Limit numer of posts per page exclude category

On my home page I have restricted the number of recent posts displayed using query_posts(‘posts_per_page=2’)

I would like to also exclude a category but can’t figure out how to integrate the two modifications to the loop.

Here’s my code:

<?php query_posts('posts_per_page=2'); if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post();?>

   <div class="date">Posted <?php the_time('F jS, Y') ?></div>
   <h3><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a></h3>
   <?php the_content('Continue Reading →'); ?>

<?php endwhile; endif; wp_reset_query();?>

I’ve tried following a few different tutorials but can’t get them to work.

Thanks in advance!