Semi-nude superheros and Cookie Cakes

H is at that awkward age when clothing, in his mind, is still optional. At any given moment, he strips down to his diaper, runs through the house shouting, "Chase me", and generally refuses to put his clothes back on.

Last week, my cousin (thanks Min!) sent these leg warmers. I figured, since H generally runs too hot (as in, "Mommy, I just too hot"), there was no way he would wear these. Boy was I wrong!

He begged me to put them on, immediately after one of his spontaneous stripping episodes. As you can see, it makes him look like the lost member of The Village People.

After getting them on, he jumped up and proceeded to run through the house yelling, "I a superhero! Take my picture, Mommy!"

Being the obedient servant of said superhero, I did just that.

Now, he wants a cape. Time to get out the sewing machine.

In other news, after trying desperately hard to weather the law suit storm without resorting to the wonders of modern pharmaceuticals, I have decided I am not that tough. I started the anti-depressants last week and now I feel like a superhero too. Not like I feel like I could survive a jump off the roof-type superhero, just so so so so much better than I have been feeling.

I am not advocating the use of these drugs for anyone else. It is a difficult and highly personal choice. This was not an easy decision for me or Mr. Smith, but now we both know that it was the right one. I don't feel so overwhelmed now. I don't feel so defeated. I feel like I want to write again, get to work, etc.

I feel like H must have felt when he put those leg warmers on!


As you can see, I am back and updating regularly again. I read several food blogs, as you well can imagine.

This one is one of my favorites. She has amazing recipes, great and unique ideas, beautiful photographs and I love the stories that go with her recipes. Definitely worth checking out.

A few days ago, she posted this recipe for her Neapolitan Cake. The photos were what really got me. It is absolutely stunning...great "wow" factor.

We are having guests in a few days, this one needs to age for a few days to be perfect, so it seemed like the ideal dessert to serve to our guests.



I used Boysenberry Jam, but I would recommend you use your favorite.

I expected this to be pretty fussy and the cookies to be difficult, but they really weren't. Using the cake pan and pressing the dough into the correct size and shape worked flawlessly.


The cake is resting, looking all beautiful and impressive on my diner-style cake stand. I will let you know how it tastes!