Hey, there is life out here

Today the baby and I are sick. We've been a couple of weeks in getting there, but yesterday we lost the fight. I now have such a rough voice I could be a man in drag. My house is a mess. The kids are starting to take over and run the house like a lawless little group of Lost Boys.
My weight loss has ceased, but I'm just thankful I haven't GAINED. Not bee watching myself since I started feeling sick. Yeah, bad, I know, but who really wants to dissect a meal when you feel funky? I just want the food hot and on a plate. Mike is doing well, though, he is in a size smaller jeans! Woohoo! I told him it would pay off.
Since holidays are fast upon us, I suppose I should mention them in my little entry here. I was planning to take Thanksgiving to my Nanny and Dandad since they can't really do it themselves this year, but I was asked not to for the sake of peace and calm. Disappointing, to be sure, but at least the plans weren't set in stone and hey, there is always Mike's family, right?
Oh, try again!
My sister had started making plans that involved food. She got it... and now the plans have changed and she is left hanging. Nice of me. I feel good about myself for that. At least I have my in-laws to make a meal for. Oh, except I don't. Mike's parents are having a meal delivered and his sister and her children are going out of town for the holiday. That leaves me and Mike and the raggamuffins. Not awful, by any meals, but I was thinking on a bigger scale and it was sort of a let down to plan for 5 now. Truthfully, it's a relief. I'm not good at cleaning up pans, we would have had to make a bunch of little project deadlines and it's so much less stressful this way.
Christmas was supposed to be low key since we had a big Thanksgiving planned - that's changed too. Now my uncle Rob is coming out to see Nanny and Dandad and there is no way I'm missing that. I haven't seen him in years! Thankfully Mike has arranged for the time off :)
We've had so much cold. Snow and rain. Brrr. I have had to bring the dogs in the house for more than half the day lately and they need to have a water dish with a warmer soon. Thankfully, my stress over the power bill was premature. We have had a really reasonable bill these last two months and that is with temps below 24 degrees. As long as we are careful to shut off the heat and close the doors to rooms we aren't using and shut off lights when we leave a room, we can keep the bill about the same for the next 4 months. time to get the plastic on the windows though, they are a little draughty. The doors already got seals replaced and last night Mike fixed the front porch light - turns out that the people who 'remodeled' not only have vertigo, but they don't believe in grounding wires. Now that he upgraded that little gem of lighting, Mike shouldn't have to replace the bulb every week.