Blog - Alison's Notebook

A 12-Week Fall and Winter Decluttering Plan for Women Over 70

The first cool morning of fall always catches me by surprise. This week, I pulled on my old gray sweater, poured my coffee, and looked around the kitchen. And I …

A woman in her 60s rolling a small cart of half-full donation bags toward her front door without lifting them

How to Get Clutter Out of the House When You Can’t Carry Heavy Bags

Last spring, I had a very good decluttering week. I cleared out the hall closet. I sorted two kitchen cabinets. I went through a whole dresser full of clothes. By …

A woman in her 80s sitting at her kitchen table calmly sorting one small drawer with a cup of coffee beside her

Decluttering for Women Over 80: A Gentler Way to Lighten Your Home

When my mother was 84, I stopped by her house one afternoon with a bag of groceries. I called out hello. No answer. I found her in the hallway, standing …

10 Plus Size Women Style Mistakes (Flatter Your Shape Now)

Ten plus size women style mistakes that show up as we grow older, each with a simple fix. Flatter your shape, mostly with clothes you already own.

An older woman in a robe holding a mug of coffee at a nearly bare kitchen counter, calm and content

Decluttering in My 60s Changed What Luxury Means to Me

Last Tuesday, I was standing in my kitchen with my morning coffee. (My husband makes it for me every day, bless him.) I wiped down the counter. It took about …

An older woman holding a heavy inherited set of serving dishes with a thoughtful look, an open china cabinet behind her

The Day I Stopped Calling Things an Heirloom

I stood in my dining room holding a heavy set of serving dishes, the ones my grandmother passed to my mother, and my mother passed to me. I’d carried them …

Woman in her late seventies with silver hair wearing a camel coat over a cream knit with a jewel-tone scarf on a bright winter day.

Winter 2026 Fashion Trends To Keep You Warm And Classy

Winter 2026 fashion trends worth wearing after 50: the warm colors, coats, textures, and knits that flatter, keep you cozy, and mostly come from your closet.

An older woman sitting on a closet floor holding an open shoebox of old handwritten love letters found while decluttering

The Letters My Husband and I Wrote Before Email

I was clearing out the top shelf of our bedroom closet, the one I can barely reach, when my hand landed on an old shoebox I didn’t recognize. I pulled …

Woman in her fifties with silver hair wearing a cream knit sweater, dark wide-leg jeans, and an open deep-plum winter coat with cognac boots, standing in a cozy living room.

10 Winter Outfits For Women Over 50 Plus Size (Warm And Flattering)

Ten warm, flattering winter outfits for women over 50 plus size. Real looks for real days, built to stay warm without the bulk, mostly from what you own.

A garage corner with a used walker, shower chair, and spare cane set aside, the kind of medical equipment you can donate

Walkers, Wheelchairs and the Spare Cane: Where Medical Equipment Helps Again

There’s a corner of my garage that tells a story. A walker from my knee replacement a few years back. A shower chair we bought when my husband hurt his …