Drink of the day: Iced Tea

Iced tea is one of the most common way to satisfy thirst on a hot summer day.
It require's no special equipment:)
Anyone can do that and save money over purchasing bottled tea at store.

We strongly recommend to use loose-leaf teas instead of tea bags (which are full of..."tea-dust" and usually produce a lower quality tea).





Let's start it:

Jasmine Pearls

Use 2 tsp. of Black Tea Peach Flavor per cup and steep it for 4 - 5 minutes. You can also use Black Tea Rose Flavor  or even Jasmine Pearls Tea.  Be sure to have enough leaves, because you need more than usual. Immediately after the hot tea is brewed, pour it into a glass filled almost to the top with ice. The sudden cooling keeps the flavor and scent of the tea intact.
Finish it off with a slice of lemon or sprig of mint for the perfect glass of refreshing and cool iced tea.

Enjoy!
HappyAvenue.net Team

The "Evil Eye"

The “Evil Eye” sounds negative to someone who hears it for the first time. However, it's very ironic since this symbol isn't evil but rather protective and lucky. The Evil Eye, should be viewed as a guardian angel. There is no country in the world people of which are not familiar with the evil eye and where they do not have their own means of Evil Eye protection. The Evil Eye belief is that a person, otherwise not malefic in any way, can harm you, or your kids, your livestock, or even your fruit trees, by simply *looking at them* with envy and praising them. 

For most people, this just means that we were given a nasty look. However, the Evil Eye dates back to ancient times and it is taken very seriously as a curse in some cultures.

In Hebrew it is "ayin ha'ra" (the evil eye); in mainland Italian it is "mall occhio" (the bad eye);  in Spanish "mall ojo" (the bad eye or just the eye);  in Sicily it is "jettatore" (the projection from the eye) and in Farsi it is "bla band" (the eye of evil); in Greece it is "to kako mati" (the bad eye). 

A summary of Evil Eye beliefs:

Perpetrators:

• Envious people 
• Those who praise children 
• Those who suffer from covetousness 
• Those with blue eyes (xenophobia among brown-eyed racial groups) 
• Childless women 
• People born with the unfortunate propensity to inadvertently project the eye

Etiology:

• Overlooking (old British term; means gazing too long upon coveted item or child) 
• Praising without touching or spitting to void the damage 
• Projection from eye (Sicilian term for one who gives mal occhio is jettatura, from the same root-word as ejaculation and projection)

Victims and possible symptoms:

• Nursing infants (they sicken and cry; their mother's milk may dry up) 
• Young children (they sicken and cry; they may vomit or become listless) 
• Milk cows and milk goats (they dry up) 
• Fruit trees (they wither and die or they do not bear fruit) 
• Fathers and sons (orphans or fathers who have lost sons envy them) 
• Adult men (they become impotent)

Some people that are exposed to the influence of the evil eye, may be very vulnerable and moody in the wrong environment which may harm their social functioning. If you and someone you love feel the influence of other people's negativity or their evil eye, the best thing to do is to ward it off with amulet with this symbol on it. This popular symbol is common to see it on almost anything, from babies to walls!  Colorful beads, rings, bracelets, necklaces, talismans and amulets. 

Believe it or not it’s good to have one:)
www.Happyavenue.net

LadyBug Brings Luck:)

Twilight LadyBug Plush Constellation

People have shown a fondness for ladybugs for hundreds & hundreds of years: 

• as an enemy of aphids (aphids are soft bodied insects that suck the juices out of plants),  

• favored insect of the Virgin Mary, 

• bringer of money & good fortune, 

• and a sign of good luck:)

Ladybug European Charm

Some people are fond of ladybugs because of their colorful appearance. They come in all different colors: reds, yellows, orange, pink, gray, brown and even black.  However, garden-lovers and farmers adore them for their … appetite that helps to protect crops.  By the end of its three-to-six-week life, a ladybug may eat up to 5,000 aphids!

How did the ladybug get its name? 

It is believed, during the Middle Ages in Europe, insects were destroying the crops, so the farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. Soon the Ladybugs came. They saved the crops by eating the pests.The farmers began calling the ladybugs "The Beetles of Our Lady", and after awhile they became known as "Lady Beetles". Cute red wings represented the Virgin's cloak and their tiny black spots represented her joys and sorrows. 

While there are many species of "Ladybugs," the Convergent Ladybug Beetle is the most common. They  also popularly known as ladybird beetles in Europe. In America, the name ladybird was replaced by ladybug. Scientists usually prefer the common name lady beetles.

Interesting Facts:

   

Lady Bug Plush Constellation

• A threatened ladybug may both play dead and secrete the unappetizing substance to protect itself.

• In 1999, NASA sent a few ladybugs into space along with aphids just to see how the aphids could escape their predators in zero gravity.

• The spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older.

• Today people buy ladybugs in smaller amounts to release into their gardens to have healthy plants without having to use pesticides. You can get some from your local nursery or garden center to use in your garden.

Ladybug European Charm

• The old folk ( "Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home. Your house is on fire and your children are alone") legend says that if you capture one of these cute insects and make a wish, it will come true when the ladybug flies away. If you keep one - it will bring you luck and good health:)

www.HappyAvenue.net