This morning we had our first significant snow of the season. Nothing like the snowfall that Massachusetts saw Halloween weekend, but enough that snow was actually touching the ground and staying there. It was mixed with rain and heavy wind that was so loud you could practically HEAR how cold it was outside.

I’d been planning to take BB to the mall for another early morning walk, but the snow and the rain and the wind just zapped all the motivation out of me. Sure, all I had to do was go into my garage and drive to the mall and then briefly get out of the car to walk inside, but I just didn’t have it in me.

I briefly entertained the notion of driving to our local Target with the fancy parking garage, but I was kinda concerned I’d spend all kinds of money on things we don’t need (come on, don’t pretend like that never happens at Target). In the end, I totally said whatevs to the walking thing and stayed home.

So I put in a movie for the little lady (Curious George) and then thought about how I wanted to spend my day hiding indoors.

The first idea that popped to mind was taking lots of pictures of the snow falling on the windows. At first most of the pictures just looked like rain, but as the snow continued to fall, I began to notice definite snow flakes on the windows and not just rain drops.

Then I decided it was time for a warm beverage. But what to ruin my diet with since I wasn’t going to be exercising? Cocoa and cider would quickly add up as I had a feeling there’d be more than one drink consumed today in our chilly house.

Tea seemed like the logical solution, so I decided to throw myself a little One Woman Tea Tasting Party. I went through the cupboard and pulled out some old favorites and some new flavors to try. Here are the results:

First cup of the morning was Bigelow Vanilla Chai : I always like a good chai tea, but I don’t think I brewed this one very well as it was kind of weak and disappointing overall. Or maybe it’s just not very good, I don’t know. The problem with not drinking tea constantly is that sometimes I can’t remember what I liked last time (Which should make this post pretty handy to reference later).

At naptime I enjoyed a mug of Twinings Lady Grey : An old favorite, I love this sweet tea which reminds me of fruit loops. With a touch of milk and sugar, it’s a nice relaxing tea that instantly comforts.

After picking up MM from the bus stop (brrrr) I warmed up with Twinings Indian Spice Chai : Sooo much better than the Bigelow, this is what a good chai tea should be. Delicious and I had way too much fun reading the back of the tea bag from top to bottom, very enjoyable.

While MM did his homework I decided to try a new flavor, Bigelow’s Constant Comment : What is the deal with the name of this tea? What does that even mean?But it promised orange peel and spices and that sounded good in theory. Unfortunately what it lacked in initial flavor it made up for with an awful after taste. I actually dumped it out after three sips.

While prepping dinner, I decided it was time to make my favorite tea, Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice : I discovered this tea at a Pizzeria Unos of all places and instantly fell in love. Not only does this tea taste amazing and kind of like red hots, it requires almost no sugar and I drink it without milk. So it’s healthy, delicious and never gets boring – plus I hear cinnamon curbs cravings. Perfection.

I really need to try some of the other Harney teas because I kind of want to marry this one, what if the others are equally amazing? I could achieve tea-vana and live happily ever brewed.

Also, after talking to my friend Amber on Facebook about all things tea, she tipped me off to the brand The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Has anyone else had these teas or coffees? The flavors sound kind of amazing. People should buy me some now so I can try them.

What’s your favorite tea or warm beverage to snuggle with on a cold day?