It's official, the first snowflakes of Winter 2008 fell in Virginia today! When the alarm clock went off this morning, the weatherman was talking about flurries. And at noon, when I looked out the window, the first lacy flakes were drifting in the air. How exciting! Time to think warm thoughts.

I usually like to chase the chills away with a cup of strong coffee or a steaming mug of cocoa, but one day while I was working in my studio and listening to Alison Lee's Craftcast podcast, I learned about another cold-weather treat--Vanilla Caramel Truffle Tea. With a generous spoonful of honey, this becomes a sweet, smooth, comforting concoction. (The caramel is the key to it.)

Unfortunately, I only bought one box of these delicious tea bags and my stash is now dwindling. To make it worse, I can't find them at my grocery store anymore.

I'm so worried about running out of these silly tea bags that on Sunday I actually did a tea bag taste test--looking for a replacement. I bought several teas with "vanilla" in their mix, and while my husband watched football, I was in the kitchen pouring cup after cup of tea for myself. Ughhh... yuck. I felt like Goldilocks -- this one is too nutty, this one is too orangey, this one is too spicy... Despite all the beautiful packaging, none of them was "just right."

So my search continues. I did go directly to the Lipton Tea online store and placed an order, but the site is a bit clunky--so I am not confident that I'll ever actually receive any tea bags from them.

Oh, Vanilla Caramel Truffle Tea you're so sweet and good. Who's gonna warm me up on cold days when you're gone?