welcome back to Our GRAND Lives! here's to a new season of fun!
- Our Grand Lives
- Sep 12
- 11 min read
Updated: Sep 16
Friday, September 12, 2025
These past few days have been ones of reflection and reminders for our country,
haven't they?
The news of another tragic death and the anniversary of 9/11
have stirred up a mix of emotions in each of us.
For those of us who spent so many days teaching school,
we can’t help but process these moments through that lens.
We remember being in classrooms on 9/11,
doing our best to provide calm and reassurance
during something so big and so scary for our young students and their families
while our own internal feelings were all over the place!
That day changed the world we lived in,
and it continues to shape the stories we tell and the lessons we pass along.
And while Charlie Kirk’s life and politics sparked strong feelings in many,
the loss of life in such a violent way is also a sobering reminder…
Behind every headline is a human being,
a family grieving, and a community forever changed.
Our hearts are so saddened.
Both of these moments remind us to hold tighter to the people we love,
to choose kindness, and to seek connection in a world that often feels divided.
May we never forget, and
may we learn from all the past teaches us!!
We took some time away from OGL these past few weeks
and it was a nice break for both of us!
But now, we are ready to dive back in!
For us, beginning a new season of blogging feels a lot like starting a new school year once more. Back then, we opened the doors to a fresh classroom — bulletin boards ready, lesson plans prepped, and that unmistakable sense of anticipation in the air. Now, instead of eager little learners, we welcome you, our readers, with that same excitement!
Whether you’ve been with us since day one or are just joining in now, we’re so glad you’re here. Today, in honor of this new season, we’re taking our annual look back at what brought us here as we get ready for the GRAND adventures ahead… plus, look for us to kick-off a monthly feature we’re excited about, too!
If you have followed us at all,
you know that we are Laurie and Laura, two GRANDS - grandmas -
who love spending time with our growing families,
and, most especially,
our grandchildren, better known here as our Littles!
It’s always good to review where we started and our newer readers may especially enjoy today’s trip down memory lane as we take a look back and give you a peek into our lives and how we got to this space! Years ago, our paths crossed for the first time when we met at church as young parents. We were quickly drawn to each other as we discovered that we were both early elementary teachers in neighboring districts in the western suburbs of Minneapolis.
As we raised our families, we often found our lives paralleling each other. In fact, Laurie was one of Laura’s daughter’s Sunday School teachers (along with her own son), from kindergarten all the way through sixth grade!
Laurie’s Sunday School Class, circa 1998
Laura’s Daughter J and Laurie’s son are highlighted!
What a blessing!! Then, when Laurie's daughter was in Confirmation, Laura was her mentor! However, other than these weekly events or occasional youth activities, our daily lives rarely crossed paths. Yet, as friends and educators, we’d find ourselves checking in with each other, sharing what fun projects or “aha” moments were taking place in our classrooms or what special family events were currently happening. We worked on the Children’s Ministry team together for years and loved creating stations for Sunday School or projects for church festivals.
As the years went by, our kids graduated high school and then college. We kept in touch primarily through annual Christmas cards and social media. Laurie retired first, in 2020, after 35 years of teaching and then Laura followed a year later with 38 years under her belt! New adventures beckoned!
By pure chance, we ran into each other one day in the fall of 2021. Laurie was on an autumn walk with her husband and Laura had been visiting her mother-in-law in her care facility. Laurie’s poor husband!! He stood and listened while we spent a loooooong time catching up and we quickly found that our common bonds continued! Laurie had recently become a first time Grammy and Laura’s oldest daughter was pregnant with her first child (and Laura's first grandchild), due in early January.
Within six months of each other,
WE BOTH BECAME GRANDMAS for the first time!
We began connecting on a regular basis. During those months we had such fun sharing GRAND moments, as well as our newfound hopes and dreams with each other. And that's how the vision for Our Grand Lives first began!
As we immersed ourselves in the joys of grandparenthood the idea of creating this platform began to grow. As teachers, we know that rarely is an activity or project shared with others an original one. Rather, our goal has always been to share ideas we’ve found memorable, meaningful and fun - especially with our Littles (our grandchildren) but also with our Middles (our own grown children) and family and friends! We love sharing ideas that are realistic for GRANDS like us to pull off and it's also helpful if those activities are easy, quick and inexpensive ones, too! At the same time, we’ve loved the way this blog has given us the chance to share our GRAND lives with our family, friends and readers! And, of course, we’re so grateful for our blogging community, the connections made here and the fresh ideas and tidbits of wisdom you all share with us!
Of course, when we began, we quickly found ourselves overwhelmed as we learned about the world of blogging, website design, copyright laws, SEO’s, graphics and more! It’s been quite a learning curve, expecially for us technically challenged GRANDS!
One of us has even learned how to use her camera more effectively since those early days… From the photo below, can you guess who?
At times, we’re a bit amazed by what we two
non-techie, crafty, and imaginative GRANDS have been able to accomplish,
especially when we work together!
And, it’s equally amazing how much we’ve learned
and how many times we’ve giggled non-stop since we first began!
We're so grateful to God for our renewed friendship!
One of the joys of Our Grand Lives
is how we each bring our own experiences and strengths to this shared space!
Laurie lives near both of her children and their families and provides childcare weekly for her two Littles! She and her husband host weekly family dinners with both of their kids and their spouses and their Littles and Laurie also looks for any occasion to plan a gathering!
Laurie’s passions for family, photography, scrapbooking and fun shine through in all we post! Laurie has an eye for capturing life’s moments and she shares them regularly on our social media sites! Even as a kindergarten teacher, she regularly posted classroom happenings for parents and now she brings these talents to OGL!
Laurie oversees our Instagram and Facebook pages and often highlights ideas that aren’t always featured on the blog.
Here are a few photos from some recent posts
Feel free to tag us
OR, better still,
we’d love to have you follow us on one or both of these platforms!
Meanwhile Laura is a distant GRAND - her Littles and their mom and dad live about 4 ½ hours away by car so that road trip is made frequently! Thankfully, her younger daughter lives nearby and, just like her blogging partner, Laura loves hosting a good party, too!
Laura has been reading blogs for many years and has always felt drawn to beginning one of her own. Retirement gave her the nudge she needed to do just that! Laura’s love of organization and writing shapes many of the blog posts you read here. She can’t resist playing with words and has discovered a growing interest in graphic design, too! Laura is grateful for the photography lessons Laurie has taught her as well as her repeated (and appreciated) efforts to edit Laura-long posts, when needed! What can we say? We've always got so much to share! We're (Laura) is still trying our (her) best to remember, less is more!
Laura also manages our Pinterest account, although not as consistently as it deserves! (FYI - All of our social media sites are linked to our blog and are located at the top of each post!)
Together, our talents complement each other and create this place where you find us! We talk frequently on the phone and our conversations have been known to last an hour or three! Our husbands often joke that when we get together in person, that they don’t expect to see us until dinnertime or after - we typically meet at 9:30 am! In reality, we’ve been close to making that prediction come true more often than not!
Between the two of us,
we like to think we make a pretty GRAND team!
We're thankful for all we've learned together
and the many ideas and lessons we've taken from each other!
Our biggest hope is to share with other GRANDS like us!
Put us together,
and you get pictures with a story
and stories with pictures…
Just the way we like it!
Just like our Littles, this space continues to grow and change. You’ll notice a refreshed home page with the same hearts and motto at the center of it all -
As we look to the coming months, we plan to highlight the experiences that shape our days — from family traditions and gathering with friends to travel adventures and cozy recipes, and, of course, with LOTS of snuggles and fun with our Littles and the occasional reflection on this season of life woven into it all!
Speaking of recent highlights…
Look who headed to preschool this past week!
Remember those two newborns in the photos earlier in the post?
Well, here they are - all grown up!
Our GRAND/teacher hearts are bursting!
We are so excited for the adventures that await our Littles!
We’re also excited to begin a new feature
as this new season unfolds!
It’s probably no surprise to anyone reading this, but…
We ❤️ to read with our Littles!
In fact, we may be a big biased,
but we can’t think of a better gift to give our Littles
than time spent reading with them
and showing them the joy that books can bring to their lives!
Each month,
we plan to feature a favorite children’s book and author
as well as one activity that you could share with your Littles,
designed to make each story extra special!
To kick-off this new feature,
our first story is a special Back to School one!
We both read it to our kindergarten classes
at the beginning of each school year
AND
we know many families also add this book to their own bookshelves
when a new school year begins!
Below, Laurie shares a special way that her daughter used this story and its message to help Little D adjust to a new experience this fall, away from her mommy! We think it’s the perfect story and activity for many parents and GRANDS to have in their wheelhouse!
By Audrey Penn
My Little D is very attached to her mommy, which is not unusual for many preschoolers! But sometimes this can make separation difficult, too. I suggested reading this sweet story about starting school to Little D in the days leading up to her first day of preschool!
Because preschoolers may need something more concrete, our daughter uses a washable marker to draw a small heart on Little D’s forearm before she leaves home each day (with an added kiss from mommy, of course!).
NOTE: If you draw the heart on a Little’s hand, it will probably disappear the first time they wash their hands!
This little ritual has been very successful!
Little D started preschool with a pink heart on her arm with no tears,
and the confidence that her family’s love is always with her!
The author, Audrey Penn, has written several books about Chester and his friends and many provide great teachable moments for Littles as they deal with stressful situations!
Some of her books include the following…
A Pocket Full of Kisses (2004)
A Kiss Goodbye (2007)
Chester the Brave (2011)
Don’t forget that the library is a great resource
for finding these titles, too!
And, while our preference is ALWAYS to
snuggle up and read a good book together,
finding these stories on Youtube is also a worthwhile option!
HAPPY READING!
We hope you’ll head back here next week!
While we plan to celebrate the “BER” months
and all the fun that comes with each soon enough,
next Thursday our focus will be on our young Littles with our new ideas for
Toddler Time!
We know a lot of GRANDS like us,
who are always looking for new ways to keep those busy Littles engaged!
Speaking of GRANDS like us,
If you know of any - or any other adults who might enjoy our content -
please share our site with them!
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
You can always subscribe to our site, too - that way you won’t miss a thing!
AND, don’t forget…
we love it when you take the time to comment
and share your thoughts!
We may take a few days to respond,
but we always return every message we receive!
Each new season brings stories to share,
ideas to explore,
and chances to learn and laugh together…
Proof that no matter one’s age, the joy found in a ‘first day’ never fades!
That’s what this space is about, too — capturing moments big and small, and savoring the gift of community with all of you. Whether you’ve been here since day one or just clicked in today, we’re so glad you’re part of our GRAND journey.
💗 We are delighted to join the following link up parties and blog hops! 💗
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