Blog - Alison's Notebook

Woman in her fifties with curly hair wearing dark wide-leg jeans, a white top, and an open camel blazer on a bright street, with open space for a title.

How To Style Wide Leg Jeans Over 50 (Without Looking Boxy)

Learn how to style wide leg jeans over 50 without looking boxy. Seven easy denim outfits, the best washes and shoes, and the one rule that fixes the fit.

A phone on a couch showing a perfect magazine kitchen while the real lived-in living room around it holds a throw and a stack of mail

I Stopped Comparing My Home to the Ones on My Screen

The other night, I was sitting on the couch scrolling through Facebook before bed. A photo stopped me. Somebody’s kitchen, and it was beautiful. Clear counters, not a thing out …

A cozy living room mid-reset with open windows, a lit candle, and fresh flowers on a clear coffee table, an everything shower for the house

My “Everything Shower” for the Whole House

Last month, after a week that wore me right out, I decided to treat myself to an everything shower. If you haven’t heard the term, it’s the long, unhurried kind …

An overflowing kitchen junk drawer crammed with pens, keys, batteries, and odds and ends, so full it can barely close

Everybody Has One: The Day I Emptied the Junk Drawer

I was hunting for a stamp last week, and I knew exactly where to look. The drawer. You know the one. Every kitchen has it. The drawer that holds everything …

An overstuffed linen closet with folded towels and sheets spilling off the shelves, the sign of too many towels and linens

How Many Towels Does One Woman Need? (Far Fewer, It Turns Out)

The other morning I reached into my linen closet for a clean towel, and three others came tumbling down on top of me. I stood there in the hallway, arms …

A grown child's old bedroom with a twin bed, a half-full closet, and boxes on the floor, the kind of room you face when decluttering after 50

What I Wish I’d Known About Clutter When I Turned 50

The autumn I turned 50, my youngest moved into a first apartment across town, and just like that, the house was ours again. I stood in that empty bedroom the …

An open shoebox spilling loose faded family photos onto a wooden table with a pencil resting on top, ready for labeling old family photos

I Labeled the Backs of My Photos So the Faces Don’t Become Strangers

It was a slow, rainy afternoon, and my granddaughter had pulled an old shoebox of photos down from my shelf to keep herself busy. She sat cross-legged on the floor, …

An open wooden dresser drawer holding a lanyard, reading glasses, and a planner, the kind of sentimental items you've outgrown

I Held On to Who I Used to Be, One Drawer at a Time

Have you ever opened a drawer you hadn’t touched in years and felt like you were looking at a stranger’s things? Except they were yours. Every single one. That happened …

Woman in her seventies with short silver hair in a camel coat, teal sweater, and scarf on a winter street.

8 Winter Outfits For Women Over 70 That Are Warm And Easy To Put On

Winter outfits for women over 70 that stay warm without the bulk. Eight easy looks you can build from what you own, plus the best boots and colors for winter.

I Alphabetized My Avoidance: How I Mistook Organizing for Decluttering

I once spent four hours “decluttering” my house and threw away absolutely nothing. I sorted. I arranged. I made neat little piles and even labeled a few things (the label …