The 4x4 Challenge for Sims 3

"dx1965;14320609" wrote:
With my 2nd attempt at 4by4 challenge I earned about 50k picking up sunshine.
I purchased new town so maybe I will try again over the holidays in Monte Vista

So, I've been reading up on picking sunshine and this comes from the gardening stations, right? I set one of those on the community lot that has the garden but haven't spent any time seeing what all it does since I keep being side-tracked by a lot of other things. Now I'm glad you posted because if it can produce money at that rate I'll at least avoid that aspect of it as being too cheaty. Since I now have a considerable amount of store content I'm finding a number of objects that are way over-powered. There are times when I don't mind that kind of thing but I avoid them when playing challenges.

I have to say having lived in a 400-square-foot house with two kids for four years then in 500 square feet for another couple of years unless it would only be two of us I wouldn't be too keen on doing that again. The second small dwelling was much better laid out so it was a huge improvement but it wasn't enough space. I need room for all the things, like an area to store canning supplies and the resulting jars of food, room for freezers, lots of cupboards for my pans and small kitchen appliances, someplace to keep all my crafty stuff and my books. In the years of living in those small abodes I felt like I didn't have a life. I have a lot of stuff now I need to get rid of but my kitchen by itself is almost as big as some of those mini-homes and we could easily use a kitchen twice the size of this one. Fortunately Sims don't have these real-life requirements and I've played families with multiple children in fairly small houses. Sometimes it's easier to get a good lay-out in a small house than it is in a larger one. I wouldn't want to build a lot of 4x4 or 5x5 houses for Sims I'm not playing, though, without fully play-testing the houses since they can end up with routing problems.

As it turned out yesterday I ended up spending most of the time I was playing building Yogi's add-on and it didn't at all go as I intended because she had already rolled wishes to buy certain things and since I'm trying to get enough points for a Collection Helper I couldn't disappoint her, right? I declare, I feel so lost without one of those that if I'm not playing a challenge I cheat my Sim enough points in order to buy one right off the bat. Without further adieu:

Here's the picture of the outside I forgot the last time.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea08a_zps0drsjazd.jpg

When I left Yogi she was at The Arcade and had invited Octo over (which I mentioned in the last update). I decided to see what happened when she gave him a bouquet of flowers. I guess any giving of flowers is a romantic gesture and not just red ones? That seems odd but okay.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea09_zpshrl8rama.jpg

Octo doesn't seem to mind at all and started flirting with her.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea10_zps1c98zrxb.jpg

After Yogi got home she kept wanting to go to bed (what is it with Sims in that just because it's night they think they should go to bed, never mind they aren't tired?) but judging by her energy meter I sent her to work in her garden to plant some new stuff. It's coming along nicely.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea11_zpsrtcjc3of.jpg

I went ahead and let Yogi go to bed after the gardening and the next morning while she slept this guy just showed up on her lawn and stared at her house for the longest time. I don't have a clue who/what he is, just that his name is CJ Quick and I've seen him from time to time. At least he had the sense to wear an outfit that's not an eyesore.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea12_zpswdavqhms.jpg

I saw him start to take off so I watched him and he got in this and drove off?
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea13_zpsujueh8s4.jpg

We started in on the house as soon as Yogi got up. I sent her out to the garden to be out of my way. I decided it should be fair to put the sunflower in her garden since it would take up space otherwise used by plants and she really likes it!
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea15_zpsnuu8kjwu.jpg

I had a hard time trying to spend down the money she had on that itty bitty upgrade so she got a dragon egg. I also decided she could keep the Mysterious Mr. Gnome since she had such a nice windfall.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea14_zpsjjlcfxuh.jpg

The addition is kind of strange, in that I made sure to stick to 16 tiles (aside from the useless half-tiles created by the other useless half-tiles in the main room). I think it's pretty obvious some of the things that had stacked up on Yogi's shopping list. The box was on my shopping list since her inventory was filling way too fast.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea17_zpscladvaht.jpg

Here's the basic overall of the house so far. She also got to have a computer to keep this time.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea16_zpsb13dxkwp.jpg

And this time I remembered the roof!
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea19_zpssnnj64qb.jpg

I was loathe to let so much money go to waste so I dug a pond and landscaped around it.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea20_zpsgudhd9fj.jpg

I even remembered to have her talk to the dragon egg about the weather three or four times. Meet Broccoli!
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea23_zpslovrf6aq.jpg

AND working on martial arts skills at the local Phitness Center.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n130/Mystrelia/4x4/Yogi-Tea21_zpsqwfwppdd.jpg

Maybe next time I'll get to do what I want with the house, or Yogi might have other plans. She does currently have a wish to go on a date with Octo so who knows what will happen?