These supplies can be found at most grocery stores, general retailers, and craft stores. Additionally, feel free to add embellishments to your Christmas tree when decorating it. For this project, you'll need:  Buttons Drop cloth (or similar work surface cover) Green paint (acrylic recommended) Hot glue gun (and glue) Pain brush Paper plate Paper/plastic cup Pencil Popsicle sticks Ruler Scissors (sturdy ones preferred) Twine (or yarn; about 6 inches) Fill your paper or plastic cup with water. Then lay out about a dozen popsicle sticks on your work surface. Squirt some paint onto your paper plate, moisten your brush in water, dip it into the paint, and paint your sticks so they are completely green on both sides.  Too much water in your brush can make your paint watery and thin. Press your brush against the inside upper lip of your cup to remove excess moisture. After painting, you'll have to wait for the paint to completely dry. Depending on the paint you have used, dry times will vary, but in many cases the paint will be dry in about an hour. Use a drop cloth, newspapers, cardboard, and so on to cover your work surface and prevent paint from spreading to it or your home. You may want to dress young children in smocks to prevent paint from accidentally getting on their clothes (or spreading elsewhere). Take your painted sticks and arrange them so they are positioned lengthwise, left-to-right, in front of you in rows. There should be no spaces between sticks, and each stick should form a single row.  The number of rows of popsicle sticks will determine the size of your tree. You could use 11 sticks in a row to make a single large tree, or you could make two groups of 5 sticks in a row to make two smaller trees. At least one popsicle stick should be kept separate from the rest. This will form the trunk. If making two trees from your 12 sticks, you'll need to set aside two sticks for trunks, and so on. Starting from the stick closest to you, you are going to cut the rows of sticks to create a tapering shape that narrows as it moves away from you, like a triangle with its base facing you. This will be the body of the tree. The appeal of this particular popsicle Christmas tree is its rough, irregular appearance. For this reason, you may want to free-hand when cutting your popsicle sticks to create a tapering effect in your stick rows. For a more regular tapering effect:  Take your ruler and measure the stick row that is farthest away from you. Measure it end to end, lengthwise, then use a pencil to mark its center. Lay your ruler so it forms an angle between the mark at the middle of the farthest row and the leftmost end of the row closest to you. Draw along this line a pencil. Draw the same angle reflected on the other side of the sticks. The line you draw will run between the mark at the middle of the farthest row and the rightmost end of the row closest to you. Starting from the middle mark of the farthest row and moving toward the base, where your angled lines cross onto a new stick row, draw a line straight down across the middle of each stick. This should create a guideline shaped like a stair step. Normal scissors may not be able to cut through the popsicle sticks easily. A sturdy pair of heavy duty ones or cutting shears will work best. Cut the ends of your sticks along the guidelines you have drawn so that the rows of sticks shorten with each row that moves away from you. If you find that your scissors aren't effective, place a cutting mat or cardboard beneath the sticks, then use a utility knife to deeply score the sticks along the guidelines. Bend these to break off the ends and create your tapering row effect. Insert the glue into the top feeder slot in the gun and plug it in. Place a piece of scrap paper or card stock beneath the gun's nozzle to catch any drips. Most hot glue guns heat up in about 5 minutes, though depending on your model, this may take more or less time. Most hot glue guns have a foldable arm that is used to keep the gun propped up. This encourages good glue flow. Take your hot glue gun and put a dab of glue ¾ of the way to one end of the trunk popsicle stick that you kept separate from the popsicle stick rows. Attach the ends of your twine or yarn to the trunk stick with the dab of hot glue. Allow this to dry, then:  Apply a line of hot glue to the length of your trunk stick on the same side you've glued your twine or yarn. Press your trunk stick to attach it to the tapered rows at the middle of the stick rows. The trunk stick should connect all stick rows. If you have many stick rows to make a large tree, you may need to chain together several overlapping trunk sticks to connect all stick rows together. You can attach many colorful additions to your tree to make it more festive. By hot gluing many colored buttons on your tree, you can give it an effect that mimics Christmas lights. Some other decorating ideas include:  Using hot glue to attach little bells to your tree. Applying glitter to your tree to make it look snowy. Attaching sequins to your tree to make it more glamorous.

Summary: Collect your supplies. Paint your popsicle sticks. Arrange the popsicle sticks. Measure your tapering effect, if desired. Use your scissors to cut the sticks. Heat up your glue gun. Glue your rows together to form your tree. Add accents and decorations to your tree.


If you ever want your Sim to stop being a wolf, just call the obedience trainer and buy Lycanthropic-B. Or, if you have Apartment Life, just have a witch or warlock that your werewolf knows make the potion.

Summary: Remove the werewolf ability. Have fun with your new creation.


Peel the produce and set them on a cutting board. Then use a sharp knife to chop the onion into 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) pieces and mince the garlic clove. Dice the carrot into pea-sized pieces and transfer everything to a large microwave-safe bowl. If you're short on time, buy a package of ready-cut onions and carrots to use. Mix the meat into the chopped vegetables as you break it into smaller pieces. This will help the beef cook evenly. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl with the meat and vegetables. Then cut a 2 in (5.1 cm) slit in the plastic wrap so steam can escape. Microwave the meat and vegetables for 3 minutes using high power.  If you don't want to use plastic wrap and the bowl has a lid, set the lid on the bowl so it's slightly askew and steam can escape. Use caution when handling the dish since it will become very hot. Keep the mixture covered and microwave it until the meat is no longer pink. To ensure it's finished cooking, insert a meat thermometer into the center of the dish. The meat should reach 160 °F (71 °C).  If the meat is still slightly pink or hasn't reached 160 °F (71 °C), cover and microwave it for 1 more minute before checking it again. Drain off any visible grease from the bowl once the meat has finished cooking. Open a 14-ounce (411 g) can of chopped tomatoes and add it to the bowl with the meat and vegetables. Stir in 4 tablespoons (59 ml) of boiling water, 1 teaspoon (2 g) of dried oregano, and 1 beef stock cube or 1 teaspoon (2.5 g) of powdered bouillon. Lay the plastic wrap or lid back on the bowl and heat the sauce on full power. The sauce should begin to bubble and become fragrant. Taste the sauce and stir in ground pepper according to your taste. It's safe to taste the sauce since the meat is already cooked. Remove the lid and stir the sauce well. Then set the lid or wrap back on the bowl and heat the sauce for 10 more minutes. Stir it at the halfway point so the sauce cooks evenly. Carefully remove the sauce from the microwave and spoon it over the cooked spaghetti. Cover and refrigerate leftover meat sauce for up to 3 or 4 days.
Summary: Chop 1 onion, 1 garlic clove, and 1 carrot. Mix 2⁄3 pound (300 g) of lean ground beef with the veggies in the bowl. Cover the bowl and microwave the mixture for 3 minutes. Microwave the meat mixture for 3 more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, water, stock, and oregano. Microwave the meat sauce for 7 minutes. Microwave the sauce for 10 more minutes before serving.