.

And her boy appreciates it.

Scouting has taught him a lot too.

Shannon and Dixie

There still isn't much for paparazzi to do in town but report on Johnny.

Some of the Sim sculptures are cool.

Very cool indeed.

Thomas wandered over for a chat.

I like how the highlights in his random shirt match his hair.

I still love Thomas. My first real CAS and quite a nice guy. Sigh.

Sunset over BB

Sunset 2

Mittens spent most of the day over in the cat park. He conned food out of Jericho Seastrider. Jericho from Avanis married Lily Darkshore (ghost vampire) and they just had a baby. I can't wait to see the genetics of that combo.

awww.

There must be something about our appliances. First Mason and now a repair person got into them.

Beauty's effect with beauty were bereft

2012-01-01T17:26:00.000-08:00

Dad! I'm so excited. It's nearly the end of my schooling here. I should be headed home real soon now.

I'm sure you will be impressed with everything that I've learned. Music of all sorts, art and sculpture of all styles. It's been an intense time.

There's no one here that I'll particularly miss though. I've never really connected with any of other kids really fully. Penpals for a few years and slowly drift away from each other is my guess.

I can tell that Dixie is getting her unfair share of attention. Between you and Shannon, I bet Dixie rarely has more than a few minutes of being hungry or lonely before one of you turns up.

I see that eventually you decided to try metal sculpting again. I hope this time you remembered to keep the torch well away from your posterior. Because I do not want to come home to flame-broiled Dad. That is not on.

Dad, I'm so pleased you sent the series of pictures with the wild horse. That's a really pretty horse.

It's so cool that you're slowly convincing the horse to trust you.

But isn't it a bit scary to get up close to something that much bigger than you are?

Still it looks like you were doing very well with the horse. Does this mean I'll get to ride it someday?

Hmm, probably not. I can't see us keeping a horse on our tiny lot.

Mittens seems to be quite the hunter. If you hadn't sent the picture of him jumping like that, I wouldn't have believed that he could.

Ok, so Shannon wanted to show off where she works but surely Dixie is too young to take to a proper restaurant? I mean, I know you both think the local sitters aren't terribly good but surely for a couple of hours it would have been fine? I hope for the sake of the other customers that she was a very quiet baby.

Looks like there is an advantage to having a lot at the edge of town. Raccoons, horses and deer wander through, that's pretty neat, Dad.

Your sculpture did turn out interesting. And selling what was scrap metal for over $900 must have felt pretty good.

I must say the new swing you bought for Dixie with the sculpture money looks adorable. It has to be the cutest thing evar.

Now, let's see if I have this straight.

The story is that Shannon went to the park to grill some dogs to keep in practice at cooking. The fridge at home is nearly overflowing with leftovers as it is so she decided to feed the rest of town for a change.

Thomas came up and mentioned that he had some puppies that were ready to give away and he'd love it if you guys took one.

So you went over and picked up a puppy and brought her home.

She looks very cute.

And it looks like the puppy is getting to know the rest of the family pretty well. That's a good thing, I'm sure.

Man, I am so very very sorry that I've been missing everything that happens at home. First Mason has a birthday, then Dixie being born and now look at her.

She's getting so big already. It makes me sad that my baby sister doesn't know me at all. And Mason must barely remember me, he was still so small when I left for school.

That's a very pretty hair colour that Dixie has. That's from your dad? The only picture you have of granddad is after he's gone grey you know.

Poor Mason, his first try at the chemistry set didn't work too well, did it?

Oh, Dad. I know boys will be boys but you are letting Mason collect small animals?

Yeah, yeah, I know you SAY he'll be the one taking care of them but do you honestly think he'll remember them? Especially cleaning the cages? I'll bet you and Shannon will be doing that far too much. Still, he found a shrew, that's pretty cool.

I'm glad that Mason organised a sleepover for one weekend. It's good for him to get to know the kids his age better.

Love you guys and I will be home soon now.

---
Bonus Pics

Shannon, just a little hint - baby goes IN stroller.

Mason, that is not the approved way to get leftovers out of the fridge.

Johnny can float in mid-air. Gotta believe in magic. :P

Inverse Cerberus - one head and three tails. Actually that the mom and her pups sharing the one space. No one came to any harm from it.

Poor Mittens - would you believe that it's a beetle putting up that much of a fight?

Stray animals and newspapers. If your Sims don't read them, it's really time to cancel them.

And they called it Puppy Love.

Hmm, what evil plots come to mind when you are a guest at a sleepover? Too bad he can't do stuff like set traps in someone else's household, that would be ideal. (If you read my other blogs, you might know this Sim.)

For the impatient - Dixie grown. She's perfect, she has Sammy hair and eyes (I forget that this blog is so slow that Dixie is a granddaughter of Sam. I was really surprised by the hair and eyes until I remembered.) She has way more Shannon facial features which means she's just lovely.

Sims with sims war not, joy delights in joy

2011-12-01T13:45:00.001-08:00

Hi Dad,

Tell Shannon that withholding cookies until a letter arrives is blackmail! Positively blackmail. And it works too. So the box of cookies should be sent soon, please? We could all starve if the cookies don't arrive.

Things are going well enough. The school does insist that we do a few things beyond art, like maths and history. Everyone complains when we do them but I have a feeling that knowing things beyond art is a good idea. How else will I know if an agent rips me off if I don't know enough about money?

I've moved to a different art class. I don't think you'd like our teacher, he insists that all great artists are at least slightly mad. I'm pretty sure that you're not mad, and from what you've said about granddad, he wasn't either.

In music, I'm doing well on guitar and keyboard but not so well on drums or bass. So if you haven't gotten a band together by the time I get home, well, you'll just have to be my bass man.

Wow, so much stuff happening at home. There's a new pet store? And you bought a bird because you just fell in love with it?

I can't wait to meet Green Hornet. He sounds pretty cool and he is very handsome in that picture you sent. Does he talk yet?

I'm so jealous that there's a ice cream van in town now. I can't image how many summer evenings would have been even better with ice cream.

So I'm sending a few simoleons to give to Mason. Tell him to enjoy an ice cream from his big sister, won't you?

You adopted a cat too? He's a bit hyper but doesn't destroy stuff. Hyper might not be good if he runs around too much, but I guess you know what you're doing. I can see why you called him Mittens, with those four white paws.

Shannon tells me that she's not impressed that you still panic when a baby is due. It's your third time around after all and she has to do all the hard work.

She didn't even trust you to drive, you were in such a state.

The result is that I have a little sister and you've named her Dixie? I'm glad that everything went smoothly and Shannon and Dixie are both fine.

I used the picture you sent as inspiration in painting class. About half the girls were very excited by the ideas of babies and half thought babies were icky things. The boys universally thought that babies are icky things.

That's a new bird, a new cat and a new baby all in the space of a week? Wow, Dad, were you thinking at all? Maybe I was wrong, you are mad. Just teasing. At any rate, it sounds like you are going to be very busy with the baby and pets.

Give my love to everyone, I hope I can make it home soon.

---

Technical note: Cat did ring home with the message about 'Great Artists are Mad'. It was the first time we've heard from her since she left.

The return of Sir Bricks-a-lot. I hate to think how many of these my Sims 2 made with the toy bench, trying to improve their skills. I laughed to see him.

There is going to be a longer than usual pause

2011-10-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

Just to let the readers of this blog know, though most of you would have heard via one of my other blogs, that I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year and unlikely to have the time to update my blogs until December.

We will eventually see Catherine's baby sister being born and Catherine coming home from school. But it will be some time.

So long as Sims can breathe or eyes can see

2011-10-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

Hi Dad,

Sorry, I know, I never write. There never seems to be time to write. Our classes have a lot of monthly projects or performances or presentations. I'm barely getting the first done when the next one comes up.

At least I'm getting along better with other students. We all have major bitch sessions over lunch and over the group dinners. There are enough group based projects that I've really gotten to know a fair number of those my age. I do feel for the younger kids, some of them are shipped here the minute they turn old enough for school. It's very hard on them.

I'm pleased to hear that Shannon's pregnancy is going well. It must be a relief for both of you that she's over the morning sickness at long last.

Also the checkup in the hospital when they said all was going fine and you were going to be getting a baby girl. It's just as well that both of you agree that a girl would be a good addition to the family. I guess those scans might sometimes be wrong but I'm guessing not.

I'm going to have a little sister? That's cool.

Although, next time Dad, you can leave out some of the details. Some of things in that last letter were definitely TMI!

Tell Shannon that her care packages are much appreciated and quickly devoured. I think a few kids are being friendly just to get a cookie. The key lime pie was delish, in spite of the freezing and shipping. There are a couple of teachers wanting to know if Shannon would consider sending them pies, if they pay for them.

So you are finding that Mason is a bit of a bookworm? He certainly seemed to be surrounded by books at home. Or were you just worried that he was spending too much time banging the baby xylophone?

Actually, it sounds like you and Mason had a very good day before his birthday. Play, books, tickle and a nice stroll around the neighborhood.

So you had a major stint moonlighting at the local pub?

That sounds really great. Especially the bit where the normal bartender told you that your drinks were wasted on his clients. You must be doing something right if he told you that.

I really want to send my apologies to Mason. I really did want to come home for his birthday, but that money you sent let me buy my very own portable keyboard. The school does have a few that can be rented but they are always out of tune. How an electric keyboard gets out of tune is a bit beyond me but they sound awful.

Mason gets to start school next week? Just imagine, you could have had some nice quiet time with Shannon once Mason went to school, but no, there will be another baby before you know what happened.

And yes, he can use my room since the baby will need the crib. I'd warn him not to touch my stuff, but he'll probably think it's all cooty infested anyway, since it belongs to his sister.

So, my cousin Leonardo has a boyfriend? I hope Aunt Brooke and Uncle Hans are ok with that. Still, it sounds like he and James might be a good couple.

-----

Bonus Pics

Gratuitous Grant butt shot.

I'd forgotten that Johnny had a pretty decent looking tattoo.

Mason grew up in half reasonable clothes

We are such Sims As dreams are made on

2011-09-01T01:24:00.000-07:00

Hi Dad,

Thanks for the letter. I've been missing you guys too.

It is taking some time to get used to this school. It's not easy to fit in, some of the kids have been here since forever and they all have established groups. I feel like such an outsider.

On the other hand, there's so much opportunity to do art. We have sketch pads that we carry everywhere - random drawing in classes is encouraged.

I don't know when I'll get the chance to visit. Travel is so expensive and I don't have much to spare after buying supplies for school.

I'm glad to hear that your fame as a sculptor is definitely spreading. That lovely ice urn must have been quite the talking point at the party.

I see that Mason continues to grow like a little weed. He'll be starting school before anyone knows what happened.

You will make sure Mason knows his big sister is missing him?

It's really cool that you've invented a new drink. I'm looking forward to trying it, and watching you play hotshot at the bar sometime.

I'm glad to hear that you've been practicing bass too. When are you going to join a band, Dad? It would be cool if my dad were in a band.

It looks like half my class was down at Hogan's doing their homework. There must have been a field trip that day.

I don't know the boy Lizzie was sharing a table with. I must admit, I'm kind of glad that Clayton was sitting on his own.

I'm sorry to hear that Shannon is still having problems with morning sickness. Are you both excited about another baby?

Let Shannon know that her care package of cookies was much appreciated. I caught one girl trying to find the last few crumbs in the box at 2 in the morning.

Love and hugs all around
Catherine

There is no art either good or bad, but thinking makes it so

2011-07-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

Dad still gets the attention of the local paparazzi. He does his best to ignore it but when they come on the property, it's a bit harder.

Mason is growing like a little weed. A very unstable little weed, he's still finding the whole walking thing a bit much.

-------

First thing in the morning and my baby bro is ready for action.

Dad and Shannon were up till late, talking about something, they weren't stirring in their bedroom yet. I decided to get Mason out of the crib.

It was past time for his bottle. The poor little mite was very hungry.

Once he was done with the bottle, it was a quick dive into the toy box to grab his favorite toy. He loves Mr Bunny.

I went over to Founder's Park after grabbing a bite for myself. I found most of Clayton's family there.

Clayton was at a table playing computer games, but I didn't feel like talking to him. I was still miffed that he'd ditch me for work then blame me that we didn't have a good date. Honestly, boys.

So I decided to talk to Clayton's older brother Derrick.

"Hey, Derrick, what's happenin'?"

"Not much. You?"

"Just chillin'. You still seeing my cousin Lizzie?"

"Umm, well, yes. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Well, there's this other girl. I really like both of them."

Grr, boys, who needs them? I decided it was time to go home.

Dad and Shannon were doing some morning chores so I sat to play with Mason for a little.

"No sweetie. The square peg goes there. It doesn't fit the round hole."

A little while later, Dad finished having a crew set up a block of stone for his next sculpture.

Now was going to be as good a time as any to talk to him. Before he gets so engrossed that nothing will break his concentration.

"Dad, can we talk?"

"What about Kitten?"

"Well, that boarding school. I've made up my mind."

"So, what's the verdict?"

"Well, if you are sure we can afford it, I think boarding school would be a great way to get out of this place."

"Kitten? You sound upset. "

I told Daddy about Clayton, about Mom, well, about everything. It all just spilled out, a cascade of words and finally tears.

"Kitten, running away isn't a real answer. Life hurts, sometimes." He sighed. "I did love your mother you know."

"Dad, I promise, it's not just running away. The school sounds great, way more interesting then the public school here. I think I'd enjoy it." Dad gave me a look. "Ok, it is a bit of running away too, but please Dad?"

"I doubt this will change your mind, but Clayton is just taking after his father. Thomas never could resist trying his luck with a new girl but his wife Zayne has never said a bad word about him. He always comes home, Zayne is the only real love in his life." He looked at me attentively. "There's no turning back once you're enrolled. Are you positive?"

"Yes Dad."

Dad went into the house for 15 minutes. He gave me the thumbs up when he came back out. "All set. They send a taxi for you tomorrow at 9."

I spent some of the day sorting my clothes. Some of the stuff, I wouldn't be caught dead in.

Most of the day was spent doing the usual things. Dad had a major fit when the sink broke, again.

Dad and I had a jamming session in the evening. Music is supposed to be one of the schools best subjects, I think that's going to be so cool.

Dad put Mason in his crib. Mason's favourite bedtime story is "Goldilocks and the three bunnies". Dad is an impressive reader, he does all the voices.

Shannon cooked ratatouille for me. Dad must have told her it's my favourite dish in the whole world.

One thing, Dad and Mason won't be starving while I'm gone. Not with Shannon here.

I have a feeling I know what Dad and Shannon was discussing the other night. Shannon's been hinting that another baby would make her very happy. It won't be long until Mason goes to school.

She might just have persuaded Dad that he wanted a bigger family.

Monday morning, my last few hours at home. I played with Mason for awhile.

Dad came out to see me off.

"Now Kitten, we aren't made of money, but if there is something you really need, let us know. I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks Dad."

"And you write home. Or call home. Or both."

"Yes Dad."

"I bought you a little present."

"Oh Daddy!"

"Thanks so much Dad. I'll call and I'll be home before you know what happened."

Then the taxi pulled up and I was on my way. A new school, a new adventure.

I miss my family already.

---

Bonus pics

Camera peek-a-boo trying to get a snap of Johnny reading to Mason.

Leonardo as a teen. I must say Brooke and Hans kids were all winners.

Poor Johnny. He spent a lot of money on that rock to sculpt. The little gem stone he got here when it broke doesn't even slightly cope for the value.

To School or Not to School, That is the Question

2011-06-28T05:44:00.000-07:00

"Kitten, could we talk?"

"About what, Dad?"

"Well, I just heard about this school you could go to that specializes in the arts. They promise to foster talent in painting, music and other arts."

"A new school?"

"Well, Kitten, not only a new school, but it's on the mainland. You'll have to live there. So you'll be leaving us and your school friends behind."

"Leave? Dad?"

"Kitten, I'm not trying to get rid of you. Cause you know that I love you kid. It's just that this is an excellent school that will help you grow as an artist and I don't want to deprive you of the opportunity."

"Dad, umm. Can I think about it?"

"Sure Kitten. We have a few days before the registration deadline."

A new baby shop opened up in Barnacle Bay. Dad and Shannon bought several new things for Mason. The new stroller was just one of them. Shannon loves taking Mason around the neighborhood in it.

Dad was working on a new sculpture, I was out painting.

I've heard it said that blood is thicker than water. In this family, art is thicker than either. My Aunt and Uncle and my cousins all are artists of various types. Dad has sculpture and his bass.

A school that really fosters artistic talents is very tempting. Leaving home and my friends is less so.

I met with Clayton in one of my favorite parks. It's not the prettiest. It does have the best fishing hole I've ever found.

"Clayton, Dad's talking about sending me to a boarding school."

"Hey, so's my Dad."

"What, you want to go to an Art School?"

"God no. I'm thinking about being an astronaut. Dad is talking about sending me to a Military Academy School."

"But if we go to separate schools, we'll never have a chance to see each other."

"There's chat, phones, email, post."

"Clayton! How can I do this on the phone?" I kissed him softly.

"You want to go into town and catch a movie?" I nodded. We found a taxi and stopped outside the theatre. "Damn, Cat. I was supposed to be at work 15 minutes ago. Catch you."

Ditched in front of the theatre. So much for Clayton helping me decide.

I tried ringing my cousin Elizabeth. As it turned out, she was at work too.

I went back to my fishing hole. It's lovely, tranquil. A great place to think.

Dad is willing to let me decide. Clayton didn't help. Elizabeth didn't help.

There is one more person in town I really should talk to.

Mom was home for a change. I've heard rumours about what she does around town. I try to ignore them though.

"Hey, Mom. Dad's thinking that I should go to a private school. Did you go to private school?"

"Oh yes, I was at a school for gifted athletes. I won quite the pile of medals during my time there."

"Dad is thinking I should go to an arts school."

"God, didn't I waste enough of my life listening to your father babble about art?"

"Mom!"

"It's boring. I don't care about styles, colours, materials, masters or any of that other garbage."

"Mom! I love art."

"Then go talk to your father. I don't care."

"You never have cared, have you? Not about Dad, not about me, not about anyone but you!"

"Catherine! Don't you take that tone with me young lady."

"Why not? It's not like you really give a rat's hindquarters about me. My step-mother is an infinitely better mother than you ever were."

I turned to storm out the door. Then turned back one last time.

"Oh, and aren't you a bit old to keep catting around town? Fewer and fewer guys around town are going to be picking up your bills. Maybe you should try conning one into marriage before it's too late."

Well, I think I've decided what I'm going to tell Dad when I get home.

He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.

2011-05-31T04:19:00.000-07:00

Not a terribly long update, this time. I have school, and not a lot is really happening around home.

I think I don't like having a baby brother. He's loud, frequently stinky and he gets all the attention around here.

If Dad isn't in with Mason.

Shannon probably is.

[sigh] My mom never spent as much time with me, I'm sure of it. My first memories are of Dad. I remember Dad always being there and close. Mom? No, definitely not.

Dad went over to the park to practice music. He was hoping to earn some tips.

Uncle Hans was there too, so they played together for quite some time. The two of them play well together, though Uncle Hans has the edge in technique.

Dad and Uncle Hans got the people in the park up and dancing.

I never notice the cool benches in the park that use anchors as legs.

Also Dad has acquired a paparazzi of his own. His sculpture and music got him in the local paper and now this dude is following Dad all over the place. Barnacle Bay is pretty quiet, the poor guy doesn't have much to do most of the time.

Dad and Uncle Hans did just fine with tips.

After a while, Dad moved over to the local pub to try his hand at moonlighting as a bartender.

Patty Abe makes for an interesting customer. She can argue with herself and lose. Not many other people lose arguments with themselves like that. Dad said she was two for the price of one.

Shannon is enjoying her maternity leave. It won't last much longer.

She's been missing the kitchens at the cafe. Cooking more dishes for a bigger variety of people is what she loves.

She's been put in plenty of practice cooking here and our dinners have never been better.

Dad's second customer was Thomas Leman. He was pretty pleased, Thomas is his best friend. Dad says having the support of your friends is always an important thing.

I'm getting to know one of the girls in my class, Coral Goldbeard.

It's not easy balancing school and any sort of social life.

I've also heard that Clayton's been making eyes at another girl in our class. Should I cry or cut him to ribbons?

Probably cry.

Dad thanked Thomas for trying to make his first go at moonlighting a success.

It wasn't much of a success though. Dad said he earned less then 10 dollars. He's decided to wait until he is much more practiced at making drinks.

Dad and Shannon bought a birthday cake for Mason.

It was just us the birthday, Dad thinks parties for babies would be pretty lame. And I had school the next day.

Maybe baby brothers aren't so bad. Mason is a cute little fellow. He seems to like being cuddled.

---
Bonus pics

They are cute. They can flirt for hours on end.

Amelia Kane married. Usually she stays quietly in the background refusing to do much. But I took a leaf from Chrysame's book, sort of.

Her new hubby, Indiana Jones. That's actually a revamped Indiana Grant with his little brother Jack's personality imposed on him. I would have used Jack as Chrysame had but he and Rick seem to on the exchange, not in my game. Within two days of meeting Indy, Amelia married him.

And as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

2011-05-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Dad has never been happier. He adores Mason. He loves Shannon with all his heart.

I'm glad that this marriage is working out for Dad. Cause he is my best friend. He deserves happiness big time after Mom.

His artwork goes well these days. He can get some good money for a sculpture.

This is a farewell pic to Dad's collection of relics from his overseas trips. He said a private museum sounded cool when he was 14 but it was too much work in the long run. Some trips, you'd be lucky to find a few items. Trying to build a good collection was also very dangerous. Dad says the best tombs also have the most traps.

For the last party, Dad bought this big professional bar. Since then, he's spent some time teaching himself to make drinks. He's already improved a lot in a very short time.

We do still hear the crash of a bottle hitting the flow pretty regularly. Dad always looks a bit sheepish that he killed another one.

Dad's drinks aren't always a success. This one caused him to spew big time.

But he just tried a bit harder. The next step is to try this out moonlighting at a local bar.

My cousin Picasso got married the other day. His new bride is called Jasmine.

Everyone wishes him well.

It was early in the morning, Dad and Shannon were still in bed.

So I finally had a chance to play with Mason. He's a bit noisy, but having a little brother isn't too bad really.

Mason is a very spoiled baby. It seems like Shannon and Dad are always in there cuddling or playing with him. Dad says wait till he's a little older. He'll be the cutest boy in town.

I'm not sure I agree. He'll never match Clayton for cute.

Dad finished another ice sculpture. Looks pretty cool, doesn't it?

Then he started on a metal sculpture when his torch malfunctioned.This wasn't so cool.

He tried to swat out the fire but that wasn't working too well.

So he jumped in the shower to extinguish the fire.

Fortunately for all of us, that worked.

"Hey, Kitten?"

"Yes, Dad"

"Could you not tell your Aunt Brooke about this?"

"Why?"

"Her mom caught fire when she was a baby. Knowing that I caught fire might freak her out a little."

"Ok Dad."

"And Kitten?"

"Yes?"

"Have you visited your mom lately?"

Well, to make Dad happy, I went over to Mom's after school. I thought she was home. I really did. But I stood outside the door for ages and no one opened it.

If Mom was home, it was pretty rude of her not to answer the door.

I decided to go over to one of the local beaches with a fishing hole. I love fishing. Found that redhead dude Mom currently lives with and had a brief chat to him.

Travis seemed nice enough. I wonder when he'll get sick of the parade of other lovers Mom seems to have.

We heard that night, Aunt Brooke and Uncle Hans had a fire in their backyard. Fortunately the fire department made it in time to stop the fire from spreading to the house.

And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale!

2011-04-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

Dad and Shannon had an ultrasound done. They are expecting a baby boy.

So they decided to extend the house a bit and add a new room for the baby. Blue is a major theme here. If I get a sister, she'll have to learn to love blue since I don't think Dad can afford another decorator just yet.

While he was getting some work done on the house, Dad decided to get some done on the bathroom as well. He had the fixtures replaced with much better ones and the wall and floor redone.

Shannon was very surprised and happy when she stepped into the room.

Not every girl can say this. My dad is also my very best friend. He is always there when I need him.

He adores his bass. He's practiced a lot so he's pretty good at it too.

Shannon loves to cook. She is just a natural in the kitchen.

Me, I'm still working on what I love. Painting is a lot of fun. But I have a long way to go before I'm much good at it.

Dad tells me that he's hoping I'll be an artist someday. Art is the family tradition after all.

Shannon is a astounding cook. Her pancakes are truly delish. She kicked them up a notch and I can tell the difference.

I called home to ask if I could go over to Clayton's house after school today. I told Dad that we were going to be some homework together.

Ok, so maybe not the kind of homework Dad would like to see me doing. But it was a lot of fun.

Clayton is just so adorable.

Dad still makes sculptures regularly. His work sells for tons of money these days, that penguin was worth a couple of thousand.

But there are times when Dad has to turn his hands to other skills. Like broken plumbing.

Dad was muttering that it's beyond time for him to sell the stuff he collected from trips and put the money into more house renovations. Can't say I blame him, that sink managed to flood the kitchen in just an hour.

Ok, being with Clayton was a lot of fun. But it must be time to go home now that Clayton's little brother Bob and my cousin Leo are trying to butt in.

Shannon and I are working on our relationship, for Dad's sake. We shared a few jokes and some gossip. Not exactly friends yet but we are both willing to try.

It seemed no time at all before Shannon declared it to be time and wanted to go to the hospital.

I went along too, though they didn't let me in the maternity ward. That would have sucked big time except...

Clayton was stuck outside the hospital too.

I was so happy to see him, I didn't ask why he was here. I hope there isn't anything wrong with his family.

We managed to keep each other entertained for quite a long time.

Then finally, Shannon emerged with my new baby brother.

My new brother's name is Mason. Shannon said something about that name felt just right.

Bonus pics

I don't know what this girl told Johnny but he doesn't seem to have taken it well.

Twice, I told Johnny to practice his bass and twice, his first choice of playing spot is here. Maybe the accoustics here are particularly good?

Oh, and there is something about Clayton and Catherine. She asked to visit his house after school on her own, then he turns up at the hospital that evening. He's just everywhere.

New banner - done by me as opposed to someone good with artwork. :)

There was one who was famed for the number of things He forgot when he entered the ship:

2011-04-09T03:24:00.000-07:00

My dad and his new wife - my new step-mom.

I was wondering when Dad was going to decide to have a talk about his new wife and the baby. Apparently it's today.

Kitten, do you have time for a chat?

Yes, Dad, there's some time before school.

Kitten, you might have noticed by now. Shannon and I are expecting a baby. You are going to have a little brother or sister soon.

I had noticed, Dad. She is showing a bit.

I wanted you to know that when the baby comes, if you want to stay with your mom or your aunt, you certainly can.

I wouldn't want to stay with mom. That red head guy she lives with seems ok but some of her other suitors aren't nice. There's one that insists I call him dad. There's one that insists I call him Mr. They mostly treat me like I'm a baby and I hate that.

Well, if you want to stay with your Aunt Brooke and cousin Lizzie, just let us know. Your Aunt Brooke knows exactly how annoying a baby is. Just ask her. In the meantime, could you be nice to your new step-mom?

Sure Dad, I can do that. And I'll think about if I should visit someone when the baby comes.

So I started making more of an effort to get to know my step-mom. Shannon has made Dad so happy. Mom made him so miserable.

While we were getting to know each other, Dad tried hard not to burn the pancakes.

Shannon let me feel her tummy.

I could feel the baby move. I really will have a baby brother or sister soon.

While I went to school, Dad and Shannon shared breakfast.

Dad spent much of the day playing for tips in the park. Aunt Brooke, Uncle Hans and Picasso all happened by.

His playing was much approved, he earned a few hundred Simoleons for a morning of playing.

Picasso was dancing with someone random.

Hey guys give yourself some personal space.

Dad decided to throw a party for me and my best friend Clayton Leman. He bought birthday cakes for both of us.

So I stepped up to one cake.

And Clayton stepped up to the other.

Clayton, goodness, isn't he a handsome teen?

Then it was my turn.

Clayton, what a handsome boy. I kissed him.

---

Yeah, Clayton changed from black hair to his dad's hair, which matches his brothers. :) His hair was pink like his mom originally. Carrot hair suits better.

This blog is suspended

2011-03-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

I won't get so violent as to delete the blog or the save game which is the basis of the blog. But 5 blogs is one blog too many at the moment. Those who love generational blogs and warm fuzzy family stories should move over to the World Adventures of the Grant Family

Those who are looking for stories should look at the Hi Mum, It's Sammy and the Short Story blog.

Adventures with Sims 3 will remain random as ever.

There may be posts down the track for this blog. But for the moment, this blog can look forward to a long holiday rest.

I changed my mind...the blog is back

Under different circumstances but it is back

And this was odd, because, you know, They hadn't any feet.

2011-03-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

Our son Picasso has been smitten by Casey. Casey is the local consignment agent and very nearly our age.

Granted most of the girls he knew at school are still a bit young for him, but we are trying gently to dissuade him from making a permanent commitment yet. Hans and I know he has only been going out with Casey for a few weeks. Why he let himself be talked into being her boyfriend is a mystery.

And, he has plenty of time on his side.

There weren't any architectural design jobs on offer today so he took our advice to meet a few more people around town.

Not the most stellar start I've ever heard of to a relationship, sneezing on your new acquaintance.

Still, at least this Amelia is a bit more his age. As are several of the other women he's been introduced to in the past few days.

And then it was time for Elizabeth to have her birthday. Friends and family came to watch.

But a few party guests have their own agendas. It's a bit rude to try to steal the spotlight from the birthday girl!

Our Lizzie is growing up to be a quite lovely young woman. I'm still pleased our daughter has Dad's hair color. It's nice to see.

And her friend from school, Derrick Leman, certainly agrees with that.

Well, at least she'll be very happy for a few days. First love does that to a girl. I can almost remember those days.

-----

Shannon and I discussed having a lovely wedding somewhere. We chatted about guest lists, food lists, venues.

Then we got hitched quietly in City Hall. The planning was too much, it was making Shannon quite sick to the stomach.

Dad got married twice, now I'm on a second marriage. Of course, he also had a second child with that second wife, Shannon and I haven't planned on anything like that.

For me, things were now very quiet again. I sent Alaina the money I promised and settled in for some new sculpting work.

No, it was nearly done! So nearly done. And then I twitched right at the end and chopped off the head of my dragon. Ruined.

Maybe not ruined, I just need to carve a St George to go with the dragon.

Later that evening, Shannon had news. It wasn't nerves or decision making that was making her sick to her stomach.

We are expecting a baby.

Well, I was a bit surprised by the news, but I still love it. Another baby, I hope it's a boy this time.

We'll have to do some serious house renovations. Cathy is nearly a teen, she is not going to want to share her room with a new baby.

(Blog now reverts back to standard old plot-free family stuff. Fast, easy, brain not necessary)

Their coats were brushed, their faces washed, Their shoes were clean and neat

2011-03-04T04:30:00.000-08:00

Damn, my birthday snuck up on me. Happy birthday me.

The birthday reminded me that I needed to take a few things seriously. Shannon was one of those things. Shannon makes me happier than I've been for some time.

I proposed to Shannon.

She was very happy to accept. She is already making wedding plans.

We celebrated in bed that night. We weren't quite as careful as usual but surely just careless for just one night won't matter.

Picasso brought over the photos Sunday night. God, my nephew is a grown man. Hard to believe so much time has gone by.

It's not hard to see what Alaina managed to do. She convinced her lovers in city hall that they should grant sole custody, issue the restraint to keep me from being near Catherine. She had a lover in the police force willing to enforce those orders.

I made a few changes to what I wanted to accomplish with the governor on Monday. I arranged via Thomas a change in venue and change in participants.

"Thanks so much for seeing us, Governor Goldbeard-Patel. I know that listening to individual requests is quite rare for you."

"Yes, well, there are special circumstances." I knew her voice the moment she spoke. This was the 'friend' who rang me to tell me that the police were on their way.

"These are special circumstances." I laid the photos on the table. The governor examined them.

"It's clear that Alaina Grant used undue influence to gain custody and restraining orders. I'm going to order those documents null and void as of now."

That was a relief for me. I really didn't want to have any more trouble with the law. One day in that cell was plenty.

"It is also clear that I'm going to have to have a few words with these gentlemen about the affair. What they have done is unacceptable, a demotion should teach them an important lesson."

"Alaina, why? Why did you do all of this?"

"You never gave me the option to have custody."

"When you left my house, you said you wanted to explore a range of lovers...or something like that. I thought Catherine would have cramped your style and, frankly I'd really rather not have my daughter exposed to a parade of lovers."

"You are trying to replace me with that blond hussy of yours."

I sighed, "Alaina, no matter what happens between us, Catherine is our daughter. Nothing will ever change that. I've never expected Catherine to forget you and think of Shannon as her mom. Shannon is a lovely lady, but not a replacement mom for Catherine."

Alaina suddenly burst into tears. "It's all gone. I have no money. I won't have a house soon."

"What? What happened to your settlement?" She did get a fair share of money when she left.

"This guy rang. He was selling shares in the Landgraab Investment Agency. I remember when I was a wee girl, daddy used to sell those shares."

"Oh god, Alaina. Your daddy was a con man. Everyone in Sunset Valley knew better than to buy anything recommended by Jared Frio." Except my ex-wife. No wonder she's been a bit off her rocker lately.

"Alaina, I wish you had just told me that things were a bit tough." I shook my head. "You will always be Catherine's mom. And, in spite of everything, you are still my friend."

Alaina still wouldn't look at me.

"Next time, if you really can't come to me, try talking to Brooke. We can find a way to help. For starters, I'll transfer 10,000 Simoleons to your account."

"Really?"

"Truly."

The governor interrupted us about then. "Catherine, who do you want to live with?"

"I choose?"

"You seem old enough to me to pick who you want to live with. Your mom or your dad."

Catherine looked back and forth a couple of times. I must admit my heart was in throat. It was time for her to pick. "I think. I think, I want to stay with ... dad. As long as I can regularly visit mom."

"Course you can. Go over and spend the night any time if you want to and your mom agrees."

"Mom?"

"It's okay honey. If you want to come over from time to time, just ring to make sure I know you're coming."

Catherine was so happy to finally get a say in her future. I'm pretty happy that we are to the bottom of the issue and that Alaina isn't going to disappear one day taking our daughter with her.

I waited till the governor was gone. "Hey, Alaina, what's with this red head? We couldn't work out why you'd go for him."

"Oh Travis? He's just the sweetest guy. I really like him, he's been around my place a couple of nights now."

"Well, I wish you all the best if you really like him." And I wish this Travis guy even more luck if he stays with my ex.

But four young Oysters hurried up, All eager for the treat

2011-02-22T03:12:00.000-08:00

I hate to say it but what Johnny is going through makes me appreciate what I have so much more. We have a big comfortable house. Far nicer than that tiny place where that was the family home where Johnny and I grew up.

I have a husband who still adores me as much as I adore him. Hans and I still love each other deeply. There may have been a few little bumps here and there, however we have weathered them well together.

We have our three wonderful children.

Our oldest son, Picasso. His temper is as hot as his hair colour but he's a good boy at heart. He's been cooking meals for the family for some time. He says it's a good skill to get before leaving home.

Leaving home? Our son is making plans?

Elizabeth, the middle child and our only daughter. She's doing very well at school, both academically and socially.

And our sweet little Leonardo. Our baby.

Sigh, but he's going to hate me saying that soon. He's a growing boy, not a baby. He'll always be my baby, no matter how big he gets. Just so much harder to snuggle.

The kids aren't perfect. A cop brought Picasso home after he broke curfew. That he did it for the sake of his uncle Johnny doesn't make it right. He left home a bit too early to get some more pictures of his aunt.

Dad would be pleased to know we still earn our keep via art in some form or other. I made a fair amount of cash playing for tips in the park on Saturday. Hans paints and plays. We should form a band but we'll need to dig up more performers first. Johnny plays a pretty mean bass these days. I should ask him.

Picasso does want to be a hot shot designer someday, but that's still not a regular 9 to 5 type job. It's just a more practical application of art then the Grant family usually goes for.

I'm a bit worried that Picasso is taking his assignment for Johnny a bit too seriously. He's been gone most of the time over the weekend, we've barely seen him.

--------------------------

Mom shouldn't really worry so much. Finding out more about Auntie Alaina was only part of the reason she didn't see so much of me. The other part of the reason was meeting some of my classmates. Like my best friend Fern, we meet outside the local library.

And this is Sophia. We meet in the art gallery. I saw Auntie Alaina, with a guy and took their photo.

Eventually though, Dad rang to warn me it was party time. I had the pictures that Uncle Johnny needs so I drove straight home.

It was important for me to be here because

The party was a birthday party, for both Leo and I.

I blew out the candles on the first cake.

I wish.

Oh damn it, I have no idea what to wish for. That no girl does to me what has happened to Uncle Johnny? That it comes out ok in the end? That there is world peace in our time?

Mum thinks I'm a dead ringer for Dad. I don't think so, but I'm not going to argue. She's having a little bit of a hard time coping with me being an adult. She seems to think that I'll be out of here and she'll never see me again. Honestly? In a town this size? You trip over people all the time.

Then my little bro had his turn.

Mum hates that Leo is growing so fast. I'll try not to mention that Lizzie's birthday is fast approaching. Mum might cry.

-----

So, Picasso, did you get any pictures of your Aunt Alaina? Should we ask Johnny over?

Yes, Mum, Uncle Johnny will want to see this. Auntie Alaina has been quite busy.

Auntie Alaina has been hanging around Jeff Smith.

I recognise Mr Smith. He's a politician, one of the local Yes Men.

She seems very fond of him.

Where was that?

A little tiny fishing hole way at the edge of town. They shouldn't have driven there from in town though, I had the chance to follow them.

That's Richie Libros who works for the city council.

He's recently married, I think Auntie Alaina had to work to convince him to her side.

Dave Pierce, one of Alaina's coworkers. He's also married.

He wasn't acting very married when I found them.

Two politicians and a cop. That is very interesting.

Who's the red head?

He's one of the local sport team, I think he's Travis Kane. I think Auntie Alaina might just like him, I don't think he'd be exactly helpful.

The eldest Oyster looked at him, But never a word he said

2011-02-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday, glorious Saturday. Or it should be glorious if only I didn't have a sense of impending doom. Catherine wants to spend her Saturday learning how to paint and doing a bit of fishing. Shannon is due at work, that's going to keep her away for most of the day.

As for me, I have a few things to do about Alaina. I have my nephew Picasso ready to take photos of his Aunt if he sees her around. I don't know if anything will come from that but it's worth the effort to at least try.

And I want to answer the burning question who rang me? Who warned me that the police were looking for me? Why did they ring? I know the voice was female, but I didn't recognise her.

I do know someone who might though. Someone who gets along with many of the ladies of this town. My friend, Thomas Leman, fashion guru and town gigolo. I arranged a meeting at the local art gallery. If there is anyone who knows all the ladies in town and their gossip, it will be Tom.

"Hey, Tom, how is the family?"

"The oldest boys are doing pretty well in school. I believe Clayton is good friends with your girl Catherine. Our toddler Bob gets into so much mischief. He takes real advantage of being the baby of the family. He broke Zayne's favourite vase the other day and looked so darned cute doing it that everyone just laughed." It was pretty obvious that he adores his sons. The glint in his eyes as he describes them says it all.

"Catherine did bring home a boy named Clayton the other night. He's your son?" I was a bit puzzled, my memory said the boy had dark hair, very unlike his parents.

Tom laughed, " I know, I have red hair, Zayne has pink hair and our son has black hair. We think he's a throwback a few generations. He doesn't look like his brothers but he is still our son."

I nodded. "We never could find a blond on the family tree so we have no idea where Catherine got her hair colour."

I paused for a moment. Now seemed as good as time as any to bring up the topic I really wanted to discuss with Thomas. "Have you heard anything about what my ex Alaina is up to?"

"Other than applying for sole custody, getting a court order to keep you away from Catherine, you spending the night in the holding cell behind the police station; no, I haven't heard a lot."

Damn, he really is connected in town. I'd hate to think what he'd classify as a lot of information. "That's not a lot?"

"The ladies trust me with their hair, their clothes and their secrets. I think that's the usual order of importance for most of my clients. The fashion clients that is."

"Someone rang me to warn me that the police were on their way. Can you tell me who might ring me?"

"It's best if I don't name anyone. That could be very bad for business if I gave away their secrets."

I sighed. I should have know this wasn't going to be easy. "I don't want to jeopardise your business."

Thomas continued. "But I can give you a hint. Your ex is not at all popular with someone at city hall."

"A female someone?"

"Indeed. There is one lady there that rather objects to your ex's way of doing things."

Now that was useful. Very useful. Barnacle Bay is a small community and there are only a few people working in city hall.

"Thanks Tom, I appreciate the info." He's a good friend and I'm going to need every friend I can muster.

I took a taxi over to City Hall. It's the weekend, so I'm not going to be meeting anyone today. But I can go over the records and see who is my likely contact. I've never paid much attention to the local politicians before this.

It didn't take me long to narrow the field. There are only four women working in City Hall and two of them only started last week. That leaves our governor, Eleanore Goldbeard and Luisa Libros who is one of the local representatives.

I managed to track down someone who could make an appointment for me to talk to the governor first thing Monday morning. That's all I can think to do for the moment.

Well, one more thing. We'll be staying in the campground on the other side of town for a few days. We'll have to bring our tents but I feel a bit more secure about Catherine if we aren't staying at home. And surely camping is the last thing that Alaina would think of, she never was much for travel to start with.

At least my daughter has had a fun day.

Due to power outage next blog update may be awhile

2011-02-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

Pity it was just getting interesting but Cyclone Yasi has left us with no power. So no Sims and no blog updates.

A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk Along the briny beach

2011-01-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

We spent worried hours wondering what happened to Johnny. Picasso yelled at Shannon for no better reason then to relieve a bit of tension.

After a while, it was obvious that there wasn't anything we could do, so life sort of went back to normal.

I pondered the latest chess puzzles.

Hans did the laundry.

Picasso snuggled his little brother.

Shannon and Catherine ended up spending the night, they both thought it would be too creepy to go back to their home with Johnny missing. It was a little crowded with 2 more people but we couldn't just send them away.

We ended up pitching a couple of tents in the back, the girls spent the night in the tents.

They were actually quite excited by the prospect. I suspect that they chatted and giggled well into the night. Shannon took Elizabeth's bed for the night. Sharing a room with Picasso might not have been high on her to-do list, she took the offer with grace.

Finally, the next morning, Johnny came back. He looked haggard, and was very hungry.

After supplying Johnny with some food, we had a family conference at the table.

"Johnny, what the hell is going on?" Well, I do like to get to the point.

"Alaina is what's going on. She's managed to get a court order to keep me away from Catherine. I spent the night in the holding cell for not being cooperative enough for the local law."

"What? How? What grounds could she possibly have to prevent you from being with Catherine." I was just gushing with questions.

"The cops were more than a little vague on the story, but it seems that she's using Shannon as the reason. I'm not a suitable parent because I have a lover."

"I wouldn't mind making the arrangement more permanent" Shannon said softly.

Johnny beamed for just a moment. Shannon really is special to him.

"Johnny, we are talking about Alaina? How could she use that as a reason to say you are a bad parent? Didn't she want a divorce so she could have more variety in her men?"

"Picasso, were you serious about spying on your Aunt Alaina for me?"

"Sure thing, Uncle John". My son grinned at my brother.

Johnny pulled one of the old cameras out of his pocket. He tossed it at Picasso. "If you see Alaina hanging out with any guys, take a picture. The camera has enough of a zoom that you shouldn't need to be too close. We just need to see who the heck she's talking to." Johnny paused for a second. "Don't take stupid risks. You shouldn't get hurt doing this. I know of three people who won't forgive me if that happens and one of those is me."

Catherine suddenly left the table. She was nearly in tears. "But Daddy, you can't spy on Mom."

Johnny was right there. "Honey, do you want to be able to visit me? Or live with me?"

Catherine slowly nodded.

"Well, your mom is trying to make it so you won't be allowed to be anywhere near me. I won't be allowed to visit, you won't have a choice of who you want to live with. None of that."

"Really?"

"Really sweetheart. If you'd rather live with your mom than me, that's ok. Truly. But I do want to stay in your life. And your mom is trying her best to prevent that. If she moves back to Sunset Valley with you, well, it's the same thing. I don't have the money to travel there regularly, and while we can phone and email, it's not going to be the same."

"But mom said the family would move back?"

"By family, she meant you and her. Your mother and I are divorced, Cathy. She doesn't consider me in her family now."

Catherine slowly nodded. I think the full implications will take some time to sink in but she's listening to Johnny.

"Hey, kid, I love you. You do know that, don't you?"

"I love you too, Daddy."

I think I'll make more time to spend with my family. They are the most important people in my life, after all.

If this were only cleared away," They said, "it would be grand!"

2011-01-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

My sister was wondering about that phone call I got just before I left.

"Hello, is this John Edward Grant?" It was a woman's voice, but not one I recognise at all.

"Yes, this is he."

"You have an ex-wife, Alaina?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"Just a friend, Mr Grant. A friend with a few words of advice."

"How can I trust 'Just a friend'?"

"Mr Grant, the police are looking for you. You and your girl, Catherine."

"What?!"

"Your ex managed to get a restraining order against you, Mr Grant. The police are on the way to enforce it."

"How can I believe you?"

"Just go home, you'll find out soon enough if I'm right."

"Ok, what about the restraining order?"

"Let's just say it's best if your daughter isn't found near you, Mr Grant."

They hung up and I headed home by myself. If my 'friend' is right, I don't want Catherine there. And I think Shannon should stay well clear if she can.

My informant friend was right. Within minutes of me getting home, the police arrived.

"Mr John Edward Grant?"

"Yes?" Might as well admit that.

"Where is your daughter, Mr Grant?"

"She went to school yesterday as usual. She didn't return home after school. I rang her school friends but none of them knew where she was. I assumed that she went home with her mother. Her mother and I aren't exactly on speaking terms."

"Alaina has filed a complaint that you kidnapped the child."

"Feel free to search the place. She's not here officer."

So I was asked to accompany the officer to the police station to answer further questions. She was being fairly civilised about the whole thing; no cuffs, no pushing me into the car. However, it obviously wasn't just a casual request. So I got in the car.

I didn't even realise that the police station had a holding cell at the back.

Not only do they have a holding cell, it's going to be my home for the next day. I refused to say anything more, and they have refused to tell me any of the specifics about this restraining order.

The cops are gone, I can indulge in a small panic.

Urgh, no no no! This can't be happening. No!

Ok, I'm better now.

They offered me a phone call but I refused. There is no point in ringing Brooke, she's promised to look after Catherine and I don't want to remind anyone that I have a sister in town. There's no point in ringing a lawyer, I haven't broken any laws. I don't know who rang to warn me, so I can't thank them. And I can't think of anyone else that would be useful to call.

Home, sweet home. Not!

I may as well make myself as comfortable as I can.

What did they use to fill this mattress? Gravel?

They took my cell phone away but they did leave me a few books to read. Since I have nothing better to do, I'll study a few recipe books I have been meaning to learn.

I do hope things are going well at Brooke's place.

They wept like anything to see Such quantities of sand

2010-12-30T22:56:00.000-08:00

Johnny came over in a bit of a state. He's still worried about Alaina and what she might be planning to do about Catherine. He brought Catherine and his new girl Shannon along.

Of course, my little brother always has been a worry wart. I'm sure it can be solved with some adult discussions.

Yes, typical Johnny. First he had me promise to keep one eye on Catherine. Keep her safe for him. Then he launched into his conspiracy theory.

Except this one sounds different. No green aliens that kidnap men to make them pregnant. Nothing about the hidden places you can find Big Foot. Nothing about spiked juice or stuff that makes you crazy.

Instead it was a perfectly normal type of story. An impending custody battle with Alaina trying to take sole custody of Catherine. Sole custody? No wonder that Johnny has gone a bit mental.

Before he could explain any more details, his phone rang.

Whatever it was, it took a long time for him to finish that phone conversation.

Our girls took the time to get to know each other a bit. They are so close in age, it will be good for them if they get to be friends. They may have been born in the same house but they haven't really had much of a chance to hang out until recently.

Picasso had been upstairs giving little Leo a bottle. I got him caught up with the basics of what was happening with his uncle. Pretty much told him what Johnny told me. Which might have been a bit of a mistake.

He offered to help by spying on Alaina. What made that leap into his mind?

Apparently she has a reputation known to the high school boys. She thinks she can gain sole custody if she's that well known in town?

My son has a good heart but no brain. I pointed out that his hair would be a real hindrance to any spy activities. It's so bright it can be seen at night and the only people in town with that shade of red all live in this house.

He went off for a few minutes and came back.

Not bad, the bandanna keeps the hair from showing. The clothes are pretty typical teen, nothing that would catch the eye.

Still, there's no need for Picasso to spy on Alaina. I'm sure Johnny is just twisting himself into a knot for no reason.

When Johnny finally got off the phone, he had a serious chat with Catherine.

Gave his daughter a big hug.

Then walked out the door without a word to the rest of us.

Why? Where on earth is Johnny going?

Poor Catherine. She's caught in the middle. I've promised to keep an eye on her and I'll keep that promise until Johnny gets back.

Though he left a few hours ago now and we've no idea when he might be back.

I'll talk to Catherine. See what she makes of it all. What did Johnny tell her and what does her mom want?

The Walrus and the Carpenter Were walking close at hand

2010-12-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

No, it's bedtime and I still don't know where my precious little Pumpkin is.

I rang Brooke but she didn't know.

I rang the school but they said she left with the other kids.

Don't panic, don't panic.

That really only left me with one possibility. Catherine is at her mother's place.

I worried the entire drive over. What was I going to say to Alaina?

I said nothing at all to Alaina. She had left Catherine at home by herself.

Perfect.

Catherine told me that her mom picked her up outside of school. That her mom is thinking about moving the family back to Sunset Valley.

I told Catherine that the family would be her and her mom. She was trying to keep me from being near my daughter.

For tonight, I just took Catherine home and put her to bed. I don't know when Alaina might be back. It's obvious that I'm going to have to watch it or Alaina is going to disappear with Catherine.

What a night, first Alaina takes Catherine away and now this. The stove? He stole the stove?

What is it with burglars and stoves? I think one stole Dad's a long time ago.

And our tv? Hey, don't take the tv!

The cops got here in time and handed him his butt on a platter. Thank goodness for that.

Before she left, she told me I had a nice place and I shared one of my favorite recipes.

Nothing beats using a chainsaw to ease tension and after tonight, I am very tense.

I did finish the statue of Shannon. It went well, I had to sell it while I could. It was worth a pretty penny while it lasted but my ice sculptures don't last forever.

Catherine needed homework help. Her mom did all the fun stuff with her yesterday. Typical really, Alaina isn't into hard work.

All work and no play would make Shannon and Johnny dull. Fortunately touring the courthouse leads you past several empty chambers. That was the best tour ever.

I wanted to meet up with Brooke in the park. We had to talk about the situation with Alaina.

We had a long chat about Alaina, and a nice jam session as well.

I realized that this dude has a couple of sons about Catherine's age. I decided to have a chat, get to know some of the other parents in town. His name is Thomas, his wife is Zayne.

He and I were having a nice chat, up to the point where he mentioned Alaina. This is such a tiny place that everyone here knows everything and he knows that she entertains every important male in town. You could have knocked me down with a feather when he said he provided a similar service for the ladies. Except he didn't chase them over town, they all found him.

Speaking of the Leman family, Catherine brought one of the boys. I think she told me his name is Clayton.

I know that Alaina's going to find a way to twist this into something sinister but I've asked Shannon to move in. She helps me keep an even keel in life.

No birds were flying overhead-- There were no birds to fly.

2010-12-05T03:50:00.000-08:00

Our little Lizzie is starting to make friends in town. Her new acquaintance is the son of Thomas and Zayne Leman. I'm looking forward to her bringing home some friends.

Barnacle Bay isn't that big but it's still taking time for the family to feel at home. Picasso in particular had to start all over again getting to know people at school. Elizabeth at least never went to school back in Sunset Valley.

Picasso volunteered to cook dinner for the night. Cooking is a good skill for everyone to know, I'm glad he's taking an interest. Our son is a good bo ... young man.

I almost called him a boy, that's not true any more. He is a teen and will be wanting to stretch his wings all too soon.

Two of my favourite red heads. Hans is a great dad, he loves watching over the baby. Our kids all adore them so.

As for me, I'm still practicing my art. Painting is a good skill.

My dad Sam always put a great emphasis on art to make our living. We've done well by it, we may not be rich but that's fine. We do what we love, not what we must.

Lizzie is a good girl. She came home and started doing her homework first thing.

Picasso was very frustrated by his lack of cooking skills. He burnt Mac and Cheese. Poor kid, no one burns the Mac and Cheese. No wonder he was so frustrated.

Ok, not the best of dinners but it's cooked and the family is ready for dinner. No one complained, at least not in front of Picasso.

Hey Johnny, it's late. What's up?

No I haven't seen Catherine today. I could ask Lizzie but I don't think she's been here.

Is everything ok?

------------

Brooke and family jam together - 1

Brooke still jamming.