Hess Lake Family Fun

Travel Parties, A Growing Trend

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:52:00 +0000

Travel parties are a growing trend, and now you can host a travel party and jump onboard of this growing trend?

I wanted to start a HOME BASED BUSINESS, and after researching and getting into the vacation rental business and seen just how lucrative the travel industry was, I wanted a bigger piece of the pie.

I ran across a company called YTB Travel Biz. YTB brings you the perfect opportunity to transform your life by combining the powerful information handling capability of the Internet with the world’s most dynamic product – travel - and the personal touch of independent, home based business people. YTB has joined these three trends together in a flawless combination. By utilizing our simple strategies and proven techniques we can show you how to leverage your time to generate a residual income 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The elements of honesty, morality, and "being in the right place at the right time" are all in place today at YTB.

I was on the fence for a couple of months, and one day I was invited to a travel party. I went to the Travel Party, and I won a trip and got started with the business.
Winning a trip, coming to a travel party and starting a home based business, all in one great night.

There are similar companies out there, but some of them wanted me to quit what I was doing and spend full time with them, this YTB company allows you to work at your pace and comfort zone and developed a blue print for success by "talking or showing" not "selling" the opportunity. You see, people naturally like to talk about travel and vacations.

With this business, I can work as hard, or little as I want and I still make money. You can make money several ways with YTB, that of a Referring Travel Agent (RTA) or and Independent Marketing representative (REP).

The travel booking engines are powered by Travelocity, who basically saw growth in this corporation and said " They would rather be in business with them than compete with them".
So come join us for some travel, some fun, and make money while doing it. With this business you can spend more time with your family, and friends.

View some of our promtional videos sites here: YTB Travelmore, Etravel Fortune, Your Ticket to Paradise.

View our travel booking sites: YTB Travelmore and YTB Island Travel and travel Bolg.

Grat Holiday Gift Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:46:00 +0000

You do not want to show up at grandma's with out a nice fruit basket, and you do not want to lug this item through security at the airports. Let YTB Flowers deliver it for you.

Cheese, Crackers & Fruit Basket Sale! $5 off

When you can't be there in person, what better way to send your thoughts than this bountiful fruit basket? Wicker basket with handle arrives filled with fresh apples, grapes and bananas, along with cheese and crackers. (Substitution of contents may occur if unavailable)
Our price: $62.99

Details Buy

Fly Fishing Techniques

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 21:39:00 +0000

Anglers love nothing better than to fight a winter steelhead on Michigan’s Muskegon River in Newaygo. These powerful fish are known as hot chrome torpedoes and can weigh as much as 20 pounds. Just having one on your line is the thrill of a lifetime and most of Michigan’s steelheads are wild steels.

The steelhead migration season begins at the end of October, after the Chinook are finished spawning. Peak months for fishing steelhead are November and December when the fish being their spawning migration. These beauties end the migration near the end of February and into early March.

The best place to fish for chrome torpedoes, the Muskegon River in Newaygo is perfect for fly fishing in early spring and late fall.

Floats and Spawns

If you’re looking for a fast-paced steelhead fishing technique, try fishing floats and spawns. This allows for many hook-ups and a large number of the steelheads will be landed. It’s best to use a longer rod because it gives you a stronger hook-set and a longer drift. Your reel should be a center pin reel that’s been wound with 10 pound test hi-vis line. This will allow for longer casts and smooth drag for your fight with a large steelhead.

When using floats for steelhead in the Muskegon River, they will vary greatly because of water conditions and water levels. The best floats to use for Muskegon River steelheads are Thill orange and black steelhead floats.

Winter Steelhead Fishing

For steelhead fishing in the Muskegon River during November and December, use either a 10’ 8wt fly rod or a 9’6” 8wt fly rod. This allows you to recognize a steelhead pick-up because of the longer drift. Also beneficial is the fact that these longer rods allow for a better presentation, a better mending and they tend to keep your line off of the water’s surface.

Steelhead Flies

The best steelhead flies for use in the Muskegon River is a wide variety of small egg flies. Always use natural colors such as cream, Oregon cheese, steelhead orange and golden.

Steelhead feed in the Muskegon River in fall and are extremely aggressive. They eat almost anything that passes near to them at this time of year. Wooly buggers and egg patterns work best in fall and early winter, as well as wet flies and spey.

If you’re fishing on the Muskegon River in late winter and early spring, use small nymphs and egg patterns with a light leader. This is the time when steelheads are less aggressive. They don’t chase flies like they do in the fall.

In late spring, steelheads become more aggressive, but are particular about what they hit. This is the time to use light leaders and small nymphs. Steelheads enter the Muskegon River for the coming spawn on the gravel runs.

The best way to fish for steelhead on the Muskegon River is by boat. This allows you to reach runs and pools that can’t be accessed by wading, though steelhead can be caught by this method. A good place to wade for steelhead is at the Thornapple Avenue launch in Newaygo, which is not far below the Croton dam.

The mighty Muskegon River provides a great opportunity for steelhead anglers because of the large runs of steelhead found there. If you’re looking for a unique steelhead fishing experience, head for the beautiful Muskegon River in Newaygo. You won’t be sorry.

For lodging in Newaygo, Checkout Hess Lake Rentals (http://www.hesslakerentals.com/) they offer year round waterfront vacation rentals on Hess Lake and the Muskegon River at hotel rates. Other Newaygo accommodations, flights and car rentals can be found at NewaygoHotels.com (http://www.newaygohotels.com/)

If you are not familiar with the Muskegon River, consider a river guide. We recommend Riverside Outfitters LLC (http://www.riversideoutfittersllc.com/) or Betts Guide Service (http://www.bettsguideservice.com/ ) or Feenstra Guide Service (http://www.feenstraguideservice.com/ )

By Brent Vanderstelt
Hess Lake Rentals

HessLakeRentals.com announces the addition of NewaygoHotels.com

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:09:00 +0000

NewaygoHotels.com is a free hotel, motel, B&B, resort and vacation rental listing service available to both owners of hotels and vacation rentals, as well as the traveler.

HessLakeRentals.com offers waterfront vacation rental homes on Hess Lake and the Muskegon River in Newaygo, Michigan. Newaygo is just 30 minutes north of Grand Rapids.

Newaygo Hotels.com is designed around the thriving travel and tourism industry surrounding the Newaygo County area. NewaygoHotels.com is affiliated with YTB Travelmore, and from our new site, travelers will have access to 1000’s of hotel rooms, car rentals, flights, cruises and vacation packages across the globe.

Newaygo County has over 230 natural lakes and 350 miles of rivers and streams, 2 huge dams remain Croton and Hardy. Hardy is the largest earthen dam east of the Mississippi. The Muskegon River continues to be the main attraction for summer cottage residents and fisherman, who find it nearly the best source for steel head in the spring and salmon in the fall, anywhere in Michigan. Camping at one of many rustic or modern Newaygo campgrounds is also a great adventure. Tubing and canoeing on the river are summertime favorites. Hunting, snowmobile and cross country skiing are wintertime favorites, with over half the county (100,000 acres) contained in the Manistee National Forest.

HessLakeRentals.com, YTBTravelmore.com, NewaygoHotels.com, YTBIslandTravel.com are registered trademarks of Mona View Holdings LLC.

To book your next vacation, look no further than your computer, your are just a few clicks from booking your fantasy vacation.

By Sherri Russell
9837 Kathleen St.
Grant Michigan 49327
616-604-1900

YTB Yravelmore announces YTB Island Travel

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:20:00 +0000

YTB Travelmore announces the addition of YTB Island Travel (www.ytbislandtravel.com)

YTB Island Travel enters the 7 Trillion dollar travel industry (and expected to double in the next 10 years) marketing trips and vacations to the Cayman Islands.

YTB Travelmore is a leading internet travel provider of online travel. From its family of internet travel portals, customers can easily search and book flights, car rentals, hotels, vacation packages, cruises and much more.

YTB Island Travel is designed around the thriving tourism industry surrounding the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean. Demand for Island travel is expected to grow, drawing over one million visitors a year.

The Cayman Islands are an island group in the Caribbean Sea, ninety miles south of Cuba. The outstanding coral reefs and outstandingly clear waters have made this island group a favorite destination of divers. Great beaches and fine restaurants and resorts make it an excellent tourist destination as well.

Grand Cayman is the largest island and home to most of the population and tourist facilities. The other two islands are called the Sister Islands by locals and are also tourist destinations. They are: Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

To book your next Cayman Island vacation, look no further than your computer, your are just a few clicks from booking your fantasy vacation.

Now You Can Start a Home Based Travel Business

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:17:00 +0000

You can enter the 7 Trillion dollar travel industry (and expected to double in the next 10 years).
YTB (Your Travel Biz) is an exciting new internet based, work from home travel network.

By combining an advantage-rich, home-based business (built around the Internet) with an extremely lucrative (and copyrighted) compensation plan, YTB has become "The Choice" for thousands of opportunity seekers. In today's marketplace, myriads of companies seek your time and attention, each claiming that their opportunity is the best.

View Short Video Presentation
Our Travel Booking Website

CORE PRINCIPLES

"Work with a stable, ethical, well-managed company that seeks the position of the largest online Travel Agency in the World."

It is sometimes hard to say how an innovative and ground-breaking program all comes together to become a revolutionary success. There are people and events that taken separately seem unrelated to each other. Then, through a series of circumstances and serendipitous steps, the people and experiences and events all seem to converge like the pieces of a puzzle to make one whole picture of power, fun, and extreme opportunity.

Such has been the case with YTB. Our company was founded by J. Lloyd Tomer a multi-millionaire, who by the way made his millions over the last 20 years in a home-based business much like the one you are looking at here today. So he knows our industry. YTB's focus is on people. We all know great companies are built by people that are striving for excellence in every area. Let's take a quick look at who is behind the greatness at YTB.

The elements of honesty, morality, and "being in the right place at the right time" are all in place today at YTB - and we plan to revolutionize the travel industry.
Come join us as we change the way the world travels!

Join YTB Travelmore
Book Travel

Sherri Russell
Growing YTB Leader
616-604-1900

Make a Dramatic Statement to a room simply with Paint

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 02:00:00 +0000

DARE TO BE BOLD, WITH COLOR

Are you tired of boring white walls, but you have no idea what color you would like to paint? Well, why choose just one color? You can use as many colors as you like and create your own personal statement to your home. I believe that there is no right or wrong when it comes designing a personal space as long as you are not designing to sell your home.

Many people often find it extremely challenging to choose colors of paint when the kitchen, dinning room and living room are basically...all one room...especially seperating the kitchen and dinning room spaces when they share one common wall.

Here is a kitchen, dinning and living room space painted with five different colors; maze yellow, turquoise, sage green, copper brown and white for definition and separation.

Wider stripes were cleverly painted in the dinning room to define and separate the kitchen and dinning spaces.

Rectangles were painted, using the same colors, in the living room to accent the dinning room stripes. The rest of the living room was painted with one solid color of maze yellow.

All the doors and trim were painted white.

Fire Pit built in exterior deck

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 02:38:00 +0000

Supplies: Landscaping blocks, fire bricks, construction glue, one metal or iron grate, concrete mix or ready made blocks Tools: shovel, level, rubber mallot.

1. Pour a concrete slab about one foot larger than the diameter of your desired fire pit. Smooth out and let set over night until concrete has set. An alternative method is to purchase concrete blocks and place them together in the ground.

2. Place curved retaining landscaping blocks in a desired radius size and secure the bottom row with construction glue to the concrete slab. Stager the next row (like a brick pattern) and glue them to the first row. Continue staggering and gluing each row until you achieve your desired heigth.
Note: the first few rows will have air holes (gaps in the bricks for air)

3. Place fire bricks along the inside wall of the landscaping blocks and stagger these to match the outer wall for air holes. The fire bricks will not be glued. They just sit one on top of the other. Once you have reached your desired height for the actual logs to burn, then place a iron grate (radius slightly smaller than the inside wall of the landscaping blocks) on top of the fire bricks. Continue to place the fire bricks around, close together, with no gaps, until you have reached the top of the landscaping blocks.

4. Cleaning: once the ashes have reached the top of the grate, simply remove the firebricks and the grate and shovel it out. Then replace the grate and fire bricks and you are ready for the next season.

5. Determining height: remember that different types of wood sparks, so be sure to make your pit high enough to avoid potential fires etc.

The exterior deck shown in the photos is approx 2 1/2 feet above ground level.

Inexpensive Kitchen Face Lift by Fauxing with Paint

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 03:31:00 +0000

Want a richer looking Kitchen that "POPS"?

Well you can get just that with simply two colors of paint, a paint brush, a bristled scrub brush, and a little four letter word.....w-o-r-k.

We purchased this 1997 manufactured home to flip. We wanted to make the interior look more expensive without spending much cash, we had a strick budget with this home.

We decided to faux the kitchen a dark color to make the cabinet stand out. We chose a dark blue because there were existing stained glass windows with this color existing.

To start, we taped off all trim and cabinet edges and then we proceeded to paint a medium toned blue (picture 2) and let that dry over night. We then painted over the medium blue with a dark, "almost black" blue and used a scrub brush and begain to remove some of the paint by "X" shaped strokes. After each stroke, we wiped the excess paint onto a rag.

The dark blue paint was first thinned with glaze (3 parts glaze, one part paint) to delay drying time. Once the paint was dry, we removed the painters tape....and wala....a completely different look in the kitchen.

This faux techique along with the darker color selectlion helps hide the wall panel strips that are common in manufactured homes for an additional bonus.

The new home owners loved it!

Exterior Front Face Lift

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 03:58:00 +0000

It is truely amazing that we have had absolutely No snow here in Western Michigan in the past month!

We actually had the opportunity to re-side the front exterior of Units 1 and 2 of Hess Lake Condominiums. We still have a little work to do in the spring with paint. The cottages were a basic white and we changed it to a deep blue.

Re-siding is actually easy, so don't let it intimitate you girls. You can use the existing starter strip and J-channel if desired.

We simply removed the old vinyl siding with a hammer by pulling out the nails and set the siding down on the ground in small stacks.

We framed the windows and doors with 4 inch cedar for a more modern look.

We then proceeded to hang the new blue colored J-channel and vinyl siding, starting at the bottom of the building. You want to be careful not to force the new nails in too far and pinch the siding, because it needs to be able to move freely when it expands and contracts due to the weather elements through all four seasons.

When we were finished, we re-used the vinyl siding boxes and placed the old white siding into them. This way we can store it easily and re-use it for a different project, such as a shed...why not, it is free material, and we are all about saving money and the environment.

This entire project cost $500.00 and 8 hours labor for a brand new "crisp and sharp" front exterior look.

Remember, there are no rules in exterior decorating. You can have a different color vinyl siding in the front only, just like brick, cedar shank, etc.

We will show finished pictures of this building in the spring.

My Son's Bedroom Makeover #5

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 19:55:00 +0000

Ahhh, here is the almost complete picture.

All the walls recieved new paint and the room recieved a much needed cleaning.

I had removed about 2 years worth of trash and junk.

I purchased the black bedspread to tie things together and I am dying the old curtains black to match.

Another example of recycling here!

My Son's Beroom Makeover #4

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 19:42:00 +0000

Here is the almost finished project. Here we have removed the tape and the opposite wall has been painted.

I am still unsure of the colors, but it looks nice!

My Son's Bedroom Makeover #3

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 19:39:00 +0000

Now adding the 3rd color a almost mint or seafoam green.

We started to "cut in" the green on the opposite wall too.

My Son's Bedroom Makeover #2

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 19:36:00 +0000

I decided to add the black boxes to even the color out.

Each square was taped off with "blue" painters tape and 2 coats of paint was applied to each square.

You can see some of the mess!

My Son's Bedroom Makeover #1

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 19:19:00 +0000

My sons bedrrom has been a huge mess for sometime so we decided to give it a makeover.

He chose the colors and I chose the pattern.

True Family Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 22:14:00 +0000

This is funny! This is what my dad does after Thanksgiving dinner.

This is Carol (L) , myself and Kim (R). How embarrassing? We really do not look like this.

Cheap and Creative Bedroom Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 03:04:00 +0000

Are you tired of a spare bedroom's look and desire a new look without spending a fortune?

Well, then we may have a simple in-expensive solution for you.

We gave this room (pictured) a brand new look by applying new paint, utilizing a old closet door, styrafoam, cushion foam, fabric, hot glue gun, staple gun and a little sweat equity....and wala....a fresh new look for a real low price. Your friends and family will never believe you did this your self!

Head Board for queen size bed:

We found a used closet door and cut the length down to 64 inches long, glued on 2 inch foam on te front face, wrapped in fabric and stapled from the back. We used "J" style mirror clips to hang the head board to the wall.

Window Valance to match:

(measure window trim, outside edge to outside edge and make the inside opening of the valance to be approx 2 inches over size)

We cut and glued 3/4 inch strafoam (basement insulation) together forming a box (4 sides: top, front, rght side and left side....there is no back or bottom). After gluing the styrafoam together with a hot glue gun, we wrapped in fabric and glued to foam. We dressed the bottom edge with lace for a finished look. To install the valance over the window, we set it on the window trim...it is very light...sometimes you may have to nail it to the wall from the top side.

We chose a velvet olive and gold stripped fabric for a more elegant feel. This head board works great as a back rest for sitting in bed and reading or watching TV, because of the 2 inch thick foam.

Check with us in the future for more "trash to treasures" ideas, we are full of them :-)

Cottage Living Room Remodel

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 18:48:00 +0000

This is a picture of our cottage living room on Hess Lake.

We remodeled it and removed a wall between the kitchen and living room to open things up and also removed a closet next to the door.

We also removed the carpeting and installed the wood flooring here and in the kitchen.

We had knock down texture applied to the walls and I choose these light colors to compliment the furniture.

We also had new trim installed on throughout and it looks great. Final touches included new plantation wood blinds.

Paint "washing" with plastic bag

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 18:29:00 +0000

This was my interesting paint scheme for the bathroom at our cottage.

The technique I used here was to use a two headed roller that came with a divided tray for separating colors.

Working on small area at a time, I would then use a plastic bag and give it the "wash" look.

I chose to look to match the marble floors and bisque colored tub and toilet.

The antique dresser was spray painted black as was the vanity base, picture frames and towel bars.

The antique dresser was just sitting in my basement and decided to recycle it?

Make old new again

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 15:59:00 +0000

This dresser in the kids room of one of our vacation rentals, it was given to use and was broken.

We fixed the broken drawer guides, sanded it down and spray painted it blue and also painted the sail boat on it along with the sun.

This is really a cool looking dresser and we only have a little time into repairs and painting. It took less than a couple of hours.

Even the futon bunk bed was recycled and repainted. Watch for new recycling ideas here.

Fishing Hess Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 15:52:00 +0000

The fishing continues to be good on Hess Lake and area waters. These little guys continue to locate the crappies.

Hess Lake is an all-sports lake with a perimeter of 5.75 miles, consisting of 755 acres with a maximum dept of 28 feet. Major game fish include blue gill, speckled bass (crappie) Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike.

Newaygo County has over 230 natural lakes and 350 miles of rivers and streams, 2 huge dams remain, Croton and Hardy. Hardy is the largest earthen dam East of the Mississippi. The Muskegon River continues to be the main attraction for summer cottage residents and fisherman, who find it nearly the best source for steel head in the spring and salmon in the fall, anywhere in Michigan.

Deer Hunting

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 15:42:00 +0000

The hunting has been good this year! Our family has taken a nice five point and a spike horn.

The guys hunt the Manistee National Forest in Newaygo. To learn more about hunting in Newaygo visit the DNR

Upcomming events include mussle loading, ice fishing cross country skiing and more.

If you are interested in booking a family vacation in Newaygo, visit Hess Lake We provide quailty and affordable year round vacation rentals on Hess Lake any area water ways.

Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Sherri Russell) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 16:34:00 +0000

My name is Sherri, and I created this blog to post my families activities on Hess Lake. My family owns a cottage on Hess Lake and we also run a vacation rental business called Hess Lake Vacation Rentals. You may visit our website and book your own family vacation.

I will chronicle all the happenings on Hess Lake and introduce some craft ideas to keep the kids busy or even share some of my decorating ideas.

I hope that you will bookmark me and return often.