Great things to wake up to

   As many of you know, we had quite the Christmas surprise this year - we woke up to about 3" of snow covering everything outside. It was really something, whether or not you've had a white Christmas before. Of course, since there wasn't any snow (or really any chance for it) when we went to bed on Christmas Eve, I yelled when I looked out the window the next morning. Unfortunately yelling while jumping out of bed probably isn't high on the list of things Derek wants to wake up to - at least not with me at 8+ months pregnant. So, once we had clarified that this was a yelp of joy and not a need to go to the hospital, we ran outside to catch snowflakes on our tongues and throw a few snowballs before heading back inside to enjoy Christmas morning.

   Seeing as how I am too close to delivering to travel, we enjoyed a quiet Christmas at our new home. And although we are both very close with our families and miss them all terribly, it was really nice to have a relaxed holiday.  We made sure to cover all the important traditions - baking Christmas cookies, Christmas morning casserole, we even baked a ham for dinner... oh yes, and a fire in the fireplace and presents under the tree. A bit of a food-focused Christmas this year, but it was very nice and I think we will both remember it pleasantly.

   Speaking of food, in all of our eating adventures so far in Huntsville, we haven't touched much on breakfast places. This is mostly because we haven't gone out to breakfast much, even though we did quite a lot back in Santa Barbara. Fortunately, we have stumbled upon a tasty hole-in-the-wall right nearby.

   Cafe Lemon Bleu is located near the Target only a mile or two from us. It's small and tucked away, but has some very good dishes on their small menu. Apparently French inspired (both in name and menu), we both opted for breakfast sandwiches and were not disappointed. I had a fried egg sandwich with brie and sautéed mushrooms on sourdough, while Derek enjoyed a Monte Cristo (fried sandwich with ham and cheese) with a fried egg on top. As you can see, I couldn't help but eat half of my sandwich before I could pause long enough to take this picture. The combination of brie and egg with the mushrooms and a little bit of dijon mustard was delicious; I highly recommend this flavor combo.

   And to top it all off, Derek's cappuccino was served in one of the largest coffee cups I've ever seen - a great thing for a coffee lover like him. So although we still miss the view from Sambo's and the yummy selection of Cajun Kitchen, or the margi's at Mesa, we are starting to find some good local joints in our new surroundings that definitely give SB a run for their money.