This was a busy week, and I wasn’t able to get too much done. I can’t believe May is nearly over and in the next few weeks we’re going to be wrapping up the school year and Emma’s activities. I have a few pressing things to deal with, which I’m sharing below with some related resources. And even though I was really busy this week, I had time to make cake. At the end you’ll find the simplest way to make cake ever. Enjoy!

• An additional confession: I’m not a dog person. Though I’ve loved every dog I’ve ever owned, and even some I haven’t owned, I don’t really have the intuition or knowledge to be able to figure them out. Bob went to visit his mom for a couple days, so I was on my own trying to housebreak Pixie, which did not go well. The last few days have been beautiful so I had both dogs in the house for much of the day. And maybe I am becoming intuitive because I was pretty successful at knowing when to lett Pixie back in the house so she could pee. Bob and I have been getting good tips from this article, which I thought I’d share in case anyone else is in my shoes.
• I’m going back to the garage. Seeing a difference, even a small one, has been really motivating. As much as I really, really want to go flea marketing this weekend, I’m going to clean. (If you’re in the NY Metro area and curious, I really want to go here. Maybe in July.) I found this article from This Old House which had some good safety-related info as well as some other tips I hadn’t thought of. My goal is to be able to get one of our cars in the garage by next winter, which is a big crazy goal but it might be attainable.
• Emma’s playroom is a disaster again. Somehow most of the toys from her bedroom found their way into the playroom, which was not the plan as there is not enough space. Or maybe she’s hiding the Hope Diamond, I don’t know. But the next time it rains, she and I will be working in there. I follow Peter Walsh’s Facebook page, which I find helpful, and he posted this article about getting rid of toys which I’m going to read again because it gets pretty detailed and I think we need to do another big toy purge. She hasn’t acquired anything new, but there are things she hasn’t touched in ages which need to go.
• Cake! I like to bake, but I’m not very good at it. Sometimes I make things that taste fine but look terrible, which is why I stopped making Emma’s birthday cakes as soon as she got old enough to remember her birthdays. Time is also a factor. If I need to choose between baking and cooking a decent meal, I’m always going with the meal. But I found this list of two-ingredient cake recipes, using store-bought mixes. I’ve made the Greek yogurt and canned pumpkin versions and they are really good. They are healthier too, which is important, but what I like best is the simplicity. And I don’t need to question my decision to use the eggs even though they expired three days ago.

Next week I’ll share my Month 3 Progress Report and my plans for Month 4, and am planning to hold our next Book Club next Friday, May 29.