Pandora = Effortless Party Music

Okay, folks.  We've been taking it for granted that everyone knew about Pandora.com.  Only recently did we discover that Pandora is a well-kept secret.  Well, we have to share.  Especially because those of you who struggle to find a suitable party mix when entertaining will be especially thrilled by this knowledge.  Pandora is a free site where you can custom-tailor "radio stations" to your likes.   Here's how it works:

Go to the site and create a login and password.  (Once you do this, Pandora will save all your "stations.")  Next, create a station.  Do this by typing in the name of your favorite artist or song.  Based on this info, Pandora will create a radio station for you with that artist and other artists who fit that genre.  You can also "add variety" to your station by adding more artists to this mix.  If Pandora ever plays a song you don't like, you just click on the little "thumbs down" icon and that song will never be played again.  This is GENIUS for creating a "radio station" (without commercials!) for parties.  Kari shared this info with one of her teacher friends who likes to play music in the classroom while students are working on projects.  That teacher is ecstatic, because now she has several "radio stations" to pick from that are suitable for use in the classroom.  You can make as many different "stations" as you want, similar to your ipod playlists, but you don't have to do the work AND it's an opportunity to learn about new artists within the genre of music you love.  Try it---you'll like it!

We really, really, really cannot stress how nice this site is for making playlists for entertaining.  Because it's not an ipod playlist, the music won't ever run out, so you will not have to worry about music for the duration of your party.  We love Pandora.  We think you will, too!

A few posts ago, we told you about David Toney and his commitment to the Blood:Water Mission Project through the sales of 10 hymns...
Well, Kari received her CD today, and she can't stop listening to it. What a wonderful way to spend $10! The hymns are done simply and beautifully---with acoustic guitar as opposed to the big organ Jill and Kari grew up with in church. :) If you haven't spent your $10 for your 10 hymns yet, click the picture above. All $10 will go to the Blood:Water Mission Project to help build wells in Africa for people who are desperate for clean drinking water. This is so worthwhile. Thank you, David Toney.

Enjoy Music/Help Africa

Check this out: David Toney Music.... A musician with a heart for Africa.
Here's the deal: You pay $10 for 10 hymns that you get to enjoy, well, for as long as you want to. David Toney commits to giving ALL $10 TO HELP BUILD WELLS IN AFRICA. Nice! We like hymns here at the Babs Blog. And we like David Toney for helping to support well-building in Africa, something we feel is important. We are especially mindful of this cause as we continue on our two-week H2O Challenge with Living Water International. Check out David Toney and consider paying the $10 for your 10 hymns---what a great thing!

Little Traditions...

Sometimes, it is the little things that are really the most fun. In our family, we have many small traditions that make spending time together even more enjoyable. For example, on girls' weekend every year, we exchange "home-made" CD's. Every woman makes enough copies of a fun, mixed CD to hand out, and everyone goes home with lots of new music to enjoy.

When we were younger, our zany mother would create elaborate scavenger hunts for everyone to play together at family gatherings. Whoever wanted to play would split into teams and have a lot of fun trying to find Barbie, (who was usually tied to a tree in the back of the orchard.)

This New Year, spend some time thinking of some of your family's favorite little things to do together, and consider adding some new ones! These small traditions are the things that create lasting memories. We here at the Babs Blog wish you a very memorable 2009!

Party Tunes

When throwing a party, it can be difficult to pull all the little details together in the last minute. One of those details is music. We recommend keeping your playlists up-to-date so that when you throw a last minute gathering, you have the right music to put on. It can really be an effortless thing, but you must have your music "organized." Owning an ipod helps, for sure. And, using itunes means that you don't have to buy entire albums but can customized the playlists you keep for different parties.

If you are throwing a Christmas party for adults this year, we recommend Frank Sinatra's "Christmas Collection." You can find it on itunes and it's quintessential holiday cocktail music.

If you are throwing a laid-back dinner party, here's a playlist we can recommend. All these songs are easy on the ears...and we actually can recommend anything from these artists below. They are talented and a mix of any songs from their albums would make up a pleasant playlist that isn't full of overplayed pop music.

Dinner Party Playlist:
"1952 Vincent Black Lightning" Beth Wood
"Your Winter" Sister Hazel
"Your Song" Kate Walsh
"You'll Remember" Patty Griffin
"You Take the Wheel" Beth Wood
"You Have Been Loved" Sia
"You Are the One" (Live from the Hotel Café) Matt Hires
"Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You)" Norah Jones
"When She Loves You" Emerson Hart
"What Is the Difference" Aslyn
"What Am I to You" Norah Jones
"Weightless" Katie Herzig
"The Water Is Wide" Beth Wood
"Wally" Aslyn
"Vegas" (Live) Sara Bareilles
"Up to the Mountain" (MLK Song) Patty Griffin
"Until You Try" Katie Herzig
"Unsteady Ground" (New Version) Catherine Feeny
"Turn Me On" Norah Jones
"Trolley Wood" Eisley
"Triggering Back" Benoît Pioulard
"Trapeze" Patty Griffin
"Touch Back Down" Catherine Feeny
"Tomorrow Night" Patty Griffin
"Those Sweet Words" Norah Jones
"Thinking About You" Norah Jones
"Telescope Eyes" Eisley
"Tangled Web" (Live from the Hotel Café) Matt Hires
"Sweeter Than This" Katie Herzig
"Sunrise" Norah Jones

By the way, if you have an amazing playlist that you like to pull out for parties, please email it to us so we can share it with other Babs Blog readers. Thank you! :)