Why I haven't posted since Wednesday:

I can't think of anything to write.

There's plenty happening here, but nothing that seems blog-worthy.

Well...I've planted lettuce seeds, ...the beets are sprouting, ...I've found some new recipes, ...and Justin spray-painted my dress form's pole today... but even though those are the kind of things I usually post about, I'm just not in the mood lately. I'd rather do them than write about them.

The snow is gone. The ground all around outside is muddy. The temperature is somewhere around 65 degrees.

I had my first Starbucks coffee today. That's not a drink. It's a dessert!

I talked and shopped with friends for a few hours today. I have my thread finally. I can sew again!

I like shopping now and then. It's fun. And necessary. But there's no place like home.

My younger brother Justin is making the pizza tonight. I taught him how to do it several weeks ago, and this is his first solo attempt. He's done great so far. Take the time to teach'em how to do something, and they take over on the times when you're tired. I love it.

I've become Tiffany's fiddle teacher in the past two weeks. She thinks just because I'm older I know something. Wonderful! If I don't up my practicing time, she'll be playing better than me in three months. We're working on a duet together - our first duet! We squeak out the notes to "Holy, holy, holy." It's a beautiful arrangement, and once we improve, I know it's going to sound splendid. It already sounds special. We stand side by side, angled so we can glance up from the music and look at the other's face in any moment, and we play our hearts out.

I found out long ago that Heather and I "think on the same wave length," as we put it; we don't have to count when we play duets. We just naturally flow together. Something about being sisters, I think. I found out this week Tiffany and I have the same thing. That warms my heart. I think I blinked and missed her growing up. When did it happen?

I've been able to spend some time talking one-on-one with my youngest sister, Lezley, lately. It must be hard being the youngest. You might be spoiled, but you're still the baby. Everybody wants to tell you what to do, but they don't think you're old enough to be a "person" either. At least that's how it must seem sometimes, I would think. I don't know. Lezley hasn't said.

But you know what? Being an older sibling isn't easy either. I have a confession: I'm not a very patient person. It's easy to be patient with little people who aren't your own; they go home to their mother eventually. Siblings who live with you all the time are a little different. They have just as much right - and more - to be treated lovingly, but I get lazy and impatient with them sometimes. It's very wrong and I know it. I've been praying lately for grace that I would learn to love my siblings not just in word but in deed - showing them that I love them, not just telling them. I believe God's begun to answer that prayer for me, and I think Lezley would say that too. We've had some special moments together lately.

It's Friday today. "Family Friday," here at The Fruit of Her Hands. I don't have a jaw-dropping tear-jerking statement to make about families. I can't write out what's in my heart.

I've been able to spend extra time with my family this week. Two snow days were a blessing. Nobody announced that we'd be taking extra time to do stuff together for two days. It just happened.

You would think that being a homeschooling family, we'd be together all the time, but it's not so. You can be worlds apart though your rooms are side by side. Taking time out to have meaningful conversations, ...working on a common project, ...throwing snow at one another,...doing something together just because... these are things that you have to do on purpose.

Love your families, ladies. They won't be here forever. There's something strange about spending time with your family - the more you do it, the more you want to do it. The more you're with them, the more you value them. I guess it's kinda like learning to play an instrument. You can listen to and enjoy music, but when you know the techniques - what's hard to do and what's not - you can tell a good musician when you hear him play. You recognise a genius when you hear him because you know about music now.

When you spend time with your family, you don't just love them...you know WHY you love them.

That's my non-jaw-dropping statement for today: love your family. Take time for them. Do a puzzle together. Throw snow. Sit around the table after dinner and talk until the dirty dishes threaten to rot in the sink. Reminisce about the times you've embarrassed one another. Pray together. Make a food you all love. Watch family home videos, and laugh over the silly things you used to do. Plant something. Plan something. Just stick together and talk.

This world is too busy. Relationships count. Let's remember that!