By George, I think we've got it!!!

WOO HOO! Between the two of us (my Honey Bunny and I), I think we've got Pic's puter/game prob figured out. My Honey Bunny worked for quite awhile trying to get rid of a lot of unnecessary backround stuff. I think he got rid of a virus program in Pic's puter (which she doesn't need, not having internet at this time). When we reinstalled Sims Deluxe, it crashed immediately to desktop during start up still.

I was so bummed. I did some research last night and saw that Sims Deluxe had a few unique crashing issues. It appeared my friend did most all he could. Then, I noticed a patch for Sims Deluxe on the EA/Maxis website. Pic doesn't have the capacity to get it, however, I saw if she had Unleashed or EPS that were subsequent to Unleashed, they took care of the Deluxe (skin, etc) issues. So, I thought, "What the hell?" What have we got to lose? I installed Unleashed in her puter.

Sure enough, it started up and stayed up. I even created a family, built a house, and decorated it. The game still didn't crash. I noticed the previous skins, roofs, walls and floors I gave to her (through a cd) were still there, just not the object downloads. So, I downloaded them (after quitting the game), cranked it up again, and voila! It still played!!!

I think she may be okay now, but I am not sure. I just hope nothing goes wrong. I am going to crank it back up, after I find a few more fashions and heads for her. She has very little to choose from, esp. the male and children categories. I'm gonna do that after this post, even though I should be vacuuming and shining. lol

I am pretty proud of myself for figuring it out. Between Honey Bunny and I, we got her Piccola's game up and runnin' again, after all this time. Yee ha!

Now my baby and I can sit side by side and play together, whenever she is not going to school or working one of her three (pt) jobs!!!

My Honey Bunny and I...

...are supposed to get together for Tuscan Spinach Dip and Pot Stickers tonight. Maybe we'll kick back a few Cosmopolitans, too (I could use a couple, lol).

Anyway, this might be the night he "tweaks" Piccola's laptop, so we can get it running efficiently enough to allow her to play her Sims. We shall see. I hope, I hope.



I moved the Macaronis out of their home in hopes that a bigger, brighter, better home might make them more enjoyable to play. I am in the process of redecorating it, but can't get motivated.
I promised my Beauty I would send her photos of her and her husband in my game (The Gemellis) thru email. I am going to do that for her today, if possible.

Not much on the Sims Front here. I downloaded some perfumes (for my DT and OT shops) from Around the Sims, one of my fave download sites. The choices, when my Sim clicks on a perfume to buy are "necklace and diamond ring". I emailed Sandy at ATS about it and am hoping she can get back with me about what the prob might be.

The Most Awesome Hack EVER!!!

Earlier this month, I posted about the Supersculpture. I did not realize something about the hack, so I could benefit from all it had to offer. I emailed Hedda, who is so great about wanting to help her fans (thank you, again, Hedda). She asked whether I was using the "tab" key for more (all of the) Supersculpture options. I didn't know to use the "tab" key. Upon clicking on it, a plethora of wonderful choices came up. This one little golden sculpture does it all, folks! I am not kidding!

With this incredible hack, your Sim can make an instant friend (anyone in the neighborhood, any Townie, and even the strays in the neighborhood). You can also opt to fall in love instantly with a neighbor or Townie as well. In addition to this (which makes it an awesome hack alone, as making and keeping friends can be exhausting at times), it also will: give your Sim money, give him a promotion, refresh him, maximize his skills, interests, and personality, etc. UNBELIEVABLE! What other hack could you ever need, but Hedda's Supersculpture!

Kudos again to you, Miss Hedda. May I just say your wanting to help me figure out what the problem was (didn't know about the "tab" key for more options), makes me want to tell as many folks as I can reach about the good things you are doing over at Some Sim Things even more.

Keep up the great work, Hedda. I love your site.

Weekend Update

I spent a lot of time last night with Piccola and her laptop. She has Sims Deluxe, plus most of the expansion packs (HD, UL, SS - none are currently installed...yet). The game kept crashing everytime we tried to play it. We even un-installed and re-installed Sims Deluxe, but to no avail. I went to her system requirements/information for the game and it says she needs a minimum of 233 MHz but has only 129MHz. It also says she needs a minimum of 1400 MB of drive space, but has only 1398 MB. That could definitely be the problem. Since I don't know how to GET more of those things, if possible, I emailed my dear friend (and puter guru) Gummy Bear (aka Honey Bunny to me). I am hoping he will get back with me today.

We were wanting to sit side-by-side (you know, kind of a "Mamala-Piccola Thang") and play the Sims on our laptops for most of the night. Instead, we worked dilligently to try to figure out what the hell the scoop was with her game/puter. It was time spent together, though I know she was bummed and frustrated. We were really looking forward to our "Sims Date".

I DID get to copy some of my wallpaper, floors, downloads and skins on some cds for her. I put them in the proper Maxi files in her puter.
I also gave her File Cop, which she should have. She hasn't got internet at her apt., so I shared some of my files with her (since she can't download from Sims sites herself).
She seemed so excited to play with all her cool, new stuff. Some of the walls/floors/skins that come with Sims are not very appealing.
There are some brilliant folks out there who make gorgeous skins/faces and other objects. I've even learned to create decent art work, walls and floors myself! (Thinking of doing roofs next...Should be a piece of cake.)

I hope to hear from my Honey Bunny today. I would like to surprise Piccola and have it up and running for her. It'd be so much fun to "play together". When she was a Freshman in H.S. (I believe), we used to play for hours. I could just sit there and crochet, while she would play her families. It was like watching tv. lol
She has designed some great homes. I have had her build a home or two for me (eg Vermicelli's residence). Maybe she should have been an architect...

I need to post about Hedda's awesome Supersculpture hack again (later). I missed the boat on some of the incredible things that one little gold statue does. I didn't know about a feature on it, emailed Hedda, she was great and helped me, and now I know ALL the things that hack can do. IT IS THE BEST!!!

Introducing the Macaronis

This is Snacky (a Virgo) and his Mrs (a Cancer). They represent my husband and I in the game. If you look closely enough, you can see that Mr. Macaroni resembles Paul Newman quite a bit. He has a gorgeous face, graying hair, and very bright blue eyes. In the 2nd pic, the Macaronis are snuggling in front of their tv. It's movie night, and they've rented all of the Harry Potter dvds and are having a Potter Marathon. In the other photo, Snacky is sneaking up on his bride. He knows how squeamish and easily frightened she is, and seems to get a kick ot of scaring the be-jesus out of her.

I am a Cult Leader (paranormal career) and Snacky is a Business Tycoon. I haven't played many Sims in the paranormal field, so I thought I'd give it a try. I loved being an X-File Agent, like Muldaur and Scully for awhile, but before I knew it I was making the big bucks as a Cult Leader.
I don't play these two as much as I probably should, and I don't know why. Maybe I need to redecorate their house or build them a different one. Don't know if that's what it is...
Recently, I created and moved my Beauty and her husband, who I named "The Gemellis" into the neighborhood. I love the house I built and decorated for them. They have a cat named "Beebo". I haven't decided whether Snacky and I will get a dog or not. He is really a dog person, and I can go either way. I DO love Pita Louise, my youngest daughter's dog, but I should probably create my Baby and her beau, and let them have Pita as their own. lol
Anyway, the Macaronis haven't been in the neighborhood long, so they're still new to me. I want to work on having them meet, then bond with my beauty and her husband (The Gemellis).
That's next on my list of things to do for them.

Look what someone made for me!

Isn't it great? I must say, Emer of Emer's Realm (dollz, blinkies and the likes) did a far better job creating my blinkie than some of the ones I have seen out there. This one is awesome!

She added it to her blinkie's page, so I know other Sims addicts will be using it as well. Good job, Emer. Thank you, mucho.

Frankie Rigatoni's Place

Frankie's property has its own lake (appropriately named Lake Rigatoni---Click on the picture to see an enlarged version). I like the bay window in front. Inside, it shows up as a pretty little window seat I can put flower arrangements on. I also like the large stone exterior of his little place. It's about 1250 sq ft, but perfect for Frankie and his wonder dog Sonny.
Notice the hammock in the far left of the photo. I downloaded it from a cool site. Sims can actually sit and nap on it.
I don't know what will become of Frankie and if he'll ever get married. He has such a great career, a fabulous companion in Sonny, and a beautiful place. He is in love with three gorgeous gals and seems perfectly happy the way he is. Don't know what the future holds for this fella. I am definitely gonna let this one's life take its own path. Frankie and Sonny will continue to live on happily, I'm sure.

Meet Frankie Rigatoni and his wonder dog Sonny.

These two are absolute gems. Frankie is Vinnie's younger brother. (Vinnie and Sophie Rigatoni were the first family I ever created six years ago, when The Sims first came out. I've re-created them through the years, each time I must re-install the game into another puter.) Sonny is a four time blue ribbon winner. I'm not sure what kind of breed Sonny is supposed to be. He sort of looks like a young Great Dane, doesn't he?
Anyway, these two were fast friends from the start. Frankie is a Veterinarian. Sonny does every trick a dog in Unleashed can do. They are very close (always at a 100 score).
Frankie, a Cancer, has about three love interests in the neighborhood: Katrina Denali, Lola Linguine, and Zoie Fusilli. Katrina is a Broadway Star. They have been friends for awhile and he loves her mucho. Lola is in the top of her game in the fashion industry and Zoie (who I have posted about previously) is an International Spy. Something inside of me tells me he will end up with Katrina, but I don't know. I feel as though Zoie and Mario Mostiaccioli (Chief of Police) were meant to be. However, I have been wrong before! lol
I recently renovated Frankie's home. It turned out pretty nicely. I'll post that photo next.

Another Awesome Hack!

This one is another incredible hack. You can now max out ALL your Sims interests, by downloading one (or all) of C & C Enterprises magazine racks. It is the greatest thing since a big slice of cheesy, saucy pizza! Any Sim can pick up a magazine and increase all of his interests, without losing any! That was the thing I hated most about going downtown to buy a magazine to increase a Sim's interest: The Sim would lose interest points in another (random) subject.

You can find this hack at: http://www.c-and-c-enterprises.com/
Go to downloads, regular simmie's, and scroll down to 6-Sep-03, C&C MAGAZINE RACKS & SHELVES. You will have several styles to choose from.
It's no problem anymore for my Sims to have instant things in common to chat about with all their other Sim neighbors, cause they are all interested in everything! They also get these increased interest points very quickly and have lots of fun doing so.
I put the magazine racks downtown, so even the Townies, as well as my neighborhood Sims can have fun and become well-versed in any and every subject.

The bright folks at C & C Enterprises have a BUNCH of GREAT hacks. That is just one of them. More to come, soon...

I may be wrong about Gabriella Rotini.

About a week ago, I posted about the beautiful Rotini Twins, Gabriella and Isabella. I mentioned (to the best of my knowledge) that I thought the twins were probably straight. Well, to my surprise, while playing another Sim (visiting downtown), I saw Gabriella grabbing a fellow female Sim and planting a big, wet, passionate (then a firey) kiss on her! I am trying to remember WHICH Sim Gabriella was kissing now...dang it...
Anyway, see what I mean? I never know which way it will go for my Sims. Sometimes I get a feeling about them, and sometimes things seem to happen naturally, taking their own path. When I find out who the lucky Sim (Gabriella is enamoured with is),I will post about it. Hopefully, the Sim she was smooching in broad daylight at the Lattice Cafe was not a married woman...oy vey! Things could get quite complicated then.
I knew when I created the Rotini Twins, they'd keep things interesting! lol

Happy Simming, Fellow Simmers. I am about to play my game for the evening. (My husband is in Alabama-Tennessee for the next few days, so I have a date with my Sims.)

Meet Zoie Fusilli

I think I have my "game crashing issue" solved, before I introduce Zoie, btw. Thank God in heaven! I DO so enjoy my Sims!

This is the lovely (and single) Miss Zoie Fusilli. I think a couple of the men in the neighborhood are enamoured with her (Mario Mostaccioli, Chief of Police, being one of them. You will meet him and his twin sister at a later time). I created Zoie during a time when some of the keys were stuck on my keyboard. Pita Louise bounced up on me when she was just a wee pup, my coffee went into the keyboard, and even though I followed my puter geek bud's instructions, it was still all messed up. So, I could not give Zoie a history. Too many of the necessary keys to type her story were not usable. I could barely spell "Zoie Fusilli"
to name her, as those keys were miraculously not stuck. lol

Anyway, Zoie is an International Spy. She is very athletic, has lots of friends, drives a Bentley, and has a pet dragon, named Merlin. I like playing her and Merlin. They're easy. She has a little house (could afford much more, being an International Spy and all, of course), with a pretty pond in her yard. (See pic above.)

It hasn't hit me yet who Zoie might fall in love with, if anyone, or even if she is straight, bi or gay. As I have said before sometimes it just hits me who one of my Sims is supposed to be with.
For example, Johnny Farfalle unexpectedly fell for the lovely Miss Sadie Townie, a vivacious, voluptuous, outgoing talk show host. Before I knew it, they were grabbing eachother for firey and passionate kisses. The first time he asked her to marry him, she was thrilled, and so they were wed. More on them later...
But the reason I mentioned them is, while playing Johnny, it just hit me that he and Sadie belonged together. Nothing has come to me, concerning Zoie, which means it is meant to be that she stay single for awhile longer, if not always. The same applies for several other Sims I have been playing for some time now.

Merlin is a brilliant dragon. He is maxed out on all possible (cat) skills, is completely trained, and a blue ribbon winner (his first time to show if I might add).. He boxes, plays the piano (see pic above), dances, etc. He's fun to look at and watch. She kept him a secret for awhile, Merlin being a dragon and all, but soon, the neighborhood caught sight of him, and the "cat was out of the bag" so to speak. He's been well-accepted, and a true celebrity in his own right.
Zoie is a Sagittarius. That's not one of my fave signs, but I wanted to created someone with the personality points a Sagittarius has, and thus, Zoie was born.

What will the future hold for this mysterious, beautiful International Spy? Stay tuned to Sugah Sim's World to find out...

From Sugah Sim's Interiors

This wallpaper is called "Mod Pink".
This wallpaper is called "Pants on Fire".
This wallpaper is called "Down by the Sea".

I usually like colorful, bright wallpaper in my Sims homes. I have noticed I don't play Sims families very often, whose homes aren't light and bright. These three wallpapers were so easily and quickly done. Fun to do, too.
If you like them, and you have the HomeCrafter tool, simply: "right click, save as" to your own puter. When you open HomeCrafter up, choose the Sugah Sim's wallpaper you want in your game, test it on the walls in HomeCrafter, name and price it, then import it into your game.

**FYI: The game shouldn't be running when you download any new item into your game.
**Also, I had to change the .bmps I originally made to .jpgs in order to put the wallpaper online for you. The color bit has to be 256 color bmp to be compatible with the game.When I had to change the wallpaper to jpgs to put them online, that changed the color bits as well. I would run your File Cop tool, to be sure the paper will not cause your game to crash.If it does, just remove my wallpaper from your game. I will figure out how to correct this complication for you asap...I promise!
I had best play try my Sims game out again this mornig to see if it's still working nicely for me...

I think I MAY have my game fixed.

I hate to even get too hopeful about it. Just when I think I may have the crashing prob worked out, it would be just my luck if it were only a fluke last night that my game didn't crash.
I deleted some files I had downloaded on 3/9. I also got rid of something that didn't look like it belonged in my skins file, plus I removed three floors I made that were probably not the right bit size to put in the game. Don't know why the File Cop didn't pick up on any of those, but I imagine that tool isn't infallible. It misses stuff, I'm sure.

Did I mention yet that I created some new wallpaper this week using PSP and a great tutorial I found online (awhile ago)? I may post those next, but I DID get to play my game last night for an hour or so and it never crashed. I am hoping the prob is a thing of the past. Please, please, please!!!

My game has been crashing!

Oy vey. Talk about a BUMMER! I finally get my cd situation fixed, and now my game is crashing. I am wondering if I didn't download a corrupt file a few nights ago. So, I took out all the files in the downloads file (that I downloaded on the 9th), got rid of a couple of floors I created (in case the color bit wasn't right), and MAY have to get rid of a dozen skins or so. Funny thing is, the File Cop doesn't find any problems when I run it. I ran a check with the File Cop twice already.

I pray I can get it worked out. Don't know what else it could be. I will keep trying, til I figure it out. Can't live without my Sims. It's a great way to escape for a few hours a day.

Hope you have a great weekend, Fellow Simmers. Happy Simming! Wish me luck!

More on the Rotinis

It's impossible to get the Twins entire estate (surrounded by a private mote, complete with oriental bridges, weeping willows and palms, 2 little ponds, and fronted by beautiful arches and landscaping) within the camera's view. The house is done in very bold, modern colors and is over 6000 square feet. Click on the picture to get a bigger, better view.

So far, I haven't really found male companions for them that I feel good about. The girls are so alive (much joie de vivre) and independent. I don't think I've created a Sim male suitable for them yet, even with all the new Townies I've created. I'm assuming they are straight. Sometimes I will play a Sim for a long time and will just get a feeling they are gay, so I begin playing them that way. I don't think that is the case with the Lovely Rotini Twins, but you never know!

Oh, have I got another great hack recommendation for you fellow Simmers. This one is another MUST have...

The Rotini Twins: Gabriella and Isabella

Meet the lovely Rotini Twins. These are probably my most glamourous Sims, as they are always dressed as though they are models in a fashion show (probably were at one time back in Italy).
They were born under the sign of Aquarius, and are friendly, talented, brilliant, kind and lots of fun. They also have a lot of interests and have had several careers between them. When a Sim reaches the top of his/her career, he/she inevitably comes home one day with a different job (not by choice, mind you). I've never liked that feature of the game, as when my Sims work hard to be Chief of Staff at the local hospital, Candy Magnates, Astronauts, Mad Scientists, etc. etc., I'd like them to STAY in that position. However, the game is not set up that way.
For example, when the twins were at the top of their career (culinary geniuses schooled in Milan), Isabella was switched to a career in science, then on to being a criminal mastermind. NOT exactly what I had in mind for the lovely Miss Rotini, needless to say!
I can always have her fired from a job I don't want her in and re-hired in the one I've chosen for her, of course. Both twins inevitably will end up in Fashion, as that is what they were created for.
These two are really quite lovely and fun to play, and their home is stunning, if I do say so myself. More pics to come...

Sims Tools I heartily recommend.

I am not even remotely talented enough to create beautiful heads/faces, skins, or objects using the programs available out there.
However, there are a couple of neat tools you can download from the actual Sims/Maxis website. The ones I use most are: The Sims Make-a-Date tool, The Sims File Cop, Art Studio, and Home Crafter.
Here is a brief explanation of each:

The Sims Make-A-Date

The Sims (Hot Date) Make-A-Date tool is for Hot Date owners that wish to add some new townies to their downtown area. The thing I like about this tool is, I have downloaded many different skins and heads and can create my own unique town's folk, as opposed to some of the goofy characters the original game has roaming downtown. I've even got Elizabeth Taylor Townie roaming around. She's just as glamourous in the game as she is in real life. It's a very easy tool and lots of fun, I think.

The Sims File Cop

This utility will go through your data files for The Sims and clean up any damaged or incomplete files. So after you download that new skin, just have the File Cop check things out for you! If you are worried about objects, skins, heads or anything else you may download from all the wonderful Sims sites out there, this little tool can scan through everything. I've had the game, in recent years, crash, due to bad/damaged/incomplete downloaded files. This one is a must, if you download a lot of neat, new stuff into your game, like I do.

Art Studio!

You can now create new wall paintings out of your favorite bitmaps and jpegs, then have your Sims actually buy them and hang them on their walls! I've created some really neat paintings for my Sims through the years. I find classic art work, like Monet, Matisse, Van Gogh, etc., then create paintings for my Sims with the bmps and jpgs I find. Also, if I am needing a particular theme for the walls or color, I just go find something to match it online, then create the appropriate art work. It's an easy program, too...just like the others.

HomeCrafter

Create your own Wallpaper & Floor patterns for your Sims' homes, then preview them in HomeCrafter. Once you name it, price it, and approve it on the walls in HomeCrafter, you can immediately install it into your Sims game and your new wallpaper and floor will show up in the build section. This one is priceless, as I love going to online wallpaper stores, choose patterns I like, then size them for HomeCrafter. I've made some really neat wallpaper, that I'd actually put up against any out there. I am not talented in many of the programs, but some of my wall and floor stuff has turned out pretty cool, if I do say so myself! (*I will post a few of my Sims' homes interiors, to share some of the wall and floors I have created one day soon.)

You will find all of the above tools @: http://thesims.ea.com/us/getcool/makecool.html. Have Fun!

This Hack ROCKS!

I don't know of a hack I am more grateful for than The Supersculpture. The version I downloaded (and I am going to re-download, as I believe it's been updated), allows your Sim to make a friend or fall in love instantly! No more driving yourself crazy trying to improve skills, go to work and up the career ladder, maintain a happy, well-balanced lifestyle, AND make enough freakin' friends to get promotions all the time!
The hardest thing for me is making and keeping friends, since it takes such an effort to have SO MANY all the time, esp. for certain careers (politics, showbiz, etc). Never again do you have to worry about that!
Have your Sim stand in front of The Supersculpture, click on the Sim he/she wants to befriend or fall in love with, and VOILA! The Sim is instantly at 100pts with the Sim of choice! This one is too good to be true, and there are MANY others on this Sims hacked items site.
I recommend visiting this place forThe Supersculpture ALONE: http://www.somesimthings.com/

Hedda, YOU ARE AWESOME! Big thanks of appreciation to you!