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Sunday Gratitude – 18.X.2026
Hi everyone! Glad to be back here. I’m still struggling with a lot, and there’s a lot that’s really overwhelming. However, I’m going to give it a shot as far as gratitude here.
Most importantly, probably, is that my son had a surgery on his ear a couple of weeks back, and everything went really, really well. Yes, he had the same surgery back in February on the other ear, and it went really well, but there’s still a good bit of nervousness attached to all these things.
Secondly, I recently took part in the Serbian Orthodox Choral Association’s annual choir festival. Because it was only a week after the surgery, I wasn’t going to go, but then there were people who had signed up who either couldn’t go or couldn’t sing, and I was asked if there might be some way that I could go. I managed to get things arranged, and I went. It was an amazing trip, and I hope to write about it separately. Most of us who went ended up driving, including the people I rode with, but everything went off without a hitch, there were no accidents or incidents with the driving, and the event was a lot of fun. I am very grateful for that, and for getting to see the city and experience the city a little.
If any of you are interested, our choir’s performance can be found here (our group starts at 45:15):
The weather has gotten cooler, and I’m grateful for that (St. Louis at over 90F was quite a shock to the system). This just seems to be one of those patches that is especially rough, so I’d appreciate your prayers for me and my kids.
Thank you ever so much for following; you are amazing!
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A Friday Night at Home in the New Year
I’ve got things I want to write about, but at the same time, they’re not things that I want to start the new year off with. Yes, it’s a calendar page; much like birthdays, New Year’s Days don’t magically change anything, the sun and moon still follow their paths, oblivious to the human invention. At the same time, it’s a place when most of the people in the world do something together, even if it is the proverbial turning of the calendar page, rather than partying in Times Square.
Funny how cold fireworks and hot fireworks look about the same! :) When I was a kid, I kept thinking to how old I would be in 2000, and how things might be when I was twenty. At the time, even high school was barely fathomable. And yet, here I am, now having lived more of my life after 2000 rather than before it.
I caught this article from Not the Bee yesterday about how the calendars for 1996 and 2024 line up (though not Easter) and while I can get into why this happens – there are only 14 different calendars, total, and I spent far too many hours as a kid reading the World Almanac – it’s still a fun little piece of nostalgia. 1996 was one of the more memorable years of my life, and it’s crazy to think that it’s been 28(!) years since these things took place. Yet looking at those calendars – Jonathan Taylor Thomas, etc – it’s easy to be transported back to that time. Unfortunately, I don’t *think* I have any 1996 calendars to share, but I’m pretty sure I have a couple from 1997 (and I think I even marked them on the back as to when I could use them again though I missed chances in 2003 and 2014.)
The world is crazy, and I think there’s a lot more cynicism in the air this New Year than in 1996. I feel like there’s an expectation this year that everything falls apart. In the aftermath of 2020, I can’t really blame anyone for doing so.
Still, each of us has some power to influence our little corners of the world for the better, and in 2024, this is going to be more important than ever, as we feel the structure of things shake beneath our feet. It’s not the time for despair, though. It’s a time to renew our resolve to hold on to God, and hold on to each other in order to make it through whatever this year holds in store. And don’t forget – a lot of that will be positive as well.
Happy New Year!
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Songs of the Season 2023 – O Little Town of Bethlehem – Gaither Vocal Band
Forgive me – I totally forgot about posting yesterday! I’m surprised that it doesn’t seem like I have a version of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” up, so I’m sharing this one, which is beautiful. :)
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Songs of the Season 2023 – Patapan – Barry & Beth Hall
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Wordless Wednesday #54 – Snow on Snow on Snow
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Songs of the Season – There is Joy in Bethlehem/V Viflejemi Novina
(I’ve been to this church – it’s incredibly beautiful!)
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Lilla Rose January 2024 Update
For the latest Lilla Rose posts, please check out the following:
The author of this blog is a “Flexi Rep/Affiliate” with Lilla Rose, and is not employed by Lilla Rose. Purchases made through this link <https://www.lillarose.com/katja> will earn the author a commission.
Wow. 2024. Crazy. I’ve now lived more of my life in the 2000s than before. And Lilla Rose still has specials. *L*
The “Mane Event” has changed a little, but it’s mostly the same. I think the biggest change is that there’s no longer a Lilla Bucks drawing for those who purchase the set. The set is still available all month, but the 25% discount is only available through January 5th. The other change is that the flexi clips now are not exclusive to the set; they may be purchased separately.
As as aside, I got two of those little brushes – one for each of my little girls (ages 3 and 7). For my hair, my favorite is still their larger brush, but I’ve been pretty impressed with the little brushes (and the girls like having their own things).
The retail promotions are changing a bit as well – from this point, they will be quarterly rather than monthly. Lilla Rose is kicking this off with a free shipping promotion on orders of $60 or more, good through the end of March.
And… New releases!
So… Following up on my comment about buying things for Cyber Monday. I did get two mini sports, and the little girls were all about them. I used one to put my 3-year-old’s fine, flyaway hair into a ponytail, and it not only worked, but it stayed in for hours. Taking it out was a snap, with no crying, and no tangle of hair attached to the clip. On the flip side, though, it’s simple even for the 3-year-old to take out, and so I was paying a good amount of attention that she didn’t just take it out because she was having her hair up, because that’s an excellent way to lose things.
Oh, and I think there’s a very good chance I lost my trusty swerve. Sticking it in my coat pocket when I was in a rush one day was probably not the smartest thing to do!
Anyway, happy new year! :)
To order, make sure to click through with my link; every little bit helps.
https://www.lillarose.com/katja
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Songs of the Season 2023 – Auld Lang Syne – Straight No Chaser
Yes, it’s still the Christmas season 2023, even with being in the New Year!
A beautiful rendition!
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Sunday Gratitude – 31.XII.2023
There are few things in today’s world which lead people to a little introspection, but New Year’s tends to be one of them. As arbitrary as it is, the ending of one year and the beginning of another tends to make people think about “the year that was” and what could or should be different going forward.
In many ways, personally, it’s been a terrible year. At the same time, there’s so much to be grateful for, and I think it would be terrible to lose that in the midst of everything else.
I am grateful that, despite everything, the kids and I are still here. I’m grateful that we haven’t had to worry about a roof over our heads or having enough to eat.
I’m grateful for good friends, those whom I have known forever and love being in the company with, and those whom I may never actually meet in person.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to write and share ideas through this medium.
I’m grateful for God’s Love which is around me all the time
I’m grateful for the neighbors who are back in the area visiting, and getting to hold their little baby.
I’m grateful that I got to help out at church this morning, and that things went pretty well, for the most part.
I’m thankful for the adventures of 2023. Despite tons of trepidation in saying this, I’m also thankful for the challenges that 2024 may bring.
I’m grateful for the patience so many people have had with me.
As always, I am thankful for you.
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Saturday on Substack – 30.XII.2023
Rounding out the end of the year here! https://open.substack.com/pub/breathofhallelujah/p/saturday-on-substack-30xii2023
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Songs of the Season 2023- Annaliese Emerick – This Love Won’t Break Your Heart
Like Cloverton’s “A Hallelujah Christmas“, I don’t think I could come up with a better entry for the day. Still brings me to tears.
May God bless you and keep you in 2024! Thank you for reading and commenting and being you. :) Happy New Year, and thanks for reading!Happy New Year, and thanks for reading!
This song was featured over at Bookworm Room a couple of years ago, and I can’t forget it.
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