Calamity, Meet Jane

In some households, you may have one person who loves stuff.

One person who creates sentimental value out of objects that absolutely do not deserve it.

One person who hates wasting things so much they keep everything because, you know… just in case.

And most of the time, that “just in case” either comes around once in a lifetime—or the thing costs $4 and you probably could’ve just bought another one when you actually needed it. 😂

Well, in our family?

Every single one of us is one of those people.

If not all three.

So here we are, seven years into our home and already busting at the seams.

I’ve decided we’re going to start trying to contain the madness.

Not become minimalists. Lord knows I ain’t promising that.

I just want to create systems that help us without binding us. Because if the system is so complicated that the people who actually live here can’t keep up with it, all we’ve done is buy prettier containers for our mess.

First Victim: The Craft & Game Cabinet

One side of our entertainment stand has always been designated for crafts and games.

In theory? Great.

In practice?

Board-game boxes, construction paper, markers, craft supplies and approximately 400 tiny pieces belonging to God only knows what.

Eventually our organizational system became:

Shove it in there and slam the door before anything falls out.

I got tired of construction paper hanging out the side and trying to pull out one box of markers only for seventeen other things to tumble onto the floor.

Finally I said:

HUNNNY. WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING.

So something we did.

I found clear stackable organizers and started sorting things into groups: frequently used supplies, independent games, extras, and crafts or games that require adult help—or contain approximately 97 tiny pieces that we definitely haven’t lost yet. 👀

The less-used stuff went into the organizers while the crowd favorites stayed easiest to reach.

And suddenly?

I could get something out without triggering an avalanche.

More importantly, nobody needs an instruction manual to understand the system.

Then I Got Cocky

You ever organize one thing and suddenly start looking around your house like:

WHO’S NEXT?

My eyes landed on…

THE JUNK DRAWER.

Seven years of cords, chargers, batteries, adapters and miscellaneous “I don’t know what this goes to, but I’m scared to throw it away” nonsense.

It was time.

I bought little cord organizers, gathered the charging cubes together, gave the batteries a spot and separated the bigger cords that wouldn’t fit.

Do the containers fit perfectly?

Nope.

They fit well enough.

If the system actually works for us, then maybe I’ll invest in something prettier or better fitting later.

Because I’m learning I don’t need a Pinterest-perfect organizational system.

I need one my family will actually use.

Maybe I Don’t Need to “Get Organized”

For a long time, I think I assumed organized people were just… organized people.

Some women knew how to do this stuff.

Some didn’t.

Some houses always looked put together.

Mine occasionally looked like somebody opened the front door and released a raccoon inside.

But sometimes the problem isn’t that we’re incapable of staying organized.

Sometimes our stuff just doesn’t have an address.

If putting something away requires six steps, three lids and a label maker, my family ain’t doing it.

Frankly?

Neither am I.

I don’t want systems that make our house look good for a picture.

I want systems that make our house easier to live in.

Because we’re going to mess it up again.

The goal isn’t a system that never gets messed up.

The goal is a system simple enough that we can find our way back.

We’re Learning as We Go

If you weren’t taught how or why to do certain things, sometimes you just miss the cut.

Maybe nobody taught you how to organize a home, meal plan, budget, declutter, cook or keep up with laundry.

And then one day you’re a grown woman standing in front of 37 unidentified cords thinking,

Surely there was supposed to be a class on this.

😂

But it’s okay to learn now.

It’s okay to look around your life, notice something isn’t working and say:

Alright. Let’s fix it.

And the more I’ve been doing that, the more I’ve realized this isn’t just about having an organized house.

What Does Any of This Have to Do With Faith?

Probably more than I used to think.

I know homemaking can sound old-fashioned, and organizing a junk drawer probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when somebody starts talking about their walk with Christ.

But I believe men and women were given different roles by God.

That doesn’t mean a man can’t wash a dish or a woman can’t mow the grass. 😂 Every household isn’t going to divide every responsibility exactly the same way.

But as a Christian woman, I believe homemaking is part of the role God has given me—and I want to learn how to do it well.

Not because my house needs to look Pinterest-perfect.

Certainly not because I have this mastered.

I don’t.

I’m trying to learn what it means to be a good steward of what God has put in my hands.

And lately I’ve realized:

Real-life systems make real-life stewardship easier.

Because this isn’t really about a junk drawer.

For me, it’s about discipline.

And Lord knows that’s something I struggle with.

Severely.

I can want a peaceful home.

I can want to take care of what God has provided.

But eventually, wanting has to turn into doing.

Putting something back.

Taking care of what we already own.

Getting rid of what we don’t need.

Creating a system—and then having enough discipline to actually use the dang thing. 😂

Nobody gives me a gold star because I put a charging cord back where it belongs.

But what we do when nobody is watching says a whole lot about our discipline.

Now, am I saying a messy house makes you a bad Christian?

Absolutely not.

Life happens. Kids happen. Exhaustion happens.

Sometimes the laundry pile wins.

Mine certainly does.

I’m talking about looking at my own habits and asking:

Am I being a good steward of what God has put in my hands?

And babycakes, the answer depends heavily on what day you stop by. 😂

Some days you’d think:

Dang, Jane keeps a tidy little home.

Other days?

I’d prefer you remain in the driveway. Don’t even look through the window.

I’m not chasing perfection.

I’m chasing consistency.

And I’m learning that stewardship doesn’t always look profound.

Sometimes it looks like a budget.

Sometimes it looks like using what you already have.

Sometimes it looks like taking care of your home.

And sometimes, apparently, it looks like figuring out which one of those 47 cords actually charges something.

One Pocket of Madness at a Time

That’s part of why I created Calamity, Meet Jane.

I’m figuring things out, trying things and telling y’all what happened.

If something I learn helps one person make dinner easier, clean something faster, organize one ridiculous drawer, understand Scripture differently or finally fix something that’s been driving them nuts…

Then this little corner of the internet has done something worthwhile.

We’re not organizing the whole house overnight.

We’re not throwing away everything we own.

And I am certainly not promising those containers will still look this pretty six months from now. 😂

We’re just looking at one little pocket of madness at a time and asking:

How can we make this work better for the people who actually live here?

Because good systems don’t replace discipline.

They make discipline easier to practice.

And right now?

The construction paper isn’t hanging out of the cabinet.

I can find a charger.

Nothing falls on my head when I open the door.

I reckon we’re making progress, hunnies. 😂💗

— Jane

Grace for the mess. Grit for the rest.