Hello! Welcome back to Auspicious It Ain’t, the pass/fail challenge that I am currently passing. In our unusually plotty previous installment, Beaudelaire had become betrothed (provisionally, of course) to the granddaughter of the owner of the Tacky Flamingo, the local bowling alley and hot tub spot. Shortly thereafter, Beaudelaire joined Genevive in Teenhood, bringing us one step closer to the end of the challenge.

Also, I figured out a new method of taking pictures, but am still new at it, so you may occasionally see someone’s queue in the corner of the shot. I do apologize for this, and I have tried to keep it to a minimum. Which should be all you need to be able to follow along, so let’s see what happened this rotation.

The newly Teenified siblings are still getting along quite nicely, and they are both pretty much the spitting image of their father.* Beaudelaire has Ygraine’s skintone and possibly her chin, but that’s about all.

*Milton Rossi from The Jack Point Home for Pedestrian Playables, if you’re interested in comparing them.

Ygraine continues gardening, even in the snow. The plants are pretty unhappy, even with regular watering, which perks them up a bit. (I think the relative warmth of the water thaws them out a little.) Of course, once that boost wears off, they’re still unhappy, plus they’re often overwatered, and they’re more likely to be a bug magnet, but such is life.

While at home awaiting the arrival of the car pool, Ygraine witnessed the unusual conjunction of all three special animal walkbys.

This does not look as though it will end well.

…As indeed it did not. At least Ygraine wasn’t hit.

Now that the kids are older, there’s no need to be concerned about the Social Worker coming if Ygraine goes to work.

YGRAINE: Ey shrouda, kiddo. Don’t forget to do your homework.

BEAUDELAIRE: Sure, Mom. Have a good night at work. Got your rubber gloves?

YGRAINE: Don’t have to. The restaurant provides them. And the hairnet.

BEAUDELAIRE: Swanky!

Beaudelaire is a pretty responsible kid, and he helps out around the house after he’s done with his homework.

You have no idea how glad I am that the kids can earn more than one skill point!

I have not yet found Beaudelaire an after-school job, so he works on Fun Meter Repair, homework, and skills after school. I’m not sure who he picked up tai chi from, but I’m pleased as Punch that he did.

He’s no slouch academically, either. (Never mind that he hasn’t really got crowds of “doting relatives” -- the rules say that if the family gets this pop-up, they can keep the money.) Since Beaudelaire was the one to earn the money, I thought it was only fair to buy what he wanted with it.

He wanted an armchair, so there it is!

Before you think I’m talking up Beaudelaire at Genevive’s expense, I’d just like to point out that Genevive is also pretty successful. As you can see here, she’s now an Overachiever, which makes two scholarships down, and quite a few to go. (If either of the kids wants to go to college, they have to earn $2,500 in scholarships.)

Genevive earned a tidy little bonus when she became an Overachiever, and I decided to use it to buy the family a chess table and chair. Genevive and Beaudelaire will be able to use it freely, and even build up their relationship (when they can afford another chair), but I will have to watch Ygraine like a hawk to make sure that she doesn’t spend too much time on it and gain a forbidden skill point.

I mean, I already had to turn the sewing machine around so she can’t use it.

Yeesh, I am never going to manage to save up three thousand simoleons to be able to get rid of this thing…

Especially not if I keep on starting stupid projects like this. The family never used the back door, and there are always traffic jams in the bathroom in the morning, so this will be a second bathroom.

Someday.

Probably after Genevive earns all her scholarships and moves to college, when there won’t be as much of a problem, but hey.

And unfortunately, despite Beaudelaire’s shiny new Bronze Gardening Badge (and Ygraine’s tarnished older one), the tomatoes didn’t make it. I suppose it’s impressive enough that they managed to get the plants to full height in the middle of winter.

But with two incomes now, they can eat. And with Beaudelaire soon to be adding a third income, things are only looking better and better for this family.

Famous last words, right?

At any rate, I am still passing this challenge. Until next time, Happy Simming!