Blog - Alison's Notebook

Woman with a short silver pixie in a navy tweed vest, pink satin blouse and gray trousers walking on a Georgetown street in fall

How To Style A Vest: 7 Polished Outfits for Fall and Winter

Have you ever stood in front of your closet on a cool morning, wishing for one more layer? Not a heavy coat. Just something to keep you warm and make …

Two coffee mugs on a wooden kitchen table by a window, with a box of books, a tie and an old lamp on the floor to give away

Swedish Death Cleaning for Couples: When Only One of You Is Ready

There’s a yellow legal pad on our refrigerator, held up by a magnet. My husband wrote every line on it, and every line is crossed off in blue pen. It’s …

A cup of tea, reading glasses and a work badge on a lanyard on a clear kitchen table, with a work tote bag on the chair

Decluttering for Women Over 60 Who Still Work (You’re Not Lazy, You’re Tired)

“I’m not lazy, Alison. I’m tired.” My friend from church said it at my kitchen table one Saturday morning, and then she started to cry. She’s 66, and she still …

A small wooden table by a back door with keys, a purse and sunglasses, and three wall hooks holding a jacket, a tote bag and a shoulder bag

Decluttering for the Healthy, Busy 70-Year-Old (This Isn’t About Slowing Down)

My friend from church is 73, and I can barely keep up with her. On Mondays she walks three miles with a group from church. On Tuesdays she volunteers at …

Mother of the bride in a navy lace dress walking past the Walled Garden Conservatory at the Biltmore Estate

Mother of Bride Dresses: 6 Elegant Styles and How to Choose Yours

Your daughter is getting married. That’s such a big, happy moment! And somewhere between the cake tasting and the guest list, you start to wonder what you’ll wear. You want …

Plain moving boxes in a front hall beside a small table with a folded handmade quilt and a cup of coffee

What a Military Wife Who Moved 14 Times Taught Me About Keeping Less

I’ve lived in the same house for more than thirty years. My friend from church has lived in fourteen. Her husband served in the Army for twenty-six years. Every two …

Plus size woman in a navy floral fit-and-flare dress walking on Magazine Street in New Orleans

Plus Size Dresses: 6 Flattering Styles and How to Wear Each One

What to look for in plus size dresses, plus 6 flattering dress styles shown in full outfits you can copy.

A long row of old red encyclopedia volumes with worn gold bands on a wooden shelf next to a cup of coffee

What to Do With Old Encyclopedias, Reader’s Digest Books and National Geographics

We bought our encyclopedias in 1988, and we paid for them a little at a time. They came in heavy boxes, two dozen books with gold letters on the spines. …

Plus size woman in a hot pink blazer and navy wide-leg trousers walking on a Philadelphia sidewalk with City Hall behind her

Plus Size Business Casual: 7 Polished Outfits That Feel Good All Day

What plus size business casual means, what to look for in work clothes that fit, and 7 polished outfits you can copy.

Woman with short white hair in a denim jacket and yellow floral midi dress walking on a brick sidewalk in Portland, Maine

How To Style Denim Jacket Outfits: 8 Pretty Ways To Wear Yours

How to style denim jacket outfits 8 ways, from over a dress to dressed up, plus how to pick one that fits and how to care for it.