One of my favorite books of all time is The Hidden Art of Homemaking: Creative Ideas for Enriching Everyday Life by Edith Schaeffer. Edith says:

I would define 'Hidden Art' as the art which is found in the 'minor' areas of life. By 'minor' I mean what is involved in the 'everyday' of anyone's life, rather than his career or profession. Each person, I believe, has some talent which is unfulfilled in some 'hidden area' of his being, and which could be expressed and developed.

Contents:
1  The First Artist
2  What Is Hidden Art?
3  Music
4  Painting, Sketching, Sculpturing
5  Interior Decoration
6  Gardens and Gardening
7  Flower Arrangements
8  Food
9  Writing -- Prose and Poetry
10  Drama
11  Creative Recreation
12  Clothing
13  Integration
14  Environment

This is not a quick read. I found each chapter to be so full of meat that it took some time to finish the book. But it has intrigued me so that I have read it again and again.

Since first picking this book up seven years ago, God has been developing me creatively. He is making me aware of ways to make life more alive and fulfilling in the everyday. He has used His expression of creativity in Edith to affect and change my life.

I entertained for a short time the idea of starting another blog just about this topic, Hidden Art. Reality has since knocked on my door as I realized that I struggle with one blog most times. Two would be too much. So I am going to add a new category called Hidden Art. I'll be sharing thoughts from this book and from my life on how to incorporate Hidden Art into our daily lives, how to express ourselves creatively in the everyday. Let the posts begin...next week. This weekend my parents will be visiting!

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I am reading an excellent cookbook, Nourishing Traditions, The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, by Sally Fallon. This book challenges the concept of low-fat cooking and opts for cooking with whole, organic foods. Fat is important in our diet, it claims. The book discusses in full length the topics of nutrition, fats, carbohydrates, proteins, dairy, vitamins, enzymes, salt, spices & additives, beverages, food selection...in the Introduction (it's a big intro)! And is followed by the recipes and explanations of why these recipes or ingredients are good. The book is written so well, I am having a hard time putting it down, and it's a cookbook!

I found this treasure at the library, but am definitely putting it on my wish list.

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