life lately! the blessings of NOVEMBER with the GRANDS!
- Our Grand Lives
- Nov 28, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Dec 6, 2025
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!
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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!
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!
So much to be grateful for!
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.
May the gratitude and goodness we treasured this month,
guide our hearts - and yours - into the season ahead,
with joy to share and blessings still unfolding.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING SITES FOR FEATURING OUR POST!
Tuesdays with a Twist from God's Growing Garden
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November is a quiet month for us with no Thanksgiving, but the weather sounds like it was very similar, sunshine and quite warm at times. I like the idea of pre Christmas fun in November, we might try the panto in November rather than going late in december this year.
Sorry for the late response, I missed this weeks posts. Thanks for linking up with #pocolo
What an awesome month you guys. I always look forward to your monthly recaps. I did notice you guys were sure busy over on Instagram. Your table setting is so pretty and those plays sound neat.
Thanks bunches for sharing with Sweet Tea & Friends this month sweet friends. I'm so happy you're here.
I always enjoy reading your posts L&L and seeing your beautiful photos of you with your grandchildren. A really great monthly update with lots going on for you all. Enjoy the coming month!
Debbie from debs-world.com
Aw, so many wonderful blessings last month. I enjoyed reading about how life has been for all of you lately. Thank you for sharing with us at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party. :)
Steph@CrazyLittleLovebirds
Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you both (L & L) and thank you for sharing your November's with us, particularly the family photos. Those little grandchildren faces - what blessings! Laurie, I adore your outdoor pot creations - just beautiful and so festive! Laura - seeing the northern lights - how beautiful and how lucky are you! It's on my bucket list but I'm assuming I'll have to travel to Sweden or somewhere like that to see them! Thank you to both of you for linking up and sharing with us at #WWWhimsy xo