What's your favorite kind of cake? You can easily turn it into a delicious, no-bake pudding. Cake mix pudding! Just think of all the possibilities: Devil's Food pudding, Red Velvet pudding, Pumpkin pudding, Funfetti pudding, Strawberry pudding...

Here is a quick and easy and SO GOOD dessert recipe that can be made ahead of time for your 4th of July get together. This is a million times better than those boxed Jello Pudding mixes. Think of this as more of a thick custard - you'll actually be able to turn your spoon upside down without your cake mix pudding falling off!

(At least for a little while. I don't want to see any grouchy emails saying your pudding fell off the spoon after an hour.)



You can go simple, throwing a handful of sprinkles on top or piling your pudding high with canned whipped cream. You can go fancy and elaborate, say with fresh chocolate shavings. Folding crushed Oreos into the finished cake mix pudding would be delicious too. 

You can use whatever cake …

I don't know about you, but with all the craziness in the world right now, I've been feeling pretty stressed. It would be great if my response to this was to go for a run or get some extra sleep, but instead I've been turning to unhealthy coping vices, like tubs of ice cream. (So many tubs!) 

When a reader emailed to suggest a guest post about how to detox, it sounded like exactly what I need right now.


How to Detox
(Guest Article)
Cleaning is an important aspect of my life, as I'm sure it is yours. I always believed that living in a clean environment greatly predetermines my optimal health. And by a clean environment, I mean a clean home to live in and a clean bed to sleep in, but much more than that I need a clean mind and body. 
As a clean external environment is very rare to find nowadays, my internal cleansing has become an important part of my self-care routine as a proper support to my physical and mental health.

My body is my temple. The mind, the soul, everything …

Can you believe it has been 7 years since my first Jessner Peeland the resulting blog post, which is still popular to this day? I remember being nervous prior to my first professional treatment and thought it would be helpful to share my experience with Jessner peels for anyone else who is considering this beauty service.

I still highly recommend a Jessner peel every 6-8 weeks, though now I save a fortune by doing my own at home. In this article, you'll find everything you need, including a helpful Jessner peel timeline, post-treatment care, and the best products to maximize your results, whether you're going the professional or DIY route.


Perhaps I should have arranged these Jessner peel before and after photos differently. It looks like I'm having a Microsoft Teams meeting with myself. Jessner PeelWhat is a Jessner peel?

It's a beauty treatment that utilizes a blend of salicylic acid, lactic acid, resorcinol, and sometimes TCA (trichloroacetic acid) to provide a medium…

Despite our paid time off, SN and I always feel guilty taking a break from work to travel. We're clearly not the only ones - a recent study by the US Travel Association found that 55% of Americans did not use all of their vacation time in 2018.

Busy professionals can find it hard to switch off. I know we struggle to reconcile leaving our responsibilities behind with the need for a bit of downtime. In competitive sectors, being out of the loop even for a few days can be tricky and even feel damaging to a career, particularly when you have an important role on your team.

Making time for yourself is vital for everyone. Not only do you need to treat yourself from time to time, but having time to relax and not think about work can make you far more productive and efficient when you are back behind your desk. Time spent walking in the Adirondacks or cruising from San Diego gives you the mental space to think, about work, yes, but also about life and yourself.
Vacation Planning Tips
Thanks …

Just the other day, I mentioned to a friend that it would be a dream come true to have our home featured in a magazine, but that it wouldn't be a possibility for at least several years because we still have so many projects to complete.

Imagine my surprise when Albuquerque the Magazine asked to feature SN's small home office!
This office is perfect for keeping an eye on our little weirdos as they lovingly maul each other.
Even Olive made it into the article. Check it out for free in the digital issue (page 94): https://issuu.com/genalacross/docs/2020_june
Small Home Office Here's the full text of my interview with the editor:

Q. What was your day-to-day at work like before the pandemic?

A. With a busy travel schedule, Derek was usually only home on the weekends, and sometimes not even then. It wasn't uncommon for him to work in 3 different states within the same week!

Q. Do you usually work from home or did you have to switch to remote because of the pandemic?

A. It'…