Diets don't work. Why not? Because they focus on what foods we should and shouldn't eat but completely ignore everything else that makes us fat. Look at your own situation: You say you want to lose weight, but you just can't stop indulging. You say you'd exercise more if only you had the time, yet you spend precious hours every night in front of the TV doing what? Munching nutrition-free snacks and drinking supersized beverages.

Who would you be if you felt at peace and had more time and money? An organized life enables you to have more freedom, less aggravation, better health, and to get more done. Whether you’re living in chaos or just looking for new ways to simplify, this essential book will help you get the whole household organized-and stay that way.

I have high hopes for both these books! Now, if I could only get motivated to act upon them....{sigh}.......

The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

In anticipation of Ashley's birthday party, the final book in the series coming out in August, and the movie coming out in December, I recently re-read Twilight. Although these books were aimed at teenagers, I know several adults who really enjoy them, too. Yesterday I started reading the 2nd in the series: New Moon. Of course, I can't give anything away, but I'm on about page 100 and very depressed; luckily there are 400 some pages left to make things right!

P.S. Ashley & I plan on attending a release party for Breaking Dawn Aug. 1. I'm so excited!

Scaredy Squirrel never leaves his nut tree. It’s way too dangerous out there. He could encounter tarantulas, green Martians or killer bees. But in his tree, every day is the same and if danger comes along, he’s well-prepared. Scaredy Squirrel’s emergency kit includes antibacterial soap, Band-Aids and a parachute. Day after day he watches and waits, and waits and watches, until one day … his worst nightmare comes true! Scaredy suddenly finds himself out of his tree, where germs, poison ivy and sharks lurk. But as Scaredy Squirrel leaps into the unknown, he discovers something really uplifting …

Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

Cracker is one of the United States Army's most valuable weapons: a German shepherd trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy. The fate of entire platoons rests on her keen sense of smell. Told in part through the uncanny point of view of a German shepherd, Cracker! is an action-packed glimpse into the Vietnam War as seen through the eyes of a dog and her handler. It's an utterly unique powerhouse of a book by the Newbery Medal-winning author of Kira-Kira.

Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French

Wombats are cuddly-looking, slow-moving Australian animals. Here, in the words of one unusually articulate wombat, is the tongue-in-cheek account of a busy week; eating, sleeping, digging holes . . . and training its new neighbors, a family of humans, to produce treats on demand. This entertaining book, with its brief, humorous text and hilarious illustrations, will endear the wombat to young children, who may recognize in the determined furry creature some qualities that they share.

When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Nothing at all was right. Everything went wrong, right down to lima beans for supper and kissing on TV.
What do you do on a day like that? Well, you may think about going to Australia. You may also be glad to find that some days are like that for other people too.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you?

Giants in the Earth: A Saga of the Prairie by Ole Rolvaag

The classic story of a Norwegian pioneer family's struggles with the land and the elements of the Dakota Territory as they try to make a new life in America.

Gravity by Tess Gerritsen

A young NASA doctor must combat a lethal microbe that is multiplying in the deadliest of environments -- space -- in this acclaimed blockbuster of medical suspense from Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of Harvest, Life Support, and Bloodstream.

The Legend of Bass Reeves: Being the True & Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West by Gary Paulsen

Bass Reeves was born into slavery. And though the laws of his country enslaved him and his mother, when he became a free man he served the law with such courage & honor that he became the most successful federal marshal in the United States.