Saturday 4 June 2011

Sweet metallic

Round 31: October 2033 (Spring)
last update/next update

Augustin and Hanna Novak are both 78, Naomi is 58 and Owen is 56.
(Kimberly is 62, Matilda is 27, Adrienne is 26, Malcolm is 23 and Hope is 22)

Narrated by Naomi Novak

I'll be turning 60 in a little over a year and I'm surprised by how disturbed I am by it. Every time I pass a mirror, I have to pause and see if any new wrinkles have appeared in the last ten minutes.


It wasn't really something I worried much about before now. 60 just feels like quite a milestone, I suppose.

Owen thinks I'm being crazy and that I will be just as beautiful post-60 as I am now.

He's my husband though and he has to say things like that. I'm going to try to stay positive about it though.

After all, Kimberly is four years older than me and she insists it's really not all that bad.

She loves being a grandma and she talks about Thomas and Ryan and the one arriving in February all the time. On top of that, she's still running my old salon and still enjoying it.

I'm so glad Kimberly bought the salon. I still have a soft spot for it and I want to see it in good hands.

Vestiti is my true passion now though and I work very hard to keep my boutique successful.

I have staff but no one who comes in every day. I prefer to do the majority of the work myself.

I'll hand over the reins to Adrienne one day but for now, I hope I can continue on in an active role for a long time yet.

Mum used to come in and work with me at the store when she first retired but she and Dad are totally immersed in caring for their plants now.

I wonder if I'll suddenly be into gardening when I get old. My parents never were when I was younger but it's all they talk about now.

For the last two years, they've been preparing the backyard so they can join the garden club, whatever that is.

Last weekend, they had inspectors roaming all around the garden, to see if it was up to scratch.

It was, and they were accepted.

I finally asked Dad what was supposed to be so exciting about it and he told me they now get a discount on seeds. Two years of work hardly seems worth it to save a few dollars.

Mum and Dad are proud of themselves though, so I guess it doesn't matter much. The backyard looks a lot better than it used to, so that's beneficial for all of us.

I've done a little renovating indoors myself recently, mainly out of necessity. I really prefer to do my sewing at night and I sometimes stay up very late if I'm trying to finish a project.

The whirring of the sewing machine never fails to wake Owen up though and he begged me to find another place for it.

So I converted Malcolm's bedroom to a sewing room for myself. It really is nice to have a space at home that's just for me.

Malcolm wasn't nearly as impressed with what I did to his old room as I was though. He's just being silly. I was hardly going to keep his room in tact as some sort of shrine to him! He's a grown man and he's certainly not going to be moving back in with us any time soon.

Malcolm is back together with Hope, which I'm so happy about. I think they're good for each other and I was so surprised when they broke up. I'm hoping they can stay together this time around.

He and Adrienne are sharing a house right now, which must be interesting based on how much they bicker when they're visiting here. I'm just glad I don't have to adjudicate their arguments any more.

Even so, he seems happy with his lot in life at the moment. He's independent, he's got Hope and he's doing well in med school.

Adrienne, on the other hand, is a little dissatisfied with work lately. She was offered a job as a buyer, for much more money than she was making as a team supervisor but she's really missing actually designing.

I keep telling her, she's a great designer and she could easily get back into if she wanted to.

She's really reluctant to take a pay cut in order to do that though, so she's staying put and keeping her eyes peeled for something better.

At the moment, Adrienne is scratching her itch by designing the dresses for her best friend Matilda's wedding. Because I now have a whole sewing room, a lot of the work on the gowns is going on over here.

I've been helping them quite a lot, which has been fun for me. Bridal wear is not something I've done much of so it's a learning experience for all of us.

I'm not sure if Adrienne will ever get married, so in case this is the only wedding I ever get to help design for, I'm taking full advantage of it! It's a great way for me and Adrienne to bond anyway.

Notes:
  • Title is from Sweet Metallic by Gillian Grassie.
  • This feels really short, though I'm not sure that it's that much shorter than normal. Some of my screenshots didn't turn out and didn't realise it until after I quit the game. :\ That tends to happen sometimes when my computer gets hot, which it likely did because it was cold while I was playing and I had the heater on!
  • I think I am sadder about Naomi's upcoming elderhood than she is. ;) I just realised how old she was! I'm going to go "shopping" for some more trendy/fashionable elder clothes, because I can't see her going for granny cardigans and orthopaedic shoes.
  • I really need to get more Owen into the next Novak 2 update. Poor guy gets overlooked quite a lot!

23 comments:

  1. If this update was shorter, it was only by a little bit, but then again I often want the story to keep going so most of your updates seem short in that case :D

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  2. Apple Valley, aw, thank you! Yeah, it only looks a tiny bit shorter but I wasn't too sure!

    Thanks for reading!

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  3. I can understand that Malcolm isn't too happy about the new purpose of his room, but the room looks great, and it wasn't like he was planning to move back home anyway :)

    Wow Naomi almost turning 60, I couldn't believe it when you told it!! She still looks great though!

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  4. Tanja, I don't think Naomi and Owen were planning on inviting Malcolm to live back at home, even if she didn't need a sewing room. Malcolm will have to deal.

    Naomi looks amazing for 58. Seeing she's in fashion, I figure her for being more image-conscious than a lot of my other Sims the same age.

    Thanks for reading!

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  5. Tell Naomi she looks really gorgeous. I love her smile on the intro picture. I enjoy reading the "kids" stories from the parents' mouth!
    Oh and Adrienne and Amar won't live together! I thought as he was having a house, it will be to move in with Adrienne. *doh*
    I can't wait to see Matilda's wedding dress, I'm sure Adrienne will do miracles!

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  6. I can't believe Naomi will be an elder! I really like her, she's got such a great style to her wardrobe, and while Adrienne wants to design, she doesn't dress anywhere as classy and put together as Naomi does. I'll be sad when she ages up. Sucks for her too that Owen is younger, he's probably thinking, "glad it ain't me!" Cause that's what I'd be thinking!

    Malcolm and Hope are really cute together, I'm glad they are making a go of it, time for weddings and babies! ;)

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  7. Naomi, LOL, I'll tell her! Playing the "empty nest" parents like Naomi and Owen is a good opportunity for me to continue the kids' stories, without doing another update on the kids.

    Amar is living on his own right now. He and Adrienne are both planning on her spending a lot of time over there but she hasn't actually been invited to move in. ;)

    I really need to decide on Matilda's wedding stuff one of these days, lol!

    Thanks for reading!

    Maisie, I love Naomi too and she's probably going to be the Sim I'm saddest about aging to elder (especially if she doesn't live long afterwards!) I'm sure Owen is relieved it's not him but it will be him the round after next - so I guess he should enjoy it while it lasts!

    Adrienne and her mother have very different styles - I picture Naomi doing very high-end sort of stuff and Adrienne designing more casual, trendy pieces.

    Hope would agree with you about marriage and babies. Whenever Malcolm is ready, she will be. I don't think he will be ready before he finishes medical school but we'll see how his wants go when I play Hope this round.

    Thanks for reading!

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  8. Naomi is beautiful! A few wrinkles wont affect that. ;)
    Malcolm doesn't need his room anyway, so he's just going to have to get over it. I love the idea of converting the room though! It's great of them to learn from each other and also a great way to bond.

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  9. That sewing room looks amazing, who cares if Malcolm is not as impressed. Anyway it's time for him to have a life of his own with Hope. I hope they will work out this time around.

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  10. Driftwood Valley, I love Naomi so much. I was so hoping Adrienne would look like her when she was born but she's basically a clone of her dad!

    Malcolm will get over his room being converted. He has Hope back and his career and studies are going well, so he's onto bigger and better things.

    Naomi and Adrienne are much closer now that Adrienne is grown and working. I really love that about them.

    Thanks for reading!

    Speechless, LOL, well, Naomi sure doesn't care! I'm hoping Malcolm and Hope can stick together this time. The time apart may have done them good.

    Thanks for reading!

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  11. It did seem a little bit shorter, but it was just as good.:)

    I can't believe Naomi's turning sixty! She definately doesn't look it.

    Her boutique is really nice. I love how both mother and daugher are into designing. I hope Adrienne can find a better job, more suited to her desires, soon.

    Great update!:)

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  12. Naomi looks great for her age, she has nothing to worry about.

    Love her new sewing room. It looks great from what I've seen.

    Quick question: Where did you find Owen's outfit? I really like it.

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  13. coolkat2, I'm glad to hear that. :)

    Naomi will be 59 this January but at the beginning of next round, it'll be the big 6-0. I still remember when her mum got knocked up with her and James in college!

    I'm really happy with Vestiti. It seems to suit Naomi's style very well. Adrienne will get to move on from buying - she just needs a promotion or two. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    HeredonCove, I know, I'd love to look that good at 60! I'm not even sure I look that good now, lol!

    Thanks on the sewing room. I should have taken some more pics of it but I didn't think to.

    I'll check Owen's outfit next time I go in game. I actually have no idea. I've had it since the beginning of Sullivan!

    Thanks for reading!

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  14. Aging is a terrifying journey, so I really understand Naomi's fear. Looking good for yourself at any point in your life is a challenge though. Watching her parents find meaning in gardening, something they never cared about before, has to be unsettling.

    She seems to be trying to look forward and find joy in Malcolm and Hope's relationship. I really feel for her.

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  15. S.B., that is very true. I recently turned 30 which was my first "ooh, am I actually getting old now?" moment, so it's something I've been pondering lately.

    I think Naomi will be all right but at the moment, she's worried about her life changing as she gets older. She's very happy as she is and the idea that it might not always be that way is scary.

    Thanks for reading!

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  16. HeredonCove, I checked Owen's outfit for you and the tool tip says it's from Liana Sims 2! Hopefully, it's still up there, as I downloaded it so long ago. :)

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  17. Naomi looks great and I can't believe she's turning 60 in a couple of years! It makes sense that she's freaking out a bit about getting older and afraid of losing her looks.

    Malcolm cracks me up. Did he really think that his parents are going to keep his room just as it was, as a shrine to him?! LOL.

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  18. Sim elderhood always sneaks up on me. I can't believe she's becoming an elder too! Wasn't it just months ago she was in college?

    And poor Owen, lol! He's still darn cute though.

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  19. Sari, Naomi takes care of herself, so she's just hoping she can keep doing that. Not only her looks but also her vitality and interests as well.

    LOL, I don't know if Malcolm ever put too much thought into what would happen to his room but he was definitely surprised to see it changed! The thought that his parents might want the room for another purpose never occurred to him. He's being silly, of course - he won't be needing that room again.

    Thanks for reading!

    Lunar, well, Naomi never went to college but it doesn't seem like that long ago that Owen was in college! He was there at the same time as Tatiana and Jonas, and I can't believe they're in their 50s either. Crazy!

    I'll have to do an Owen-centred update next time. Poor guy, lol! He just seems to cruise along.

    Thanks for reading!

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  20. I really like Naomi, too, and I couldn't believe it when I saw she was 58! She does look great and I like how she's still so stylish. I think you did a great job with her style and Adrienne's, seeing they're both into completely different types of fashion. Good luck finding those trendy elder clothes and let us know if you stumble across some cool sites!

    Oh the sewing room looks great! I liked the comment about the shrine to him lol but I get what he's feeling. When my parents turned my old bedroom into the "entertainment room", it was kind of a wow moment. When did I become an adult??

    I'm glad to see Hope and Malcolm together and I can't wait to see more of them when you play her house next round. I hope they will last. I can't see either of them with anyone else.

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  21. Danielle, it's part of the job for Naomi, looking stylish! If I can't find any trendy elder stuff, I'll probably enable a few adult outfits for elder. I can't have Naomi looking dowdy!

    LOL, the "entertainment room"! Malcolm probably would have preferred that to the sewing room! I think part of his annoyance is that Naomi's turned his room into something so aggressively "girly"!

    Nor I! Malcolm and Hope just make sense. I hope they can stick together and not break themselves up again this time!

    Thanks for reading!

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  22. Naomi is so pretty--she'll make a beautiful elder. It's sweet that Hanna and Augustin are gardening together. I'm glad they made it into the club!

    I wonder if Malcolm and Hope will have any children together? That would give Naomi something to look forward to. Adrienne is such a wild card that I'm not sure I can see her settling down to have kids anytime soon.

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  23. Rachel, Naomi is very pretty; I'm still a bit miffed that Adrienne looks more like Owen than like her mother. Malcolm looks a lot like Naomi but it's wasted on him, lol!

    Hope already wants a baby, so she's already thinking about a family. It's possible Malcolm and Hope may become parents before Adrienne but Adrienne might have parenthood thrust upon her unexpectedly. She and Amar are both sloppy, so no BC for them! I'm actually amazed she hasn't got herself knocked up (again!) already.

    Thanks for reading!

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