Grandmother Habits

Dear Lovely,

I’ve probably mentioned before that I am forty three years old, and recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about what aging gracefully means for me. Most of the time when we think of aging gracefully it’s of a physical nature. What can we do, or not do, to receive the badge of age with honor, and look as young as we feel without the tell-tale signs of over plumping, over injecting, over trying without successful results.

Today, however, I want to talk about aging gracefully in the way we behave and live, in the habits we embrace. The other day I was living out one of my many little endearing quirks, and when I noticed Brian watching me bemusedly, I responded, “I know. I’m such a grandmother,” and even though I used the term teasingly, there’s so much good we can take from women in that stage of life. Grandmothers have the wisdom that comes with age and experience, raising kids, sometimes raising grandkids, and make choices based on a lifetime of trials and errors.

Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? Job 12:12

Grandmothers have really lived, so what do you think about embracing some of your own Grandmother Habits with me?

1.) early riser, early to bed

This has been a prominant part of my DNA since childhood. I remember sleeping over with friends as a teenager and always being sleepy before anyone else while also waking up before anyone else. I wouldn’t just wake up first. I would wake up hours before anyone and have nothing to do. Sleeping in seemed like such a novelty to me. Everyone else could sleep until 10, 11, or 12, and as much as I wanted to, my internal clock was, and is, set with the sun.

Grandmothers probably go to bed early because their bodies are tired. Well mine is too! I’m so tired at the end of the day. And my brain is tired. Also, I know now how important sleep is for a healthy brain. I’m happy to be an early bird. I don’t suffer from FOMO and value rest more than any other health habit in my life.

2.) reusing Ziploc bags

Yes. I do this. I wash them out, then hang them upside down to dry so I can reuse them. I have a “laundry room project” I haven’t told BP about yet, but my goal is to get it completed first quarter. Within that project, I’m going to install a little clothes line in the laundry room where I can hang my Ziploc bags to dry.

Did you know that every piece of plastic ever made still exists somewhere in the world? Isn’t that crazy? Think about how many jugs of detergent are for sale at your grocery store right now. Think about how many of those are sold and restocked and sold and restocked every week. Think about how many jugs of detergent likely exist in the world right now. It’s just awful, so I really do my best not use much plastic, but there are times I need a Ziploc bag, so I try to reuse as often as possible. Grandmothers do this likely because they were raised in a time when you didn’t throw away things that were perfectly usable. Well, I’m not either!

3.) i still write thank you notes

Thank you notes are truly a lost art and thing of the past, but I was raised to write them anytime I was given a gift or invited to a special event, ie: a wedding, and to this day, I actually love writing thank you notes. It’s true I’m a writer so taking a minute to write down sentiments isn’t far from normal for me, but what I love the most is knowing that someone will be touched to have received a note in the mail. Receiving a hand written note is a novelty these days. They are a nod to a time gone by when penmanship, sentiment, and taking time to put your thoughts on paper to share with a loved one was prioritized. I love this Grandmother Habit, and I hope if anyone receives a thank you note from me, it brightens your day and reminds you humans do still exist.

4.) i’m always cold and bring a jacket with me everywhere, even in the summer

This really doesn’t need much of an explanation. I’m cold a lot and even have a fear of being cold. Other than nausea, for me there is no sensation in my body that is worse than having cold arms. This picture was taken on August 16th, 2025 before I headed out to the McKinney Farmer’s Market. It was boiling hot, but I wore a denim jacket.

5.) scraping the bottom of the barrel

When a lipstick tube gets flat and I can no longer access the product, I use a tiny spatula and dig out what’s remaining “beneath the surface,” and put it in a tiny container so I don’t waste anything. Yes, you could just use a lip brush to accomplish the same thing, but I also use a cream blush that comes in a tube like lipstick does, and the tiny spatula method is preferable since blush brushes are too pliable to dig out product.

I happen to already have small containers to use from Cadence, but if you’ll just save small jars from your skincare, you can use them to house lipstick/cream blush overflow…which brings me to my next Grandmother Habit:

6.) saving empty containers

Sheeeeesh, I do this a lot. I save containers like a pro! I save glass jars that once held salsa or marinara sauce. I save the cardboard containers with the cork lid that held my favorite Fleur de Sel. I save skincare containers. I even save the pots orchids are sold in at Trader Joe’s. Why do I do this? It’s partially to keep things out of landfills. It’s partially because I often love the container itself. When BP needed a container to throw his change in when he emptied his pockets at the end of the day, I gave him an orchid pot. I also have one in the laundry room to hold change and other items I find in the washing machine. I use extra glass jars for safety pins, small Christmas decor items, sanitizing wipes, loose leaf tea, literally anything. This way you don’t have to spend money purchasing extra storage containers. When you purchased a jar of marinara sauce, you got a storage container for free!

7.) I prefer to make written lists over using the notes on my phone

Do you ever crave the days when technology wasn’t everywhere? It feels so good to me to flip to an empty page in a journal or grab a legal pad to make a good, old-fashioned to-do list. Plus, I absolutely appreciate the dopamine hit I receive by crossing out each item with my pen.

8.) i keep my clothes forever

I try to clean out my closet every quarter, but the truth is, I keep my clothes forever. I’ve had stylists and closet organizers tell me, “if you haven’t worn it in the last year then you should get rid of it…” and the reality for me is, that just isn’t true. I save garments that I love but might not have an occasion to wear it for a while. Case in point, the pink tie-dyed dress from Banana Republic I bought to wear during Rush at TCU in the fall of 2000. Well, I’ve kept it all these years and wore it this past summer to one of my girlfriend’s birthday lunches. I hadn’t worn it in probably a decade and it was so much fun for me to style again.

9.) i love toner

Is it just me, but when I think of grandmas, I always think of skincare and toner; like a powdery-smelling Estée Lauder toner. My sweet grandmothers had the softest skin and had likely used cold creams and toners for years. I never understood what the big deal about toner was until a few years ago because the toners I had always used burned. I began using a skincare line in 2023 called Bambu Earth, and I really believe using the Apple Cider Toner first helps the other products penetrate more easily. I love it. I absoutely love toner. FYI: If anyone is looking for an incredible and natural skincare line, I cannot say enough good things about Bambu Earth. If you are interested in purchasing, my readers receive a 30% discount. All you have to do is shop through my link. (You can see my full skincare routine HERE.)

So those are a few of my Grandmother Habits. Some I realize are relatively inconsequential, but others are good things, silly quirks that I believe are signs of wisdom, stewardship, and humanity. Sophisticated, dignified, refined…these are all synonyms for graceful. When it comes to aging, I want to believe that over my life I’ve developed some sophistication, that I behave with dignity, and that my habits have been refined to those that are beneficial to myself and the world.

Do you have any Grandmother Habits? I’d LOVE to hear about them so we can all compare. Just leave them in the comments or reply to this email.