Fool-proof Fairy Cake

Sanndi Thompson’s book review of Life by the Cup

by Zhena Muzyka

Life by the Cup is filled with so much inspiration and down-to-earth wisdom that even if you aren't an avid tea drinker or connoisseur, you will still gain something from this book.

It’s the true life story of Zhena Muzyka, a single, young, fierce mother who is faced with her baby boy's serious health issues and the pending operations he will need to survive. When Zhena is desperate to come up with solutions to obtain more money, she prays, meditates, and one day, finally clearly hears the words Gypsy ... and then Tea.

She starts making her own custom blend teas. She calls upon her love and knowledge of aromatherapy, tea, her Ukrainian Gypsy ancestry, and the teachings of her Gypsy grandmother, and begins the journey creating her company—Zhena's Gypsy Tea.

Each chapter starts out with thought-provoking quotes and mantras, and each chapter ends with a little self-realization exercise. Through each chapter, Zhena shares very personal spiritual stories of her journey building her company and all of its ups and downs.

Life by the Cup is not only about a tea company, it is more about the strong, driven, determined, and devoted mother who learns to listen and trust her intuition and to follow her soul's calling and purpose. Not only does she eventually create a successful tea company and get the medical help for her son, but she comes up with a way to help better the lives of the tea workers in the fields in the countries that supply her

tea. She wanted them to have better working conditions, restrooms that they did not have, clean water, etc. She started the Robin Hood Laptop project, which supplies refurbished laptops to the kids in the tea fields and beyond.

Zhena also now helps women build companies that heal and change the world through her seminars. This is a feel-good book for sure. I feel like this book can give hope to anyone who has a dream or goal. It inspires us to believe that our dreams or ideas are valuable and can become a reality. It enriches your soul and makes you want to live a more passionate life.

Her tales of her tea parties with a gypsy flair and belly dancers at them will make you want to have such a party. Also, at the end of book there are unique recipes to try out as well. If I were to rate this book? Well instead of 5 stars, I give it 5 cups!

Editor’s note: Additionally, Sanndi sent over some interview questions to Zhena, but the rigors of running so many programs prevented the gypsy spirit from being able to reply. Here are Sanndi’s questions for you to mull over on your own: 1) One of my favorite parts of Life by the Cup is when you had the epiphany for Gypsy Woman Tea. You were young, broke, struggling, and your son needed surgery, can you retell this pivotal moment as to how it started your company? 2) One of the chapters that stands out the most for me is chapter 3, Just Show Up ( I read it and re read it again and again) So out of all the chapters in Life by the Cup, which one is the most nearest and dearest to your heart? 3) You are helping so many people in other countries with Fair Trade and the Laptop Project,as well as here in U.S. with your seminars, not to mention writing books, plus you have a husband and children, so how do you find the time to do it all? When does Zhena get to take tea breaks? 4) I have heard that you are already currently working on another book, can you tell us anything about it yet? Or maybe you can tell us when it is projected to be released? 5) Tea rooms are still around here and there, do you think you would ever have your own tea room? Oh how awesome and bohemian and magical it would be if you did! ( I would certainly visit it!)

6) When you were little Zhena, did you have tea parties even back then? What were your favorite things or dreams as a child? 7) Toward the end of the book, you include tips on how to have your own gypsy tea parties and recipes. You are obviously a very creative soul, do you think you will ever expand on this and have your own line of products? ( such as teapots, accessories, or even design your own oracle cards of some sort?) 8) You mention your beloved gypsy grandmother in your book and how her essence is very much an integral foundation of you and your company. If you could talk to her now what would the conversation be like? ( I am sure she is very proud of you! ) And in the future at some point when you get to be a grandmother yourself, what pearls of wisdom do you think you would bestow upon your grandchildren? 9) I have read there is a possibility that there may be a reality t.v. show based on your life. Is this just gossip or is there a grain of truth in this? ( I don't normally watch reality shows, but I would make an exception for yours! ) 10) How could I not ask? Which one of your teas is your favorite Gypsy Woman Tea?

Atrnaivt Tradiional Wetrn Medicie ~ Tea

by Sarah Kluge

Very often in society today, when we are faced with health issues, even those as small as an upset stomach, people are quick to reach for over-the-counter-meds. When we need to visit our family physician, how many times do you walk out of their office with a script for prescription medication? We tend to forget that nature provides us with other options worth trying. Tea is one of those options! When you think of tea, it shouldn’t be the sugar and calorie filled liter bottles you buy at the store, but instead, a plant-based mixture that infuses your water with all the good stuff your body needs!

When looking for tea, your two key words are Camellia sinensis, which is the plant that real tea comes from. Keeping that in mind, this plant produces several varieties, including green, black, white, and oolong. When considering which tea you want, stray away from anything claiming “herbal blend,” as it includes other plants in it’s ingredients, technically not making it tea.

Let’s get to the health benefits of real natural tea. The following information is from the article 13 Reasons Tea Is Good for You found at healthland.time.com. Please remember that everybody’s body is different, and the health benefits listed should be taken in stride; know that they can help your body but won’t “cure” any existing conditions you may have.

• Tea can boost exercise endurance.

Scientists have found that the catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extract increase the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved muscle endurance. • Drinking tea could help reduce the risk of heart attack. Tea might also help protect against cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. • The antioxidants in tea might help protect against a boatload of cancers, including breast, colon, colorectal, skin, lung, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, ovarian, prostate and oral cancers. But don’t rely solely on tea to keep a healthy body — tea is not a miracle cure, after all. While more studies than not suggest that tea has cancer-fighting benefits, the current research is mixed.

•Tea helps fight free radicals. Tea is high in oxygen radical absorbance capacity (“ORAC” to its friends), which is a fancy way of saying that it helps destroy free radicals (which can damage DNA)