Today was a transition day, a day spent trying to get back to the "normal" way of life.

It is only January 2nd and my husband decided it was time to take down our outside Christmas decorations. It made me sad to see them being put away, another Christmas in our past. Where did the month of December go. It seems like it was just yesterday that the kids were anticipating with joy the lights going up and getting to help Daddy put up the nativity scene and Santa.

While the kids and Daddy worked outside, I worked on tackling the laundry pile that has gotten out of control these last few weeks. In between loads I snuck in some reading. The book is "Sarah's Key" and it has haunted me the last few days; probably too heavy of a book for this time of year.

But what made the day was that I finally got to stay home, read and drink hot chai tea! That is all I have wanted to do for the last couple of weeks and today I got to. I love a glass of hot chai tea mixed into coffee. The coffee shop that I used to go to made the best chai tea and it was even better with a shot of espresso in it. So when I make mine at home, I just put my mix into my brewed coffee. It is wonderful.

I found the recipe for it last year in a Taste of Home magazine. It is easy to make and you can make it as low calorie as you want. Also since it is a mix, you can control how strong or weak you want to make it. Here is the recipe:

Spiced Chai Mix
3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1 1/2 cups sugar ( I use splenda)
1 cup unsweetened instant tea ( I use decaf )
3/4 cup vanilla powdered nondairy creamer (I use nonfat sugar free)
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp ground cardamon ( This makes the tea!)
1/2 tsp ground cloves

In a food processor, combine all dry ingredients: cover and process until powdery. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.

To prepare 1 serving: Dissolve 3 Tablespoons of mix in 3/4cup boiling water; stir well. Dollop with whipped cream if desired. (I use brewed coffee instead of water)

I hope that it adds warmth and some spice to your life, as we begin this new year.