New bundle of joy!

Tis the season for the holiday's! This holiday season for our family is especially sweet! My sister and brother-in-law have welcomed a new bundle of joy to their family! He is perfect and the cutest little peanut ever!

It is awesome to see how excited the older siblings are too! As we sat and waited for hours upon hours at the hospital they couldn't hold themselves still waiting to see the boy!

BTW aunt Jeni guessed the weight and length exactly! I know I know I'm amazing you don't have to tell me...lol yeah right that never happens to me!

Xander Jett was born Dec. 2, 2010
7lbs. 2oz. 19in. long

Mom and family are doing great:)

Happy Holiday's

God Bless

Eeeek it has been awhile

Time sure has flown by lately. I guess I need to get better at this blogging thing.....lol I have to admit some days I am really into it and want to share the world with everyone, and then there are other days I feel like no one needs to know everything that is happening in my life...lol not to mention I'm kind of boring:) hey at least there isn't drama right?
Since Aug. Chad and I have been really busy and when we are not busy we like to just relax at home (some people still just do not understand that we like to be home). This year as been a roller coaster with my job status:( one minute they tell me my last day is Aug. the next they tell me its sometime at the end of the year. I have now heard it will be Dec. 31. I guess we will wait to see. While I appreciate them keeping me as long as they have while we are in the process of shutting down, it can be frustrating not knowing an exact date of when I will be available for another job. Needless to say I have not had any job interviews which is very scary because the time is ticking. However for some reason I am not that stressed I know this is entirely in God's hands and he will take care of us how he sees fit!
Other then that Chad and I haven't really been doing a hole lot because of my job situation and not knowing. We did manage to get one camping trip in this year...it was a much needed short vacation. I am hoping next year we will be able to make it up to Avalanche Creek in MT. that place is stunning! Not to mention on our way we go right through Yellowstone and I have never been there so it would be a double whammy for me!

As for now there isn't much else to update you on. I promise to start updating more frequently rather then every 3 months...lol

What dreams may come

I don't ever remember dreaming as a little girl about wanting to be a stay at home wife who cherishes every moment with her home schooled kids and husband. In fact I remember how much I wanted to be a professional softball player like Dot Richardson. Don't get me wrong I would still love to be that, but God had a different plan for me my car accident will not allow me to play ball anymore and I am now ok with that. I still have my days were I feel sorry for myself and I miss ball like crazy. I miss the feeling of being a team. Chad and I are a team yes, but having 12 girls on your side through thick and thin is something different then a husband and wife team.

Anyway back to my point I really don't ever remember having dreams of making things from scratch or anything homemade like that. Oh how the days have turned, all I can dream about is one day being able to stay home with our kids (none yet) and be that mom that always has nutritional food that is made from scratch. I guess you can say I am a Laura Ingalls wanna be of sorts. I want to teach my kids things that I was never taught growing up and teach them the value in family. Neither side of my family ever had "that" grandma, you know the grandma that has homemade bread and cans her garden every year. Well I want to be that one day...lol I'm sure some of you are like lady you are so crazy why do that when its so easy to go to the store and buy it now days...well we are all different and I cherish the values that our ancestors were taught and had and I want those values to never fade away.

Grow up!

So lately Chad and I have been getting alot of grief that all we ever talk about is our garden and how much we want a farm etc. etc. We just blow it off when people think we are dumb for talking about our successful garden, but then there are times when I feel like telling them you know what if you only knew what you were putting into your body with all your store bought crap and boxed food then and only maybe then you might not think Chad and I are so dumb. All I can say is when those people who are making fun us find themselves not prepared for the food shortage we will one day have, or find themselves on deaths bed because they have been eating out and eating all the horrible things from the store. Please do not come crying to us and asking us for help. Yeah this is not the Christian thing to do by saying this, but that is what I feel like telling these people! I may have mercy on you when the time comes and I will always forgive you, but you will learn a huge lesson and then maybe think Chad and I are not so dumb huh?

Wow I guess I needed to vent there for a moment, but I'm done now:) I feel so much better!

Harvest Keeper Challenge

What have you preserved this season? Because we had a pretty wet and cold spring our garden is just taking off. Everyday I have a morning ritual I of coarse grab my cup of coffee and go walk our garden. I look at all the new growth we have going on and see what might be ready to harvest soon. It is such a relaxing way for me to get my morning started.

This year I have already preserved strawberry jam, raspberry jam and made dill pickles for the first time! (hope those turn out)

I hope you join me in this challenge! Check out the Dervaes blog! They are rockin on preservation already this year!! www.pathtofreedom.com

Spread the preservation movement: share, email, post this challenge – the more people participating the better.




By being a HARVEST KEEPER you are



- Providing nutritious food for your family

- Ensuring food security

- Improving quality of life

- Saving money

- Reducing food miles, fuel & energy dependence

- Reducing waste with excessive packaging



Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Garden Update

This morning as I was wondering through our garden I couldn't help but be filled with joy! Every where I looked something was growing or already to be picked. This is why I continue to garden the reward is almost breathtaking.


This morning I picked about 10 pickle cucumbers and I can't wait to try pickling them! I have never tried it before and I cannot wait to try them. I better cross my fingers and hope they turn out...lol

The Story of Cosmetics (2010)

I have to admit Chad and I have not always been into the holistic and organic treatments like we are now. As we keep learning more everyday the more we find ourselves not wanting to touch, eat, drink or use anything. I am sure some think we are going a little extreme, but I believe maybe those folks are just the ones that are not educated enough to know the difference.


As you know I follow a blog called Path to Freedom I love this blog and I continue to learn things from them everyday! Today they had a post about toxic cosmetics:( It just amazes me that the government has so much control about the health of the country and it saddens me to see consumers like myself seeing that on the label it says organic and natural so we automatically believe it!





Guess the Hippies and Amish have been right all along! I know I liked the old pioneer days for a reason!

Very sad to read about

This saddens me to no other...to see a farm that is over 300 years old (the nations oldest farm) being sold because they can't keep up with the industrialized food chain is heartbreaking. I wish people would educate themselves and learn that the food you buy at wal-mart, target etc. is not healthy for you! I sometimes wonder if anyone even knows what a fresh of the vine veggie taste like...I'm sure most would think it tasted like it was bad or something...heartbreaking....maybe Food Inc. should be on every single tv station so that people can get a glimpse into what they are eating!

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2010/07/27/nations_oldest_running_family_farm_put_on_market_in_nh/?page=full

The garden is growing very nicely!!!!

Keeping the dream alive...continued

So the other day I wrote how Chad and I want to some day have land and live off the land rather then off the big corporations we all live off of now. To many people rely on the big corp. for food, but as the economy has fallen some have turned to growing their own food. Chad and I love that more and more people are doing this! To grow your own food is so empowering, you become one with nature and there is nothing more rewarding then being tuned into nature and with animals. Your stress levels seem to simply dwindle away and for a moment time seems to stop cold. To Chad and I it feels so good to get our hands dirty and do manual labor!


Now more about our dream, that I love sharing with people. We are vigorously working to find a way to buy some land. Our goal is to live off the land and to live off the grid with a few modern twist of coarse. Now I know to some people this is just so bizarre why would someone want to go back and live like the pioneers did. Well for some it’s the simple life that they love, but it’s not for everyone. Chad & I have always loved how our pioneers lived and how hard they worked! Chad and I have so many ideas on how we will accomplish our goals and so many dreams that I don’t think they will all happen in this lifetime….lol but here are a few things Chad and I plan to use or do to lesson our carbon footprint on this earth!

-We plan to use solar energy for power, kerosene lanterns and a gas stove so I can preserve our bounty.

-Heating will be with a wood stove

-We will have as many hand-powered appliances as possible.

-Conserving gray water for watering the garden etc.

-Raise our own animals for dairy, eggs and meat.

-We will be making our own bath soap etc.

-We plan to buy second hand furniture.

-We also plan to have a metal roof coated with sand put on our house.

-We are going to be building a Cob Earth Oven to cook in.





Well this list could go on and on, on what we want to accomplish by living green and being self sufficient. I think most of you get the idea though.



For now Chad and I will keep praying our dream comes true.

Trying to keep the dream alive

As most of you know Chad and I's dream is to one day have a farm and be self sufficient. Well as we have been vigorously looking for property all over Utah we sometimes think "man this will never happen" land right now is hit and miss you have to look everyday for new listings and act quick if you want a fighting chance for them too. Some days are tough to were we feel we should just give up and maybe look again in a few years, but we keep telling ourselves no that is not the option if we want this dream to happen then we must push for it until we have it! To some we may sound so silly but we really want to take a step back in time and live like our pioneer families did in the past....with a few modern twist such as solar power for electricity we will still be using oil lanterns most of the time....we also want to build a cob earth oven to cook in...heating will be with a wood burning stove and well many other pioneer ways that are just so long to list. I know some people especially some of our family think that we are so silly for wanting to do this "why live like that when you can run down to the store and get it, or there is a reason we don't live like that anymore" well to Chad and I we are trying to lighten our carbon footprint we leave on this earth. If you visit www.pathtofreedom.com you will get a real sense of how Chad and I want to live, but with more land the Dervaes family is so inspiring to us! They live pretty much exactly like Chad and I want to live!! OFF THE GRID!!!! I would also like to be more feminine don't get me wrong I will always be a tom boy, but I think its time for me to soften up a bit and I love the dress and apron that our pioneer ancestors wore...the women were strong and could do anything they wanted, but they were also feminine!

To some this is just something to laugh at, but what are we hurting by wanting to live our life like this?

I have to run so I will get into more details tomorrow:)

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day and while we all wanted to have the daddy's have an amazing day we were all sadly reminded that it was the 1 year anni. of when we lost our dear Logan. We know Logan was called home early because he had far to many bigger jobs to do with God then he could do down here. I think sometimes we never understand God's way which I think we aren't suppose to fully understand anyway, its just hard sometimes. Logan we all love and miss you so much!!!

Its been awhile

Wow I haven't posted anything new for over 3 weeks now, so I thought I better get to updating. There really isn't anything new for us. We have been really really busy with yard work and getting the garden all planted and trying to keep it alive (we have had some strange weather this year so its been a task) so far this year we have already harvested radishes, arugula and spinach. This year we have also had to move to the front yard because even after we extended our garden we still just couldn't quite fit everything we wanted. So we now have 12 tomato plants in the front yard (we will see if our house gets tomato'ed or if they just get stolen) in the front we also have a row of radishes, carrots and two rows of green beans..Chad also was sneaky and snuck in a few things of corn here and there...lol Non of this counts the full garden we have! In it we have planted peas, spinach, green onions, carrots, radishes, arugula, Romain lettuce, garlic, onions, 3 rows of corn, tomatoes galor 32 plants to be exact, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, 25 bell pepper plants, jalapenos, cucumbers, artichoke, asparagus, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries (red & golden) and herbs all over the place! Did you get lost in that list? I better get my canning gear ready come August and September!

You are all probably wondering why we are planting so much food, well Chad and I would like to one day be self-sufficient and on a farm! We are also learning to eat in season and if we can't grow it ourselves, then we are trying to buy local. If you haven't seen Food Inc. then I highly recommend you watch it! Be AWARE however that you may go out back and in front and dig up your grass to have more space for planting and growing your own vegetables and fruit! Chad and I enjoy growing and working hard for our food that it is so rewarding to us rather then a chore for some...there is nothing better then walking out to the garden, picking fresh produce and then walking 30 feet back inside and eating it! Or on a sat. morning working in the quiet garden with a cup of coffee before the sun rises completely...that in itself is rewarding enough for me!

Lastly to update you on is our animal's:) We have extended the outside chicken coop to make room for the ducks and their pool. They will be going outside at the end of this month.
I have also been trying to talk Chad into letting me get two pygmy goats..he isn't completely convinced about having them yet (he would like to wait for more property) but I am sure I can convince him soon enough:) Our path to self-sustainability is slowly coming in swing! Now if there just a charity to help us raise money for land! LMAO

3 Years Ago!!!

3 Years ago today we were married!!! I can't believe its been 3 years already!! Time flies by so fast, we are each others best friends and are more in love now then I ever thought possible! In 3 wonderful years of marriage we have added many things to our family...we have Sieger (our first born) Diesel (our second) Sadie (our newest rescued addition this year) 15 chickens, and 4 ducks! Our lives have changed so much that I often look back and can't remember what our old lives use to be like. Chad has went from a total punk with a mo hawk to a total cowboy...I know I know one extreme to the next right? However I think he has always been a cowboy at heart...hahaha

Anyway I can't wait to spend a nice weekend alone with my hubby!!! We have some really sweet plans:) We are staying a night at the Homestead in Midway and also going Horseback riding!!! We haven't been able to do anything like this for any other anniversaries (lack of funds lol) so we are more then ecstatic to have fun this weekend:)  Here is to the next 50 Hubby!!! LOVES!!!!

LOVE IT!!!

So I think most of you know by now that I am a country girl at heart...not a cowgirl, but a country girl there is a difference...lol anywho I just found this adorable Lemonade jar!! I can't wait to use it and wanted to share with all of you how cute it is!!! Are you old when things like this excite you?

Newest additions + 2 more!!!

So I think that working at IFA part time and me being the animal lover that I am are not the best thing...lol I finally talked Chad into letting me get two ducks. So I had a gal at my work order me two females so we wouldn't have to worry about getting a male and a female and then worry about having fertilized eggs...lol So last thurs. I get my two female ducklings, well I couldn't just leave the other two ducks alone at my work for them to possibly get taken to a home that would be mean and neglect them. So again I talked Chad into letting me get the other two ducklings so now we have a grand total of 4 Khaki ducks!!! Two females and two unknown...guess we will see what we get...lol I have heard that duck eggs are very good to bake with, and since I love to bake so much I am very excited to try them...plus I have also read that duck eggs are alot better for you because they are low in cholesterol...lol

The newest addition to the Vandall Urban Homestead

Yesterday was a great day!!! We found out that Austin's brian tumor is benign!!! We also got two new Khaki female ducks!! We still haven't figured out names for them yet. Our Homestead just keeps on growing!!

New to blogging

So after fighting to not have a blog, I have broken down and decided to finally create one. With our lives being so buzy now days I wanted my family and friends to have a way to stay updated on what has been going on in our life:) I wish there was enough time in the day to be able to speak to all of you, but there just isn't time. So I hope you enjoy and remember I'm new at this! lol