life lately with the GRANDS! a little MARCH madness of our own!
- 2 hours ago
- 8 min read
Friday, April 10, 2026
Welcome Back to Our Grand Lives!
March really is a mix of beauty and madness,
and this year, we both felt some of each!
Some days had that slow, sweet rhythm you wish you could bottle up,
while others felt like a bit of a whirlwind (okay… maybe more than a bit).
Life with we GRANDS rarely sits still,
and March was no exception.
(Why did we ever think life would slow down in retirement???)
Between our regular commitments, the unexpected surprises,
and all the in-between,
it was a month that kept us on our toes.
Not everything was picture-perfect,
but tucked into it all were plenty of moments that made us pause and smile.
Please join us as we take a look back at the month of March!
They call it March Madness for a reason!
While we followed the hustle taking place on our screens this past month,
we’ve also had a bracket’s worth of action going on in our own worlds, as well.
Here’s the play-by-play!
I know Laura had a much busier March than I did,
but as we know, that is the ups and downs of this crazy life.
Meanwhile, my family and I still plugged along doing what we do best -
Enjoying our GRAND lives!
My extended family is big into March Madness, especially my son-in-law.
So of course his Littles and I needed to make him special pictures to celebrate!
My niece and her husband both turned 40 within days of each other,
so we threw a big family party for them!
I got to be in charge of what I love to do…
decorate and plan games!
The photo cleaning I have been working on lately came in handy
when I created this giant photo collage of “Life through the Years!”
I asked each party guest to send me a song that reminded them of the couple,
was a hit in 1986 (the year they were each born),
OR, as a third option,
to choose a fun song they thought our birthday duo would love!
Then I made these into a Spotify playlist for the birthday boy and girl.
Forty songs for 40 years!
We played a game guessing who sent what song.
The songs ranged from Jingle Bells (from two-year-old Little P)
to Jimmy Buffet’s A Pirate Looks at Forty” selected by my brother!
It is a family tradition that my other niece, who is a music therapist,
writes and performs a special song for the person/people of the hour..
Many of us have received these honors over the years
for birthdays, retirements, graduations, baptisms, etc.
My family loves a good party!
My husband and I enjoyed attending Little D and Little P’s first gymnastic classes.
And more swimming lessons throughout the month.
Our DIL M celebrated her birthday in March!
In our family, the birthday boy/girl chooses the dinner and the dessert.
I took care of Little P that day
so we spent some time painting a card and some rocks for her auntie’s garden.
It was the perfect gift for Auntie M!
March is always an iffy month for weather in Minnesota
and this year it jumped around all month long.
We had a snow storm where church services were even cancelled!
The rollercoaster weather quickly changed to warm beautiful days
perfect for walks, sitting outside in shorts and bare feet…
and finally trips to the playground once again!
And then - time to get ready for Easter!
Happy April!
While the past month has certainly been busy in my world,
I wouldn’t necessarily describe March as eventful!
It wasn’t a month we'd consider packed with big, memorable moments. Instead, it felt full in a different way with plans shifting, a few unexpected surprises, and plenty of bedlam at home as our house sat covered in dust for most of the month.
When we left off with our February recap,
my husband and I had just begun our two bathroom remodels
our main bath and then another one on the lower level of our home.
(We also have a third bathroom, the master bath,
that my husband added to our home about 15 years ago.)
As a reminder, here’s what the bathrooms looked like
before the construction crew got busy…
and then how each looked at the end of February.
During the month of March,
our entry way became the loading dock for our construction crew
with tile, accessories and fixtures being delivered every week!
More decisions were made and sometimes revisited…
all part of the process, I know,
but still a bit stressful!
As Laurie mentioned earlier, the weather was a yo-yo for us
(as it was for many in the northern hemisphere).
Mid month we had blizzard like weather that shut down much of our state
which always feels strange here in Minnesota!
We were grateful for the snow removal company we’d contracted with
when our snowblower went kaput in late February!
It’s been a while, but as I’ve mentioned in past posts, my husband suffers from an autoimmune condition that can mess with him in a variety of ways, including his digestive system at times. No photos - but, in our continued quest for answers, Hubby had an upper endoscopy in mid-March. While we didn’t learn much, we were able to rule out a few things which connected a few dots. He continues to be gluten, dairy, seed-oil and sugar free which is helping but also rules out a lot of menu options when meal planning!
We were both happy
when he was able to enjoy a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal the very next day!
Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes & carrots!
Delicious!
We often enjoy FaceTime visits with our sweet Littles
and we had a lovely visit with this leprechaun and her little sister earlier that day!
She showed us the leprechaun trap she and her dad had made
as well as the mischief a visiting leprechaun had left at their home!
So silly!
The next day (Wednesday) I left Hubby at home to deal with the contractors
and I drove to Madison to see these sweet Littles in person for a few days!
While I was on my way there, our daughter called to let me know that Little L (our four-year-old granddaughter) was not feeling well. I was more than half way there, so I continued on. She was definitely under the weather with a bit of an upset stomach and low grade fever when I arrived but that’s about as serious as it got. Her sister displayed similar symptoms the next day (Thursday). Meanwhile, our younger daughter (their auntie) made the five hour trip and arrived on Thursday night for the weekend, too.
On Friday morning, the Littles’ mama (our oldest daughter) went down for the count
when the stomach bug made a more noticeable appearance!
Auntie and I took care of the Littles and managed to have a day of fun together.
You can tell the Littles weren’t feeling 100%; meanwhile I was feeling great!
But I’m guessing you might know what’s coming next…
Pedialyte quickly became my best friend!
I got hit very early on Saturday and then Auntie got it Sunday!
Our SIL was the only one not to get sick! He’s convinced switching to the BRAT diet early on saved him (bananas, rice, applesauce & toast) and that was what I ate for the next several days afterward, too!
What a weekend!
I returned home after the weekend to dust galore, samples everywhere,
and more decisions to be made!!
Here’s what our two bathrooms looked like at the end of March…
Lots of progress!
Some of the updates in our main bath!
We love our new vanity and can't wait for the countertop to arrive!
And… the downstairs bath!
You can see that there are still some final things that need to be checked off
before these projects are completed!
Despite all the madness, it’s definitely been worth it all!
We're very excited!
And… guess what?
We’ve decided to keep the madness going into April!
We’ve started demolition on our family room (also 30+ years in the making)!
Look for more to come in April!
March was a bit of a mad month at Our Grand Lives, too!
We had 9 new posts this past month!
For us, that’s a lot!!!
Our month began with all the feels in our monthly Life Lately post
that recapped our Februarys!
Then came our second post, highlighting snacks!
(The first was published in February.)
St. Patrick’s Day soon followed,
and we offered two posts devoted to the holiday!
We spent 4 posts this month highlighting ideas for Easter
including ways to celebrate the holiday with loved ones
and also opportunities to share our faith with the Littles in our lives/
and
Finally, we shared our recipes and ideas for
Deviled Egg Dip & 5 Minute Corn Dip!
Two of our favorites! YUM!
We invite you to follow us on either platform!
Here’s a recent sampling of some March fun!
(Tap each link above to find more details on IG!)
NO DOUBT…
March has been a ride at Our Grand Lives!
It’s always a blessing when you stop by
and take the time to visit our world!
THANK YOU!
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when we’ll turn our focus to SPRING and all it brings!
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As we look back on the month of March,
the following quote feels especially apropos...
March didn’t always go as planned, and not every day was easy,
but it was full in all the ways that matter most.
As GRANDS, we’ll take the laughter, the lessons, and even the messy moments, because they’re part of this sweet, busy season with our loved ones
and we’re grateful to be right in the middle of the madness and fun!
💗 We are delighted to join the following link up parties and blog hops! 💗
MONTHLY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Sounds like you both had busy months. The weather here (near Boston) has been crazy too. Winter just seems to want to hang around with us all :)
The bathrooms are looking fabulous! My husband and I were born in the same month just a few weeks apart so we celebrated out 40th together too but we skipped a party with friends and took off on a weekend trip together instead.