Thanksgiving and Since

I thought I'd share a few snapshots that touch upon what I've been up to in the last few weeks. Lots of eating, knitting, running, and, though not shown in pics, reading. It's been a nice few weeks.

As you can see by the plate of food, I have photographic evidence of my ever first Thanksgiving dinner. Since my mother-in-law was sick, I fixed the noonday meal with just a 24-hour notice. Instead of cooking a big bird, I got some turkey breasts and slow cooked them on the stove to use in a turkey cranberry Pampered Chef wreath. I'd never made that particular wreath recipe, so I was pleased to discover just how good it is. Since the crust was crescent rolls and eggwash, it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This recipe is a keeper! For the sides, I made cornbread casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, baked mac-n-cheese (at Marie's request), and rolls. It sure was nice to have leftovers to enjoy for the following three days!
The next picture was taken tonight right after returning from my run. I had to show what I've been wearing lately on my runs! Check out my newly knitted running gaiter and hat, as well as my new headlamp. If it weren't for these items, and also my fleece headband and weatherproof jacket, I wouldn't be running in this crazy weather we've been having. Besides what you see, I'm also wearing a fleece jacket and longsleeve tech shirt under my weatherproof jacket. Crazy cold! Luckily, my Land's End running pants have kept my legs warm enough. If it gets down closer to zero degrees though, I'll probably have to wear warmup pants over the running pants.

Since the gaiter turned out to be a success on my frigid runs, I cast on another one, this time in 100% merino and in warm, squishy brioche stitch. I think this second gaiter will be even warmer than the first. I've gotten almost seven inches done and am considering continuing on into a balaclava by binding off about one-third the stitches for the eyes opening. Gotta measure my face first, though! As for knitting any other winter running accessories goes, I might knit some warm, closely knit mittens for single-digit temps.
The mess of yarn and stripes you see in the last picture are from when I was knitting the plaid intarsia hem of my Laura's Cardigan. It took patience and effort, but I believe it will be worth it in the end to have that nice little detail which balances out the rest of the sweater design. Currently, I've finished one short sleeve and have cast on the other. The only knitting left after that will be the neckband, button bands, and collar. I'll have to record how long it takes me to weave in all those ends!

A few weeks ago, I finished my first audiobook, Water For Elephants. Now I'll be ready for the movie when it comes out next year. After seeing Christopher Waltz in the movie Inglourious Basterds [sic], I'm looking forward to him playing August. He's perfect for that role.

After finishing Water For Elephants, I decided to finally listen to all the Harry Potter books. So far I've been loving it, sometimes even listening while I'm running. I've been lucky that my library has been so speedy on my requests for them to date.

That's it for now!