life lately! JULY jottings with the GRANDS!
- Aug 7
- 9 min read
Updated: Aug 14
Friday, August 7, 2026
Welcome Back to Our Grand Lives!
July always seems to find a way of filling our days
with sunshine, laughter, and more memories than we can count.
As we looked back through photos and reflected on the past month,
we realized these weren't just highlights…
They were little jottings of a summer well spent!
Some months are best told as one big story.
This July, however, is best remembered through a collection of little jottings
- special moments, shared adventures, and everyday memories -
that together fill the pages of our summer scrapbooks.
Here are a few of our favorite July Jottings with the GRANDS!
July was hot and humid here in Minnesota.
But that didn’t stop us from enjoying summer.
There was lots to do!
We spent July 4th at a local parade where Little P finally understood
its o.k. to pick up candy off the street!
Then we spent the rest of the hot day with family at Daughter A’s house.
Our Little D turned 5-years-old!
We celebrated with a
Wizard of Oz party
with cousins, aunts, uncles, and Grands in attendance!
Our own little Dorothy was thrilled!
Did you notice Dorothy's ruby red slippers?
The following week it was off to teach Vacation Bible School at our church!
My great niece and nephews all go too!
It’s always a great week,
but I am always so tired when it comes to an end!
Sometimes I wonder...
How did I teach for 34 years??
This summer, after watching her older cousins
play softball/baseball for so many years,
Little D decided to join the pack and gave T-ball a try!
We laughed at how cute it is when someone hits the ball
and the entire team runs to pick it up!
Such energy!!!
Then came 2 more birthdays a week apart!!
We spent my husband’s b-day at a local winery
enjoying a concert, food and drink…
…and then we spent MY birthday at home
with my favorite dinner on the menu,
grilled quesadillas and gin & tonics!
And yes - you are not seeing things!
There are 2 cakes!
My kids are gluten-free, and while we usually make our dinners with them completely GF ,
my homemade birthday cake comes with many memories.
There is a very dear story behind this cake.
I first shared this memory last year but, as a recap,
each year on my birthday, my husband bakes a special cake for me!
When I was little, my mom always made me a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting
and she decorated it with M&Ms.
1967
When I reached my teens, my mom asked me if I wanted a “store-bought” cake. Of course, I thought that would be cool so I said “yes”.
My mom passed away when I was in my mid-twenties, and on that first birthday without her, my husband asked what I wanted for my birthday. I told him that the only thing I truly wanted was a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and decorated with M&Ms.
He has made this birthday cake for me every year since - for the past 36 years now! (And, he decorates with many more M&Ms than my mom ever put on!) This year, he outdid himself and made TWO cakes, including one GF one for our kids!
Every bite is a loving memory!
The week after my birthday, Hubby and I headed
to a week along the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota.
Even though my hip is still sore,
by taking Advil every day, we got lots of hiking in.
We made it all the way up to the Canadian border
stopping at six state parks along the way.
We didn’t hike them all because we needed to get back to Duluth
to see our Daughter-in-Law’s band, Maria and the Coins, in concert!
They were playing a show at Concerts on the Pier!
It was a great show!
The band played from the pier at Glensheen Mansion along the Lake Superior shoreline and you can watch from the grounds/beach or via your boat or any watercraft imaginable from the water. There were more than 2000 people in attendance!
So many people noticed our Maria and the Coins shirts and asked about them.
We were so proud to be able to say “well, that’s our DIL!”
as they complimented the great sound.
For anyone interested, here’s the link to my DIL's band’s website!
We spent the last days of our week exploring Duluth.
Then we headed home.
It was a beautiful way to close out July!
Oh - I almost forgot!
On the day after my birthday,
we stopped in at the bar at the resort we were staying at and played Bingo.
I won 2 TIMES! 2 free drinks!
I think year 63 is off to a good start!
Meanwhile, our July began with a quiet 4th at the lake.
It was just Hubby and I as I was still healing from my eyelid surgery.
A little time on the lake
and lots of time in the shade is what the doctor had ordered!
But, since I promised you all an update,
here you go -
2 ½ weeks post bleph surgery!
(My Hubby calls this my silly look - even with my new eyelids!)
We enjoyed freshly picked strawberries over the 4th!
The season is short here in Minnesota and Wisconsin
so we savor these yummy morsels when we can!
There's nothing like it! Summer in one bite!
After the holiday weekend we headed home for a few days.
The temps were dialing up so we took the convertible out for a spin!
and enjoyed a lovely lakeside drive one evening
as well as margaritas and apps nearby!
My favorite kind of dinner!
Mid July we headed back to the lake
for our annual Cousin Weekend!
I 🩷 a house filled with those I 🩷 !
The fun began on Thursday night and continued until Monday mid day!
Sadly, we were missing one branch of the family...
Keeping our fingers crossed that next year we might all be there!
Unfortunately, too, the wildfires from Canada/northern Minnesota
impacted our air quality quite a bit as our weekend began!
Thankfully, it improved within a day or two,
and while we were a bit affected at times,
it was nothing compared to those fighting those wildfires or living in the midst of them.
Our thoughts were with that community then and in the days since.
We’re grateful that many of those fires are now contained
but we know that isn’t the case elsewhere.
Our hearts go out to those who are still in the midst of such battles!
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Back to our Cousin Weekend…
Everyone arrived by Friday night of that weekend,
so, in honor of my Dad and what would have been his birthday,
we enjoyed what was his favorite dinner each year…
lasagna, spinach souffle', Caesar salad and garlic bread!
My mom would always say,
“Nothing like making lasagna on the hottest day of the year!”
So true!
My dad would have loved this meal
(even though the lasagna was not homemade this time)!
For dessert that night,
the celebration continued with a Root Beer Float Bar,
again in Dad’s honor!
Cheers!
My parents’ oldest great grandchild, enjoying his float!
All the Littles loved their cherries and sprinkles!
During the weekend we played in the water
and the Littles played on the trampoline with neighbors.
What a mess but oh so fun!!!
We ate s'mores
and read stories, snuggles included!
And then we did it ALL all over again!
Before we knew it, another Cousin Weekend was in the books!
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been making memories like this
since their aunt and their moms were the Littles in the photos!
My Daughter A, my niece B and my daughter J, early 2000’s.
And in 2026, three of our current Littles!
Daughter J’s Little L, Niece B’s Little L and Daughter J’s Little P!
Full circle fun!!!
We made a lot of silly memories together this year!
All weekend, I found myself thinking of my mom and dad.
I hope they were smiling down from above
seeing everyone gathered at the place they loved so dearly!!
After doing MANY loads of laundry following our Cousin Weekend,
Hubby and I headed home and even did another load or two of our own!
In fact, it often felt like we were living out of revolving suitcases during July
BECAUSE
two days later, while Hubby stayed home,
I headed to Wisconsin for a special weekend of fun!
This time I packed my GRAND Bag, too!
It was filled with goodies that you are bound to see in future posts!
My son-in-law was out of town for part of the weekend
and I spent 5 days with my girls - Daughter J, Little L, Little P and Daughter A!
Heaven for this GRAND!
One of the highlights of our weekend
was our 2nd Annual Girls’ Outing!
We went to The Fireside Theater in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin!
We had a lovely time with our SIL’s mom and sister, too!
We always have such fun together and this yearly event has become a FAVE!
(Thanks to SIL’s mom, Lu, for planning this date each year!)
Our yummy dinner first!
Then, on to the main event…
Can you guess what we saw?
Our own Little Elsa might give you a clue!
Frozen, of course!
Two days later, I headed home with a full heart!
Then a day later, I got to see another wonderful musical production
This time, my niece’s daughter, her Little L, was in it!
Isn’t she the cutest little tree frog ever?
At one point, she and her darting tongue and wide eyes stole the show!
So, so cute!
It wasn’t long before Hubby and I were saying goodbye to July
with our suitcases packed again!
Once more, we were off to our most treasured spot on earth!
Hello Little Wood Lake!
Your views never get old!
Our July jottings wouldn't be complete
without revisiting the posts we shared this month at Our Grand Lives!
We shared 6 new posts during July!
Our first post of the month was our next edition of our summer series,
Check out our ideas for exploring the amazing world of creepy crawlers!
Then we jumped in to our next post,
It was a month filled with people, places and moments
we definitely want to remember!
was our next post!
If your Littles are intrigued with how things work, this will definitely be a hit!
In our next post, Laura celebrated the flavors of summer
- fresh strawberries, bright citrus, juicy peaches -
with three delightfully simple twists on the same recipe!
This post was filled with simple water activities to help your Littles cool off
while making the most of a sunny summer day!
Finally, check out this month’s ideas for fun summer play!
In addition, Laurie has LOTS of content on our social media sites
that you won’t always find on our blog!
To give you a taste of what you’ll find there,
here’s a few photos from earlier in July!
If you’d like to learn more - or see what else has been happening there,
Even better? We invite you to follow us on either (or both) sites!
WHEW! This was a doozy of a post!
Thanks for turning the page on July with us!
To those of you who have made it to the end of this post - THANK YOU!
Whether you've been with us from the beginning
or you're just stopping by for the first time,
we're grateful you chose to spend a few minutes in our corner of the world.
We hope you'll come back and visit again soon!
If interested, we invite you to consider subscribing to our blog!
Special THANKS for reading, commenting, and/or emailing!
We always welcome your thoughts!
If you know of anyone you think might enjoy our content,
we’d love it if you shared our site with them!
THANK YOU!
As we close the book on Our July Jottings,
we're reminded of these beautiful words by William Wordsworth!
As GRANDS, that's exactly what we hope these little jottings have become… Not simply a record of what we’ve done, but a reflection of what we treasure most. Each moment captures the gift of sharing life’s everyday moments with those we love, watching our Littles grow, and the memories that continue to fill our hearts.
It's our heartfelt wish that you, too, are filling the pages of your own family's story with the "breathings of your heart"—moments of love and laughter that will be cherished for generations to come.
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Wow! What an incredible month of July you had. I knew you were in Duluth before I read that you were in Duluth...I'd know those spots anywhere.
I LOVE the cakes! What wonderful celebrations. I saw Tarzan at an outdoor theater several years ago. So good! Thank you for sharing this with us at the Will Blog for Comments #90 linkup. We hope to see you sharing more at #91 when it opens next Monday. Wishing you a fabulous week.
Oh, I almost forgot! I hope your eyelids are healing well. You look great!!! <3 My mom was thinking of having eyelid surgery as they had fallen so much they were getting in her vision. She passed before this was done, so I am glad you had yours. I know you are as thrilled to be able to see better.
Hugs,
Barb :)
Laura & Laurie,
I love that you all had such a fun July visiting, swimming, being at all the lakes!!! The plays must have been fun! My dad was in many productions as I was growing up and was supposed to be "Babe" in the same theatre production, but his cancer became aggressive and instead the show was dedicated to his memory. Miss both of my parents so much! I know how you feel. <3 It's tough losing a parents so young... There are so many things I would like to ask them, or just to say, "Look at Milo! You'd love seeing life through his eyes..." (our grandson, whom we talked to last night when he called Grampa to…
You always have the best time. The kiddos are always smiling and having fun. Thanks so much for sharing your joy at Love Your Creativity.