Recent Update - can't use my Packs

Hey there, it's totally possible to play with packs and with the free version of the base game. The free version is not a trial, it's a full game. I wonder if EA app thinks that you are trying to launch the trial though, have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling the game by any chance?

Yes, I uninstalled and reinstalled the game. I also cleared the cashe, restarted the EA App, App Recovery, and both on Steam as well. 

When I try to play my game with the Cottage expansion pack it says "Requires Sims 4 and all game updates". My game has all the updates, there are no more updates available. 

5595c51914570a2c  Does Cottage Living content appear in your game at all?  For example, can your sims travel to Henford, and can they buy a chicken coop?

No, my account does say that I own it but its not letting me open my game where I used it or access it in a new game. It also doesn't show the features from the new update. For example, I'm unable to create a ghost sim. 

5595c51914570a2c  What game version do you see in the lower-right corner of the Main Menu?  If it's anything other than 1.110 etc., let me know.

If you do see 1.110, please try playing in a clean user folder.  Move the entire Sims 4 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts and onto your desktop.  When you launch the game, a clean folder will spawn with no content.  (Your saves and other content will be intact in the folder you've moved but temporarily unread by the game.)  Don't add anything to the new folder yet; just start a new save and see whether you can create a ghost and whether the Cottage Living content appears.

If CotL still isn't loading, please run a search for its folder.  Open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, and enter EP11 in the search field in the upper-right corner.  When the search finishes, which may take a while, expand the window sideways so the full location is showing for each result.  Use Windows key-shift-S to capture the window, and post the screenshot here.

5595c51914570a2c  Please make sure Steam and the EA App are closed and NOT running in the Task Manager, not even in the background processes list.  Delete the EP11 folder here:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 4

Clear the EA App's cache:

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/clear-cache-to-fix-problems-with-your-games/

Restart your computer, and download Cottage Living again.

Separately, please let me know what game version you see in the lower-right corner of the Main Menu; and whether you can create a ghost sim in a new save in a clean Sims 4 folder.