Our Story

Well I thought I would tell the story about how the Purvis Family came to be.


Me my Senior Year 1998-1999


Me and Chip went to school together, but I really didn't know him until high school. Back then I was dating someone else and if you would have told me that at the age of 28 I would be married to Chip and have 2 boys by him I would have thought you were crazy. I was much in love with someone else and like alot of high school romances it came to a end. That summer after I graduated high school me and Chip started hanging out with other friends we had in common. After they all went to college me and Chip were still hanging out and well Chip was in love but I took a little more convincing.


At the time I was still much in love with my ex and well being in a relationship for 2 almost 3 years with him I was not looking for another one. Chip was, and the time this was hard for him. Then over time I came to love him very much and we started dating.



Me and Chip when we were dating


Me and Chip dated for a few years and then decided that we would get married. I did not want a big wedding I really would have been fine with the justice of the peace to marry us by his truck but my parents and my soon to be in laws wanted to be there. So on Sept. 25th 2001 me and Chip woke up and decided that would be the day. We contacted the justice of the peace and she said she could marry us but we had to be there in 30 min. So in a big hurry we all ran to her house.


T
This is me walking down to my soon be be hubby

Then we went on our honeymoon to Memphis,TN. We had a great time and then our life was all about this.


Our Animal Babies


Until one month latter when I got preggo.


Then on July 23rd, 2002 at 12:45pm Ian Bradley was born. Weighing 8lbs 4.5oz and 20 inches long.


For the next 3 years this is what our life was all about.








Then This happened again



On April 19th at 2:51 pm Bradon Alexander was born. Weighing 7lbs 8oz and 18 1/2 inches long.



Then once again our like changed and it was all about this.












Of course me and Chip still love each other.


Oh and life Changed again and we added someone else to the picture.

Our Lady Bug

So now life is

Me, My Boys, and a Little Dog.

I know you just won't believe this but it rained again yesterday!

This is the backyard.



This is the front yard.


Today it looks better and they say we should have no more rain for at least a week, but I will have to see it first to believe it. Today I am going to take the boys outside and try to find some dry land that they can play on. Then tonight we will go to my moms house. I think everyone is getting a little bit of cabin fever. We have not been out of the house since Sunday. Ian didn't get to go to church yesterday because all the rain so he was sad about that. I just feel like summer is passing us by because we have been stuck in the house. The upside to all of this is that my house has been real clean.

Some Changes

Well I have Changed the name of my blog no longer just Purvis Family now known as Me, My Boys, And A Little Dog.


So not much to say today it is still raining here in Arkansas. If it does not stop soon we might just float away. Well like I said there is not much to say today. I am right now sitting on the bed with Lady watching Frasier. My husband is sitting across the room on his computer and is also playing his PS3. The boys are in bed and well it being 11:38 pm I guess I should be in bed to. I of course am a night owl so this is my alive time.


Ian gets to go to church tomorrow so he is happy. I think he is enjoying his time off of school but he gets bored during the day I think. Maybe things will be better when it stops raining and we are able to get outside, and maybe if we get the pool up do some swimming.


Well I guess I will close this post with a recipe. You will learn if you don't already know that I love recipes. So here it is.....


Restaurant Style Hashbrown Casserole


1 (2lb.) Frozen Hashbrown thawed
1/2 cup butter softened
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (10.75 oz) cream of chicken
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in large bowl pour in pan & cook 35 min.

I love you but I hate you

I love the summer but I hate it to and here is the reason .....
KILLER MOSQUITOES!!!!!!!!!



This is not the biggest that I have seen but this one was unlucky enough to land on Bradon's head and momma took him out! I mean these things could take out a small animal!!!


Everything else about summer I love. I love the heat, the fact that I can swim and do other outside things. Speaking of Summer here are some pics of the kids that I took today.



Ok I asked Ian to smile I guess he got confussed or he just didn't want to do what his momma was telling him to do. Oh I love him and think he is a very handsome man.



Ok Bradon is trying to drink out of a water gun that has been in the yard for almost a week. GROSS!! I am not sure what that boy won't do, but his momma loves him all the same.

Ok some if anyone might be saying "Why is there a tent in your yard" or "oh she took the kids to a park" Well this is my front yard and the tent you see is in the park that is across the street from my house. It is the county park and in the summer it gets full of campers and tents. Across from that park is a lake. Here is a hint of of what lake I live right across from... It is the largest oxbow lake in Noth America. Ok lets see if I am the only one reading this blog :) Well I guess that is all for tonight.

How To Tell Him

Well I must say I have no clue what I want to say. Yep no more then a couple of days into the blog world and I have hit a wall. I guess I could tell you about how my son Ian is obsessed with his great grandfather. I am sure you are saying to yourself about right now "So he likes his great grandfather". Well let me just say that Ian does not know his great grandfather. He died before Ian turned 2 so I know he has no memory of him. Well Ian has just been going on and on about how much he likes his great grandfather and he pretends that sometimes he is his great grandfather. Infact that was the game he played today at his granny's house. He was Papa Joe and his cousin was his dog stinker.


I guess Ian feels like he knows him because the room he stayed in at my in laws now holds all the kids toys and is still called papa Joe's room. So one day Ian wanted to know who this papa Joe was. I told Ian the best way you can tell a 6 year old about death is that papa Joe died and that he was up in heaven. Ian does not grasp the concept of death. He thinks the cemetery is a place where you go to die not where they put you when you die. I have tried to explain to him that no that you have to die first to be put there. He just doesn't get that the physical death is a permanent situation. I really don't know what to do about this topic. Do you tell your children about death. That everyone will die one day? or is that something that you just kind of figure out yourself? I don't remember anyone telling me about death. I just don't want to scare Ian. He gets scared very easily. Well anyways I guess that is all for tonight.

Rain Rain Go Away!

Ugh all it has been doing is raining here in Southeast Arkansas. Of course we have so much to do outside and we can't. Not only because the rain won't stop but also even if it does it will take days for it to dry enough to do anything. We have a pool to put up and a privacy fence to build around it. I also need to get out and spray the roses. My poor roses have a fungus that I need to spray but of course when I got the spray the rain started and now won't stop. Also the fungus is worsened by keeping the leaves wet so I am sure my poor babies are a fungus ridden mess out there.


Today was a slow day for dinner I cooked catfish, french fries, and hush puppies. My husband did something that I am sure was a sin. He put RANCH DRESSING ON HIS FISH! Not only does that just seem gross to me I am sure it is unsouthern of him. He has been raised in Mississippi and Arkansas so he has no excuse. Oh speaking of the rain my baby Lady is not liking it at all. The back yard is under water and she has to walk out in it to go to the bathroom. When I let her out the back door she just gives me a look like you have to be kidding me right?!?! Well here are some pics of some of my flowers in better days.



Daffodil


Double Delight Rose


Peace Rose


Suppose to be a blue rose but looks more purple to me


4th of July Rose

Happy Mothers Day!

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day

With little time to stop and pray

For life's been anything but calm

Since You called on me to be a mom

Running errands, matching socks Building dreams

with building blocks Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes

And other stuff that children lose Fitting lids on bottled bugs

Wiping tears and giving hugs A stack of last weeks mail to read

So where's the quiet time I need?

Yet when I steal a minute, Lord Just at the sink or ironing board

To ask the blessings of Your grace I see then, in my small one's face

That you have blessed me

All the while And I stop to kiss That precious smile.

I always think about how lucky I am to have my boys I really don't know what I did with my life before having them. They are just everything to me. Ian's school did cards and sent home a flower. It has to be the sweetest card and the funniest thing I have read in a long time. One part of it said "my mom looks the prettiest when she dresses up to go to Walmart on Fridays when my dad gets home at 6:30" Oh it is so true I never get dressed up until Fridays and Sundays when I go to church. Well I wouldn't call it getting dressed I put on makeup and get out of my pj's.

We had a good mothers day we went to my in laws and gave Chips mom her gift and then went to my moms and ate and gave mothers day gifts. Then we came home Ian went to church and I cleaned and cooked. The only bad thing about the day was it rained and rained. I am beginning to think it will never stop. For a moment the sun came out and it was so very beautiful. It was still raining but the way the sun was shining everything was so bright. It almost seemed unreal the beauty of it. God is so good even after all the ugly rain he gave us a moment of simple beauty and that was just enough that moment.

Here is a picture of Ian's flower he gave me for Mother's Day. I am not sure what kind of flower it is but I love it!

Yum Yum!

Well I must say cooking is not my favorite thing to do but I for some reason love to try new recipes. Oh and I love to eat!!! I especially love Mexican food and it is something I can never get enough of. So I thought I would share some recipes that my family loves and some that just me and my husband love.

Amish Breakfast Casserole

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 35 Min
READY IN 50 Min

Serving size 12

INGREDIENTS
1 pound sliced bacon, diced or sausage (or go crazy and do both)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

I cooked this casserole for dinner one night and it is very filling.

Chili

2 1/2 ground chuck

1 med. onion chopped

1 large clove garlic chopped

1-6oz tomato sauce

2 level T. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/3 tsp. oregano

1 T. salt

1 T. vinegar

1 qt. water

Brown ground chuck and drain; set aside. Saute onion, and garlic in large

skillet, stirring constantly. Put all ingredients together in 4 or 5 qt. cooker. Cook to desired

doneness. Freezes well.

Taco Casserole

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 cup water

1/2 cup thick & smooth taco sauce-med

4 oz diced green chilies

1 can sliced olives

1 package taco seasoning mix-regular

1 package 4.5oz taco shells Broken

2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes (optional)

1/8 cup sliced green onion (optional)

Preheat oven 375 degrees cook beef, onion, garlic, until beef is brown, drain

stir in water taco seasoning mix, taco sauce, chilies, 1/4 cup olives, cook over low

heat for 3 to 4 min. Layer half broken taco shells on bottom of greased 12x8 inch

baking pan. Cover with half of meat sauce, sprinkle with 1 cup cheese (repeat shells)

Bake 20 25 min or until cheese is melted or bubbly. Top with remaining olives,

tomatoes and onions.

When making this I skip the casserole thing. I cook the meat mixture as directed and

then instead of taco shells I get chips and make a nacho or a dip and topped with

sour cream. YUM YUM!

Well if anyone is reading this and has any recipes please pass them along :)

Meet the Family

Hello My name is Crystal I am 28 years old and live in a small town in Arkansas. I enjoy reading, photography, and gardening. I am the mother of 2 boys and have been married to my wonderful husband for 7 years. I also love the lord and my family with all my heart.

This is my husband Chip. He is the love of my life and bestfriend. He is also a wonderful father to our 2 boys and a hard worker.

This is my 6 year old son Ian. He is a very sweet loving little boy. He enjoys playing computer games and his DS. He also loves going to church every time the doors are open.

This is my 3 year old son Bradon. He is also very sweet and loving and enjoys going to church. His love affair is with anything tractor. He loves to watch someone mow grass and loves going to Walmart.

Last but not least is our dog Lady. We adopted her last year and little did we know how much we would love her and she love us. She loves playing with he stuffed dog and loves loves to eat.