If you are like most of the world, you made some resolutions for 2012. Now that we are almost through with January, where do you stand?

I am happy to report that I am doing very well with mine. I am continuing with my workouts and in fact have stepped my game up to include running. (Many blog posts regarding running should be coming soon). I blogging…well as much as has been possible considering my blog keeps crashing. Yes, I am going to have to learn to be even more techy than I want to be. I am not looking forward to it, but hey…what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right?

If you have gotten off track, start back today. Don’t put it off for 11 more months…it isn’t worth it!

Have I told you lately how much I love ?

Well, I do! I got the idea for a cute scarf and decided to make one myself. It turned out so adorable that I have now made it in a few different colors.

Step 1- Lay out a plain t-shirt.

Step 2- Trace a Paper Plate on your shirt. If you are good, you could skip this…I am just not that good. I traced 6 paper plate circles on the front of a shirt.

Step 3- Cut out your circles. From my 6 circles on the front, I cut through both sides of the shirt giving me 12 circles.

Step 4- Cut each circle into a spiral shape. Seriously, perfection is not needed!

Step 5- Stretch your fabric.

Step 6-Put all strips together and ta-da, a super cute scarf!

I have now added a t-shirt flower to my scarf and will show you how to do that soon!

It seems like I put 2011 to bed with one attitude and woke up with a brand new attitude. By no means am I complaining, but I am quite surprised by this new Sylvia.

I have always heard, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change”. I am not sure who actually said that, but WOW! Now why it took so many years to understand is beyond me…maybe I have finally grown up.

So what am I going to change this year?

1-As we discussed previously, I am going to blog. Instead of focusing on real estate, I am going to focus of reality…well, at least my reality.

2-I am going to get healthy once and for all. It seems like I have tried (and failed) throughout the years, but I have always done it for the wrong reason. My reason is purely selfish. I like the way I feel when I am healthier. I like the way I look. I like have cute biceps and being a girl. So, do hate…I will do this! Now, I am sure I may whine a little along the way…but this time, it is for me!

3-Get closer to God. I think this is a standing thing I do every year, but that really only seems right because like any relationship it should grow over the years.

4-Genuinely to just be happy. Live in the moment. Not fret about the things around the corner, because it could always be worse. I mean seriously, at least I am not the one that crashed a $450 million cruise ship, right?

5-Spread the love. I want everyone to feel the joy I feel. I can’t explain where this happy & motivated Sylvia came from, but I want my friends to have it too. Everyone deserves the best!

I plan to add to this list throughout the year, but that is enough to get me started. I just thought that I should let my readers in on this new Sylvia and why my blog will seem different.

This is my year, but hey…I am not selfish, it can be your year too! How are you going to make it yours?

I think that God gave women the ability to stress over the littlest things. Maybe it is a good thing because we get that really cool “mother’s intuition”, but right now it is the dumbest thing stressing me out.

As many people know, I am in love with zebra. Yes Jessica, zebra is a color…in fact zebra is the new black! As the State President-Elect for Women’s Council of REALTORS, I get the pleasure of planning Installation and Orientation (2 things I am sure you will hear more about). So, my major stress…centerpieces! Of course, I want to use zebra for Installation…but seriously, have you seen a zebra centerpiece??? And if you have, please share!

So it is the littlest thing and I can’t seem to move past it! Please send zebra ideas so I can stress about something that really matters.

It is no secret that I am addicted to ! I decided that 2012 should be a year where I try to do some of the awesome ideas I have pinned.

For this project, I had my 2 kids as assistants. One helped hold the canvas and the other photographed the project.

Supplies Needed:

Blank Canvas (I used 16×20)
Crayons (about 60 for us)
Glue Gun
Heat Gun (you could probably use a hair dryer, too)

Pictures speak louder than words…so here is what we did!

Other variations of this project can be done by placing crayons in a circle or heart, across the top and down the side, or even using just blues to make it look like rain falling or greened to look like flowers growing. Have you done any neat projects lately?

Well, hello 2012! I have an ugly case of blog abandonment! Seriously, I haven’t blogged since August 2010. I am not going to make excuses, but I will admit why I failed. Back then the crazy 365 things were going around. Not only did I try to blog about a new place to visit around Lake Ray Hubbard, I has to visit all of visit all of these places. It was a MAJOR undertaking and I ultimately failed! That’s ok, I am back!

My goal for 2012 is to blog at least once a week. If I happen to go somewhere new, I will let you know about it…just don’t plan on getting new places everyday. I also plan to give updates on my Women’s Council life, my family, real estate and maybe even talk about my addiction to Pinterest!

Best wishes for a fabulous 2012!

The Corner Pocket Sandwich Shop is not new to downtown Garland, but it is new to me!  It was opened in 1975 at the corner of Sixth Street and Main.  It is now located at Sixth and State Street.  The owner is Mark Zigler, who purchased the business in 2004.

Mark was excited about being a part of downtown Garland.  Mark said, “It’s a hometown atmosphere where you get to know everyone.  It’s like a family, people are not just customers, they are friends and they support you”.

Vickie Rogers is the Manager and has been there several years.  Everything is fresh and made on location.  One new addition to the menu is custard.  They also have many flavors of custard.  In honor of “Sweet School Year” Week, I decided to try their frozen custard after hearing rave reviews from some friends.  They have a variety of flavors from vanilla to smores.  I decided to try the Butter Pecan in a waffle cone.  Only one word could describe it….AMAZING!  I could say it was simply delicious because of the over 100 degree weather, but that would not be true because it would have been perfect in 30 degree weather, too!  Their main feature is not the Frozen Custard though.  They have soups, salads, sandwiches and potatoes.  A longtime favorite is the MAC, a mushroom, avocado and 4 cheese sandwich with chicken or tuna salad.

When you stop by, be sure to tell them that Lake Ray Hubbard Living.com sent you.  Follow The Corner Pocket Sandwich Shoppe on Facebook.

In honor of back to school and wishing all students and teachers a “SWEET SCHOOL YEAR”, I will be focusing on the best “sweets” this week.  I hope you enjoy and have a “SWEET YEAR”!

Feel free to throw out some suggestions if you have a favorite!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for YOGURT? Yes, yogurt can be just as good if not better than ice cream. In fact, it is my kids new favorite thing…so don’t tell them it is fat free, sugar free or low sugar and has probiotics in it! Our first visit to Yogurtland was almost a little overwhelming. The place was packed and seemed a bit chaotic, but there was a friendly employee that gave us sample cups to try out the various flavors before we decided what we wanted to buy. They have so many flavors from vanilla to coconut and everything in between. My favorite is the coconut. My kids love the cheese cake and vanilla cookies and cream. My husband prefers to get several flavors and mix them all together. Choosing your flavor is the easy part though! After you serve your yogurt, you then move on to the topping bar. They have everything imaginable from fresh fruit, nuts, cookie dough, cheesecake bites, cereal and more. After you finish creating your masterpiece, you place it on the scale and weigh it. It cost 30 cents per ounce. Every time my family of 4 goes in we get all of ours for around the $10 range.

We have brought several people with us to try out Yogurtland and they are all believers, too! So for our first day of wishing a “SWEET SCHOOL YEAR” try out Yogurtland! It may be a little bit further than the immediate Lake Ray Hubbard area, but it is well worth it. Yogurt Land is located off of Northwest Highway across from North Park Mall; however, they are in the process of opening one at Firewheel Mall. Don’t forget when you try it out to tell them that Lake Ray Hubbard Living.com sent you! Follow Yogurtland on Facebook.

Photo Credits

A review of North Texas Sailing School by my friend Leigh.

This summer my son attended junior sailing classes at the North Texas Sailing School located at the Rush Creek Yacht Club in Heath, TX on Lake Ray Hubbard. There are three sessions each summer that a child can attend. The last one started on July 12, 2010.

For two weeks from 9-4 daily he learned all the key points to a sail boat, safety and learned how to sail a boat. The first week was intense class work and on hands experience in learning everything about the boat, how to sail, boat safety and sailing. Students learn sailing theory, tacks and points of sail, rigging and unrigging the boat, basic knots and other sailing topics. On the second week, the students are out in the water for the duration of the week and putting to use what they learned.

The instructors/teachers on site are mainly previous students and local school teachers. There’s plenty of staff there every day to make one feel comfortable in leaving their child behind for the day. On the very first day, the students are tested on their swimming ability. Show up prepared with the items from the checklist. Your child will need everything on it, especially that life jacket, sun screen and lunch!

Everyday my son told me everything he learned that day. He really enjoyed his time on the water with other students and instructors learning something totally new. They lived on the water and had a total blast. My son slept so soundly every night! And every day he would wake up and ready to go again. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone who is looking for something “out of the box” yet local for their children. All the kids who attended my son’s session were always so excited about getting in a boat and taking off in the water. The location is convenient and so are the hours.