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June 2021 Free Wallpaper and Playlist

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Our calendar this next month is filled with camps, road trips, summer projects, and family visits. And I couldn’t be more happy about it. Our pool opened yesterday and at 8 a.m. the kids were already in their swimsuits ready to dive in (even though it was only 50 degrees and didn’t open until noon ha ha ). I love the enthusiasm and lightness of June days. Our theme for this month is “Play” and that is my wish for you – that you wake up filled with excitement and that you find moments to just play. Happy June friends!

For the desktop, click on the image above to view the large size image

For the iphone wallpaper, navigate to this page on your phone and then click and hold on the image you want. Select ‘Save image to camera roll’. Then from your camera roll set your home screen/lock screen or both. I make a couple different versions so that you can use what works best for your device.

January 2021 Wallpaper AND Playlist!!

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It’s a NEW YEAR my friends – a chance for fresh starts, full of hope and anticipation. So many of us have longed for this last year to be over and we can see the light on the horizon. We aren’t where we want to be yet, because the voyage is long, but we have sighted land and now must stay strong to finish the journey. Adv on friends!!

And we have expanded our offering of monthly art! For years Tim and I have made themed mixes to celebrate each season. And we want to bring you all into the fun – for this year, along with my desktop designs, we will be sharing a curated Spotify playlist to help you welcome each new month. This month’s theme is “January”. Enjoy!! And Happy New Year!!!!!!!

For the desktop, click on the image above to view the large size image

For the iphone wallpaper, navigate to this page on your phone and then click and hold on the image you want. Select ‘Save image to camera roll’. Then from your camera roll set your home screen/lock screen or both. I make a couple different versions so that you can use what works best for your device.

Harvest Moon Playlist and More

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Tonight is the harvest moon so we thought it was high time to make a new autumn “Moon” themed playlist. I love how old-fashioned and mellow this mixtape is. Enjoy!

 


And, just for fun, here is our Harvest Moon themed table/art/reading for the day. Lots of these inspired by the book “Exploring Nature” with Children by Lynn Seddon which I have been loving.

harvest-moon-goodies

 

And finally a Poem for the evening –

The Harvest Moon by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It is the Harvest Moon! On gilded vanes
And roofs of villages, on woodland crests
And their aerial neighbourhoods of nests

Deserted, on the curtained window-panes
Of rooms where children sleep, on country lanes

And harvest-fields, its mystic splendour rests!

Gone are the birds that were our summer guests,

With the last sheaves return the labouring wains!

All things are symbols: the external shows

Of Nature have their image in the mind,
As flowers and fruits and falling of the leaves;

The song-birds leave us at the summer’s close,

Only the empty nests are left behind,
And pipings of the quail among the sheaves.

 

Spring Cleaning Workin’ Playlist

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Spring Cleaning to me is about opening the windows, turning up the music, and rolling up your sleeves to really dig in and get the grim out. Here is a fun Workin’ Mix we curated to get you going.

1. Whistle While You Work – Disney
2. Whip It – Devo
3. Happy Working Song – Amy Adams
4. So Fresh, So Clean – OutKast
5. Another One Bites The Dust – Queen
6. Takin’ Care of Business – Bachman-Turner Overdrive
7. Working for The Weekend – Loverboy
8. Working in a Coal Mine – Devo
9. Get a Job – The Silhouettes
10. Yakety Yak – The Coasters
11. Washing Dishes – Jack Johnson
12. Whistle While You Work – Louis Armstrong

“Birdie” A Curated Playlist of Spring ‘Bird’ songs

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We made a playlist of “bird” songs after watching all the little birdies outside our window.

1. Surfin Bird – The Trashmen

2. Rockin’ Robin

3. Happy Working Song – Amy Adams

4. Blackbird – Sarah McLachlan

5. Norwegian Wood – Heather Nova

6. Little Bird, Little Bird – Elizabeth Mitchell

7. Birdie Brain – the Fiery Furnaces

8. I’ll Be Yr Bird – M. Ward

9. Bird on a Wire – Johnny Cash

10. Carol of the Birds – Mormon Tabernacle

11. Free Bird – Lynard Skynyrd

Love & Arrows: Some Valentines Playlists

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Love songs can be pithy, schmoltzy; full of sentiment and cliche’. We’ve tried to avoid all that with these playlists.

Here are two  “mixtapes” full of earnest, beautiful, and creative songs that strike to the core of love in such a way that we can believe it.

The first playlist “Love & Arrows” is on Betony Coons’ spotify and available for listen below.

The second playlist is from just throwing the question out there on Facebook, “What song would you/ did you play at your wedding?” The answers were really beautiful to hear! The long playlist called “Our Song” and is below as well!

 

Midnight Matins Playlist

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 Several years ago I had to work on Christmas Eve, which is a common hangup when in ministry. But Betony and I still wanted to be home on Christmas, celebrating with her family. So we devised a plan to make the long late night drive awesome.

We began the 8 hour car ride at 9 that night, I found the best ceramic coating for cars 2018 to protect my car from those long rides… We packed some intentional surprises, like opening our stockings and favorite car-trip snacks. But the most memorable thing we did was celebrate Midnight Matins.

My best friends growing up were Catholic and they would go to their church service at the stroke of 12 AM. I always felt there was something intriguing about trudging through the cold as the clock struck with full-tolls for a late worship experience.

So Betony and I had our own Midnight Matins. When the digital car-clock hit 12 we played a CD of 10 songs. These songs corresponded with readings of scripture Betony would say aloud and she had pictures of ancient artwork she’d printed that embodied the different parts of the nativity story.

Here is our playlist of the Midnight Matins. As you can see we sometimes got creative with it. We hope it brings mystery and depth to your season as it still does for us.

Midnight Matins Playlist

Once in Royal David’s City • Choir of King’s College, Cambridge

Hark, The Herald Angels Sing  • Vince Guaraldi Trio

Messiah, oratorio: For Unto Us a Child is Born  •  The London Philharmonic Orchestra
Peace on Earth  • Disney Studio Chorus & Donald Novis
Mary  • Patty Griffin
Dickens’ Dublin  • Loreena McKennitt
Lo! How a Rose E’re Blooming  • Linda Ronstadt

Ding Dong! Merrily on High • Chanticleer
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing  • Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
We Three Kings  • Sufjan Stevens
Magnificat • Mary Behan Miller

Thanksgiving Music Playlist

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          When I choose music for a Thanksgiving playlist a couple of things are at play- theme and feel. I search for songs that deal with the theme of “thanks” for sure, but I also try to choose some of the classic American music of the past, like The Platters or Elvis’ gospel music or Bing Crosby. The result is a warm sounding, roots kind of playlist with lots of gratitude in the lyrics.

Now Thank We All Our God • Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Amazing Grace  • Elvis Presley
Give Thanks  • The Platters
A Mighty Fortress is Our God  • Chris Rice
Shenandoah  • Chanticleer
Homeward Bound  • Simon & Garfunkel
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving  • Vince Guaraldi Trio

I’ve Got Plenty to Be Thankful For • Bing Crosby

One Voice  • The Wailin’ Jennys
We Gather Together  • Quicny Choral Society

A History of Jazz Playlist

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This month’s playlist follows the idea of branches.

We did a map with this run of songs depicting the beginning of jazz to present day flavors, starting with songs that would have influenced the genre on to it’s current state.

The Entertainer • Scott Joplin  • 1902
Livery Stable Blues  • Original Dixieland Jazz Band   • 1917
St. Louis Blues • Bessie Smith/Louis Armstrong   • 1925
Taxi War Dance • Count Basie   • 1939
All of Me • Billie Holiday    • 1939
Scrapple from the Apple • Charlie Parker/Miles Davis   • 1947
Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue • Duke Ellington    • 1956
Mack the Knife • Ella Fitzgerald    • 1960
Resolution • John Coltrane   • 1964
Bird Land • Weather Report   • 1977
Confessions to my Unborn Daughter • Ambrose Akinmusire    • 2011

July Playlist: Road Trip Songs

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This was a really fun playlist to put together. A longer (much longer) version of it is on our Spotify (look up Betony Coons). Enjoy hitting the road this summer!

On the Road Again • Willie Nelson
Here I Go Again • Whitesnake
I’ve Been Everywhere • Johnny Cash
Take Me Home, Country Roads • John Denver
Life is a Highway • Tom Cochrane
Can’t You See • The Marshall Tucker Band
Joyride • Roxette
Ride Like the Wind • Christopher Cross
Song for the Road • David Ford
Jerry was a Race Car Driver • Primus
I Can’t Drive 55 • Sammy Hagar
Route 66 • Chuck Berry