life lately! the blessings of NOVEMBER with the GRANDS!

Our Grand Lives
2 hours ago
7 min read

Friday, November 28, 2025

How are you doing on this day after Thanksgiving?

Whether you’re easing into the morning with a second slice of pie,

tackling the leftovers (the sides are our favorites!),

or gearing up for (or perhaps recovering from!) a bit of Black Friday shopping,

hopefully today feels a bit like a gentle exhale.

It’s that in-between moment where the holiday glow is present,

but the pace softens just enough

for us to reflect, reset, and maybe enjoy a little calm

before the rush of December arrives!.

Speaking of that, before we say goodbye to November,

we’ve got our monthly recap to get to…

As November draws to a close, we're taking the time to pause and look back at the blessings this month has brought our way - from simple joys like crisp quiet mornings where we could spend a few extra minutes under the covers (thank you, retirement!) to the cozy routines that autumn days bring. We’re thankful for it all!

November offered space to slow down a bit, savor gatherings with good food and good company and reflect on the abundance already around us - in big ways and small - this month held it all!

I have always loved November!

It’s a month where things are changing and, for me,

it’s like a long Christmas Eve…

waiting for the excitement of the Christmas season to begin!

I was lucky to take my Littles to TWO plays this month!

It was Little P’s first experience with the theater!

She did great at Spookley and the Christmas Kitten at the beginning of the month,

Then her mom got to join us for Elf, Jr at the end of the month!

Photo from Stages Theatre Facebook Page

It was a GREAT way to kick off the holiday season!

What a blessing to share these experiences together!

The weather is always so unpredictable in November

and here in Minnesota (as well as many, many other states!)

we enjoyed a couple nights of the Northern Lights this past month!

What a sight! What a blessing!

Despite the uncertain weather November always seems to bring,

we have enjoyed some BEAUTIFUL days this month where the sun was shining

and the temperatures were in the 50’s and 60’s!

That led to lots of outside play time with my Littles!

However, I am getting too old!

It's getting harder and harder to convince a two- and four-year-old

to leave the playground and head home for lunch!

The nice days gave us more chances to rake up the many leaves that kept falling

but we also made sure to have plenty of time to play in them, too!

We were so grateful for these unexpected but lovely days!

They made our fall season last longer than usual!

You might recall that I have spent the last several years

leading the same Sunday School class of children.

In November, we started preparing for our December Advent program,

practicing songs, playing games and reflecting on questions

to prepare us for this magical season.

What a blessing it is to share my faith with these Littles each week!

The month wrapped up with Thanksgiving

which we spent at our daughter-in-law’s parents' home,

followed a few days later with our annual Christmas Craft Day!

Watch for a post in December with all the details!

I am especially grateful for these two Littles who made me a Grammy!

After spending much of our summer and fall living out of a suitcase,

Hubby and I were home for most of the month of November!

YAY!

We spent the first few weeks getting quotes and building Pinterest boards

for some remodeling we have planned for early next year…

our bathrooms need an overhaul!

These projects have been a long time coming

(I'm talking to you, pink ceramic tile!)

and once we got over the sticker shock (!!!),

we chose a company to work with and we’re ready for the next steps!

We’ll be sure to keep you posted!

My bible study group, WOW (Women of the Word),

spent a morning at Feed My Starving Children in early November.

FMSC is a Christian non-profit organization that combats child hunger through a three step process: volunteers (like our group) hand-pack meals, donations fund the ingredients and then local food partners distribute the meals to families in need around the world. FMSC’s mission is to “feed God’s starving children hungry in body and spirit.”

When our packing session ended,

we gathered around the boxes we’d packed

and prayed for the children these meals will reach!

Then, before we left, the staff shared, as they always do,

the statistics of what we accomplished during our packing session!

We always feel like we've made an impact!

What a blessing to take with us!

A friend and I went looking for holiday greens one day

since each of us wanted to update our front doors for the season ahead!

and came home with a fun selection and we each created our own outdoor pots!

It was such a fun way to spend a morning!

We were amazed by the variety available

and we were SO glad to beat the holiday rush that was sure to follow this past week!

I was pretty proud of my results (although I’m not sure I saved much $$$)!

Still, a blessing to be able to create something beautiful!

This past Monday, found Hubby and I loading up the car

and making the 5+ hour drive to southern Wisconsin!

Can you tell by my expression, how happy I am,

knowing I'll see our daughter and SIL

and, of course, our Littles, very soon?

We’ve had such a wonderful visit,

doing all the weekly things we typically FaceTime about…

swimming lessons, snuggles, reading books, running errands and more!

A BIG highlight for me was being a helper in Little L’s preschool class!

Her class was hosting a Muffin Madness event on Tuesday,

and several volunteers were needed to help the Littles make the muffins!

There were stations that each child visited,

grating carrots, chopping apples, grinding cranberries, making butter

and more!

Then, at the end of the class,

all parents, grandparents and other guests were invited to come.

These cute little turkeys performed for us!

And then we sampled the delicious muffins!

So much to be thankful for!

Our youngest arrived on Wednesday,

making the trip from Minneapolis after work,

and the Littles were thrilled to see their NeNe…

and I was thrilled to have all my girls under one roof!

Thanksgiving morning began

with us pulling out a few tried and true Our Grand Lives items…

Little P had fun with a few of our Fine Motor Fun… Turkey Style! activities

while Little L and her grandpa read Turkey Trouble!

I’m not sure who giggled more!

Our SIL had a great start to his Thanksgiving morning….

Although I can’t say the same thing for the deer!

We had a quiet Thanksgiving dinner… just the seven of us!

Oh - and Mr. Turkey joined us, too!

A November of blessings, indeed!

CHEERS!

While November was a blessed month in our personal lives,

we had lots to be grateful for at

Our Grand Lives, too!

We had 5 new posts this month!

Our two most recent posts offered Thanksgiving ideas

while two other posts revisited Laura’s recent trip to

The North Shore of Lake Superior!

The North Shore of Lake Superior! Part 1

The North Shore of Lake Superior! Part 2

And, then, our regular readers will remember that we celebrated our 3rd Anniversary

(or Blogiversary)

in mid-November, when we also celebrated our 200th post!

Happy Blogiversary to Our Grand Lives!

So much to be grateful for!

Thanks to Laurie, we’ve also been busy on Instagram and Facebook.

We’re currently gearing up for holiday fun!

Here’s a sampling from last year’s December posts!

We invite you to follow us on either platform!

It’s always great to have you stop by and take the time

to visit our world!

THANK YOU!

Special THANKS for reading, commenting, and/or emailing!

We always welcome your comments

and we’re always amazed by how much we gain by connecting with you all!

If you know of anyone you think might enjoy our content,

please share our site with them!

We love connecting with others - especially other GRANDS -

who love spending time with their own Littles!

BE ON THE LOOK OUT!

We’ll be back early next week

when we’ll share our annual Gift Giving Guide…

Complete with our Stocking Stuffer Ideas and including our favorite Amazon Finds!

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As we wrap up November, it’s comforting to carry these sweet, simple blessings forward with us. The cozy moments, the shared meals, the unexpected giggles, and the quiet reminders to slow down have all added a little extra light to our lives. And while the calendar turns and the pace is sure to quicken, we can step into the next season with grateful hearts—and maybe one more slice of leftover pie—thankful for all that November gave us.