2014 Crumbs Family Christmas Letter

Written by Mr. Crumbs

Merry Christmas Friends!

This post is a little out of the norm for us. Not a recipe, frugal money saving tip, kitchen hack, mole removal tutorial, but more like a Christmas letter. We’re taking the week off from posting to spend time with our family and friends, and hope that you are able to do the same. Have no fear! Our regular posting schedule will resume after Christmas with more good reads coming your way.

So… who is writing this letter? This is Mr. Crumbs (Mike), in the flesh speaking (typing). Frankly, Mrs. Crumbs looked pretty tired last night, and has been so incredibly busy working on Frugal Real Food Meal Plans, that I offered to write her Monday post as a Crumbs Christmas letter, and encouraged her to take next week off of her regular posting schedule. So then, here we go!

2014 Crumbs Christmas Letter

2014 has been an interesting, fun and challenging year for us. We’ve grown a lot as a family, made some wonderful friends, as well as reclaimed some older friendships. Our kids are now 5 and 7 (wow) and can now swim. I have a plethora of gray hairs (which I occasionally pull with tweezers) and Tiffany (Mrs. Crumbs) continues to plug away as the author of Crumbs, our online home. Despite the gray hairs, Tiffany and I have been overwhelmed this year by the realities of God’s amazing grace; we pray that He will continue to grow and use us.

Our son, Joshua, lost his first tooth. Mrs. Crumbs pulled his second and his third is hanging on by a thread. Yes, it drives us crazy that he won’t let us pull it. It’s been like…  a month… and a dentist visit… and that tooth is still hanging on for dear life!

As for our daughter Abbie: we think she’ll be a doctor. Actually, she’s more likely to be a comedian. Or a hostage negotiator. Always trying to negotiate for an extra scoop of ice cream. It’s really fun watching their personalities change as they mature.

We were fortunate to spend some time in Southern California with our entire family this past September for Tiffany’s grandmother’s 75th birthday. We also were fortunate to make it up to Mount Lassen last April for a small weekend trip.

Looking Back…

We’re always amazed when we look back over the last few years and see how this blog has grown.  Crumbs first started out as a very, non-serious idea – a place where Tiffany was able to share recipes and tips and tricks around the house with her friends and family. The site was literally born on a lunch break one day, with the help of one of our web savvy friends. Our humble beginnings looked more like this:

Gotta love the sticky note!

As the site grew, we questioned our purpose in continuing to pour time and energy into the blog. Not only did we want it to be a place where you can come to for kitchen hacks and money saving tips, but also a ministry to help others around us. We’ve been incredibly blessed by the grace of God, and ultimately want to share our gifts with you: helping you trim your grocery budget and feed your family healthier food. I pray that we’ve been an encouragement to you in this area.

It’s been over two years since the start of Crumbs and we’ve learned a LOT in terms of having a presence online. We’ve had to upgrade hosting three times; learn things like css, html, sql, web optimization and so on…

We are still trying to get a grip on photography, videography and lighting. Really, it feels like we have no idea what we’re doing half the time – we just sort of learn as we go – dependent on Google for help in all areas technical. But it’s fun. And we love it.

And you guys the reason we keep doing it!

Looking Forward…

We ultimately want to keep serving you.

We haven’t lost sight of that over the past few years, and we hope never to lose that focus (if we do, please tell us). And we want Crumbs to be a place that you continue to enjoy and visit; a place where you can learn (as we learn) and be encouraged. Also, we love your comments that you leave, and hope you will always feel that you are able to share with us – whether or not you agree with us!

Thank you for clicking on those pesky ads in the side bar and buying products when we have an affiliate program in place  – every single click helps keep the lights on in the Crumbs house (the website that is). As the blog grows, so do the expenses (unfortunately). Every little bit helps, and we thank you for your continued support.

Coming December 29th will be the official launch of Frugal Real Food Meal Plans, which we’re really excited about. We’ve poured a lot of time and energy into this product, really wanting to make it the best, most all-inclusive meal plan on the market. During launch week, we have it priced at a pretty much unimaginable price point too. We really do hope that those of you who purchase it are blessed by it, and that it will help you and your family.

Wait… Did we forget something?

Oh yes. Christmas! Did you see this photo on our Instagram page?

Do you know what month that was taken? September. Really? Really.

It’s really easy to lose focus on the true meaning of Christmas, when every year, it’s a media blitz of shopping ads.

I believe the Charlie Brown Christmas story sums up the meaning of Christmas best, with the Gospel of Luke 2:8-14:

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the perfect son of God who ultimately died for our sins. Let’s not lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Because of Him, we have life.

The Crumbs family would like to wish you a Merry Christmas. We pray that you will have a wonderful time with your family and friends!