Garden Envy

To whom it may concern:

I make a humble confession as a self-professed green thumb: the vegetable garden this year has been a grand flop. My aspirations for floriferous grandeur have been stanched. I blame a very lovely, though slightly obese, honeylocust tree that has been stealing all the sunlight. After months of nurturing half a dozen vegetable varieties from seed, all I have to show for it is one green tomato the size of a gumball.

I am most thoroughly displeased, and am very tempted to do some drastic (anonymous) pruning to said honeylocust by moonlight.

Sincerely, Liezel, a disgruntled gardener.

p.s.-I envy this neighbor's success (and his unobstructed sunshine)

Please Note

For any interested reader, husband and I have created a family blog. Not much to look at right now, but stay posted for more:

http://kuzmichconstitutional.blogspot.com/

I will include a link to the family blog on my blog page for easy access. Enjoy!

Announcing our little Ezra!

Ezra Mauss was born Friday 9 September at 10:52 pm. I was scheduled for an induced labor and had a scheduled time of arrival at the hospital, but then made quite a bit of progress naturally without the aid of Pitocin, and finally ended up in surgery for an unplanned c-section. I feel like I experienced the whole gammit of the labor and delivery process and learned so much, even if it was a day filled with unexpected drama. The most important part is that our little boy is here safe and perfectly healthy. We are loving being home and loving having such a precious boy for keeps. It was a surreal feeling when my sweet husband came in the hospital room with the car seat; I got butterflies as it sunk in that this really was for real, that after months of waiting we actually get to bring him home, and that he really is our little Ezra.
Dallin was an absolute angel through the whole process and did everything he could for my comfort. I feel so fortunate to have shared this experience with him. He is my greatest support and helper.

Nothing Yet

Today is my official due date; I made it to 40 weeks! Apparently less than 5% of women deliver on their due date, and it appears that I am not in that five percent. Nothing much is happening yet, just wanted to report I am still out here, waiting.
Perhaps I have created an all-too-comfortable womb and baby isn't ready to vacate. Perhaps he wants to be a September baby, which is, of course, a very good month to be born. Perhaps he has an attuned sense of irony and wants to redefine my definition of "Labor Day" by arriving this coming Monday. We shall see. Here's hoping I have good news to share in the next week or so.

I Believe in God

I would like to add my witness to the witness of this renowned scientist.

God is real; he is a personage of flesh and bones. He is our Father and cares for us with all the love and tenderness of perfect Parent. His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, also has a body of flesh and bones, and under the direction of His Father, organized the world and all things therein. I see in their handiwork, the fingerprint of Divine Creators. The order, the intricacy, the majesty, and the variety of the creations in the earth and the heavens demonstrate to me that there had to be a Divine Plan. All things in the earth and the heavens bear witness of the Father and the Son.
We are created in the image of God. We are the offspring of God and have divine worth and potential. Our Father knew and loved us before we came to this earth. He understood our potential and created opportunities for us to grow and exercise our agency in that pre-mortal world. Now, as mortal being on this earth, we continue to use our God-given agency to make choices between good and bad, between truth and error. Our loving Father in Heaven, a being of perfect love and mercy, desires that we use our life on earth in such a way that we may be worthy to return to Him.
I pray to God because I know that He hears me. I am one of His spirit children; He is my Father in Heaven. He has a parental regard and concern for me as an individual, even amongst the vastness of the universe.

I Never Knew

Is part of growing up liking a wider palette of vegetables?

I think I was open to most veggies as a kid, but perhaps had somewhat limited exposure to all the potential variety an olericulturist could offer. It wasn't until my twenties that I tried, and liked, such things as collard greens, mustard greens, and okra (thank you Georgia). Despite bad PR I have now tried, and actually love, brussel sprouts, especially steamed and tossed in lemon butter. This past winter I tried a root vegetable stew made from turnips, parsnips, and rutabagas and was pleasantly surprised.

Just this month, some friends at church gave us some of their bumper crop of homegrown Swiss chard, and I have a new vegetable love. Husband and I steamed the greens, ate them without any seasoning, butter, etc., and each had three servings, finishing the entire bowl in one sitting! How have I lived this long and never known that I love Swiss chard?!

I am still working on liking beets. One of these days I will meet a borscht I like.

And the Winner Is...

Recently, I went on a day excursion to the Denver Botanic Garden to identify some top garden performers for summer heat. Late summer has a tendency to wipe out a good majority of perennials. My interest was in those perennials that still had energy to bloom and put on a show in 90+ temperatures and occasional water. I should note that the plants I picked were thriving in the botanic garden AND in the average homeowner's yard, which would receive less care and attention than a plant in a public display garden.

Here are my top picks for late summer Front Range perennials:

Agastache rupestris Sunset Hyssop













This plant is just starting to put on a show in late summer. Normal bloom time is late July to frost. But, that is the appeal of the plant! When little else looks good, this plant takes center stage. It has delicate needle-like leaves and tubular flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. The whole plant smells like licorice and is an excellent water-smart or xeriscape choice. It grows quite large (3-4' tall), but has an overall fine-textured look that allows it to blend very well with most any other plant combination. This plant thrives in full intense sun (native to the Southwest).


Salvia officinalis Variegated Sage













Sage is one of those garden plants that has so much to offer: aromatic foliage, great textured (rugose) leaves, kitchen and medicinal uses, interesting color variations, good form, low water needs, and great heat tolerance. It is categorized as a subshrub, has woody stems, and can have a presence even in the winter garden. I consider it an excellent border plant along walks and the front edge of a bed because of its perfect little hedgehog mounding growth habit. Even if it isn't used as a culinary tool, it is perfect for a children's garden because it is small, scented, and textured. And, it still looks amazing in August!


Echinacea purpurea Coneflower













So, this is a very common garden plant, but for good reason! Coneflower is blooming non-stop (with a little deadheading to encourage regrowth) from JUNE to frost--that is a serious garden statement. The plant doesn't flop or fade in the sun. It doesn't need supplementary water once established. Coneflower has few, if any pest or disease problems. It meshes well with a plethora of other plants without being overbearing to any given garden combination. Honeybees and butterflies love the plant. It is long-lasting as a cut flower. If left alone through the winter the old seed heads (where a flower used to be) create an additional season of interest. All it asks is full sun.


Caryopteris x clandonensis Blue Mist, Bluebeard, Blue Spirea













Blue Mist shrub is easy to grow, adaptable to various soils, and somewhat drought tolerant. It begins flowering in late summer (usually mid- to late July) and continues until frost. Blue flowers are always a welcome and somewhat rare garden feature, so this plant has great design versatility and works well in a shrub border or mixed border with other types of perennials. I prefer this plant to other upright purple/blue growing shrub-like perennials (such as Russian Sage) because it has a much tidier growth habit and will not self-sow itself with abandon. The leaves are aromatic when rubbed, the flowers have a sweet fragrance, and it attracts bees and butterflies. Overall plant size is usually 2-3' tall and wide, prefers full sun or light shade.

Honorable Release

The Denver Temple closes tomorrow for a six-week renovation. Today was my last day to work as an ordinance worker. I have been given an honorable release from my time of service in the temple. My new priority is mommy, and I could not have given up being an ordinance worker for anything less worthwhile. It will likely be 20 or more years before I can return to that service opportunity, as the church asks that women with children still at home devote their full-time efforts to motherhood.
It is a strange sort of loss to be finished with my time as an ordinance worker in the temple. I was able to serve for three and a half years in the Atlanta Temple and about eight months in the Denver Temple. I consider that time a precious gift. Some of my most beautiful life experiences took place there. I know that I became more of a devoted woman of God by spending regular time in the temple. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and especially in the temple, we refer to one another as brother and sister. The women that I served with in both Atlanta and Denver truly feel like my sisters in the full sense of the word. My bond of friendship, kinship, and understanding with the sisters in the temple is both difficult to explain and hard to forget.
How grateful I am for this unique chapter in my life.

Luck of the Draw

Most every day I listen to Colorado Public Radio at home or in the car, and enjoy it simply for the blessing of good music with wonderful variety. Occasionally, though, there is an added perk for regular listening. Last Thursday a ticket give-away was announced for the closing concert of the 2011 season of the Colorado Musical Festival at Chautauqua. I figured that I had as good a chance as anyone, and called in. About 15 minutes later, the station called me back and I had two free tickets to the Friday night show! This was quite a fun splurge for us, as the tickets were worth $42 a piece.

The Festival Finale featured a group called Time for Three (Tf3), a trio of musicians (two violinists, one double bass) all graduates of Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music. They are an unexpected mix of laid-back, amazingly talented, crazy, classical, blue-grass, jazz, and country styles in an over-the-top energized jam session. If you have 9 minutes and twenty one seconds to spare, I highly recommend giving a listen to their piece "Wyoming 307". We loved the show!

Collaboration and Copycating, etc.

My latest creative efforts have been for 1) animal applique pillows and 2) a baby mobile.

Originally, I was going to make a mobile using the animal design from the quilt fabric (turtle, zebra, and lion). It turns out my beginner sewing skills are not quite up to make three-dimensional objects. My multiple attempts resulted in really sorry-looking deformed creatures. BUT, I was able to replicate the design as flat pieces fairly well. So, I gave up the 3-D mobile idea after finding a book in a craft store showing applique pillows. I think I did a decent copycat job of the animal shape. I appliqued the animals to fabric pillow squares and then my genius-on-the-sewing-machine mom did the beautiful stitch work to hold it all together. The pillows aren't quite done yet; they still need some piping edges and then will be sewn around pillow forms. A modified mobile idea was a little slower in coming. In my opinion, all the $50 (+) mobiles in Babies R Us were not at all worth having. Most were cute to parents walking into the room, but were not made to be interesting to baby lying in a crib. Not to mention colors and patterns that didn't work with the scheme I had already worked out. So, I did some Pinterest browsing, and found this gorgeous (and CHEAP) idea. I ordered a hanging photoclip mobile and made a dozen paper pinwheels in the color scheme that I wanted. Wa-la! Lots of color, lots of interest for baby, and it can also be easily adapted or changed out. And finally, pregnant momma at 36 weeks. Will work for popsicles and cold water. Whew! The heat wave is getting old!

Anxious for our new arrival

Last week our stroller/car seat travel system arrived. We put it together and then adorable husband proceeded to push the stroller through the entire apartment with a little-boy-on-Christmas-morning grin on his face. Every other day or so since then, he pulls out the stroller and takes it on another walk through the apartment, smiling from ear-to-ear the entire time. Just wanted to document the cuteness!
This is one anxious daddy.

Good Read

My friend Katie bought me The Read-Aloud Handbook in preparation for baby and it has been a most engaging book. The basic premise of the book is one I am already aligned with: Read aloud to your children on a daily basis from the day they are born. I am so grateful though for such a thoughtful gift because without some of the back story, the research, and the evidence in favor of such a practice as daily read-alouds, it would be easy to dismiss it as just one more good, but impractical idea. The author, Jim Trelease, presents fact as well as anecdotal story from his personal experience as a father, as well as 20 years of positive affirmation from the thousands of parents and teachers around the world who practice what he preaches.
The idea is especially palatable to me because he isn't trying to push a program or sell a product. Any parent or teacher of any socioeconomic standard can make this a reality! The author recommends just 3 Bs: books (thank you public library!), a book basket in the home so that books can be very accessible, and a book lamp in the child's room. To aid in the read-aloud process, the last 115 pages of his book is his "Treasury of Read-Alouds", an impressive collection of more than 1,000 recommended books for all ages and genres that are especially well-suited to reading aloud. If you have the desire, and a library card, you can't go wrong!

Mr. Trelease stresses the fact throughout the book that the goal of reading aloud to your children from infancy is NOT to produce super-babies, or 2-year old readers. In fact, he encourages that that not be the goal at all. It could be a possible result, but the main crux of the daily reading is simply to create parent-child bonding, and a love-affair with books. No more, no less. It is that simple message that resonates with me because it aligns very well with the church's counsel for daily family scripture study and consistent gospel instruction in the home.

As a personal aside, when I went to visit my family over Christmas, my youngest sister, who is a teenager, requested that I read-aloud to her from a picture book during my visit. She has been a voracious reader since she was an infant and had the marked advantage of six older siblings and parents who were willing to indulge her in regular read-aloud sessions. When I think of her and her interest even now, as a teenager, to be read to, I am inspired and encouraged to start early and do it for my children.

Quick Stop-Over

My brother, sister-in-law and my nearly three-month old niece (who until today I had yet to meet) had a long layover in the Denver airport. Dallin and I had a nice, though brief, lunch visit with them. Their daughter, Camryn, is just adorable, wide-eyed and incredibly content with observing her new world. So glad we could get together!

Say hello to cousin Ezra!

Creativity Central

Over the fourth of July weekend, for the last 21 years Denver has hosted the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, which attracts artists from across the country. The husband and I braved the 90+ degree weather for a look-see. The 200+ outdoor booths of eye candy in a five-by-two city block area was worth some sweating and swollen feet. Here is just a sampling:

Jack Rabbit on a tricycle was my favorite of this artist's creations (his other companions included bats, grasshoppers, fish, turtles, etc.)

This artist is a Denver local in her mid to late 20's. The top left piece is called "Cherry Blossom" and it truly gave a Japanese feel. Each "flower" is individually constructed of special paper, varnished, and wired in. I love the layers!

Not quite sure what the symbolism is, but I love the counterbalance and unexpected juxtaposition of objects.

At first glance, an interesting mixed-media sculpture,

but get a little closer in and notice an artist with a quirky sense of humor.

The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden...

"Where you have a plot of land, however small, plant a garden. Staying close to the soil is good for the soul." --Spencer W. Kimball

Well, we are trying. We have a patio garden in pots, and for right now that is the best we can do. This year we are trying spinach, butterhead lettuce, bell peppers, cilantro, basil, dwarf tomato, cucumber, and a strawberry plant. Last night we harvested some greens for a salad, which feels awesome. Since our planting day on June 5, there has been some noticeable growth. The first little cucumber has started to form and the pepper and tomato plants are twice as big.

Garden at planting: Garden progress as of today:

Rocky Mountain High

Last week Dallin and I took a driving tour through some mountain high country in Colorado. We had so many blessings of good timing and safe travel during the trip that were more than just coincidental. For example, the day we spent in Maroon Bells outside Aspen was a perfect clear blue sky day. The next day was cloudy and cold and the view of the peak was obscured for a good part of the day. What a blessing that we planned our trip to go when we did and enjoy such a beautiful view.


We visited Glenwood Springs and planned to try the mineral hot springs (at a safe pregnant-mommy 94 degree temperature) and discovered to our surprise that the admission price was significantly reduced in the late evening, which is when we chose to go. We enjoyed the pools, the cool mountain air, had no danger of sunburn, and saved money--beautiful.


In three different cities large festivals were planned just a day or two later than our planned stay. This was a very good thing because although the BBQ Street Festival in Frisco, the Strawberry Days Festival in Glenwood Springs, and the Wine & Food Festival in Aspen may be desirable for some, our idea of vacation does not include large crowds. We enjoyed a vacation of relaxing, beautiful natural scenery instead.


We went on two hikes, both of which required some gradual, or in places not-so-gradual elevation climbs over rock piles and/or snow piles. Baby and I handled it just fine. No elevation sickness, no nausea, no cramped muscles, just the benefit of finishing and enjoying the views. Again, I felt so blessed.


On the last day of our trip, we took Independence Pass across the continental divide, which finally peaks at 12,095 feet. The recommended speed limit for most of the trip was 25 mph, the road was narrow, the drop-offs fatal, and in some places the guardrails non-existent. On certain hair-pin turns the speed limit dropped to 10 mph, and for good reason. But, the views were outstanding and so worth the trip. In all of our driving, in all types of weather, we were safe. What a blessing!

Did I mention that we also had perfect luck in our choice of restaurants? Among my favorites was an artichoke bisque in Glenwood Springs and decadent desserts in Snowmass.

Favorite Place

Over the weekend all the Colorado family plus a cousin visiting from California got together for a garden excursion to the Denver Botanic Garden. The weather was perfect and after several weeks of on-again/off-again rain the plants were looking fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as did Dallin, but then of course we would, we were in a garden! I love that my sweetheart loves a garden almost as much as I do. I am one lucky girl.
Just for fun we took another picture at the moon gate in the Japanese Garden. The first picture was taken in late August of last year when we were very newly-weds; in the second picture I am a 6-month + pregnant mommy-to-be with my ever-handsome husband (wow--pregnancy changes you alot!) Our one-year anniversary is fast approaching and it is amazing to think of all the adventuring we have had in that amount of time. Life is very good!

Seamless Transition

The bishop of our ward was released today and a new bishopric was called. The previous bishop is moving out of state, hence the change. Sacrament meeting was especially meaningful for me, as a member of the congregation, to see this transition take place. During the meeting, one of the members of the stake presidency related a conversation he had with a friend of another faith. This friend was quite shocked to learn that during such a leadership change, there is neither jockeying for position nor resistance by the congregation to adapt to new leadership.
I consider it one of the great miracles in the gospel of Jesus Christ that each member may, individually and personally, receive a witness by the power of the Holy Ghost that such a change is inspired.
Personal revelation is one of my favorite principles of the gospel, and I testify that in our meeting today, I felt and knew for myself that the new bishop had indeed been called of God. I know very little about this new bishop; in fact, we have never once had a conversation, but by the Spirit I felt a personal ratification of his call, and could, in all sincerity sustain him as the man the Lord had chosen. What a miracle! What a blessing! And so the work of the Lord goes forward in a similar manner all over the world.
As the stake president gave his closing remarks on the meeting, he taught a beautiful principle. He taught that only as we sustained this new bishopric could his time of service be truly meaningful. He needs our prayers just as much as we need his inspired leadership. The two work in tangent with one another, and neither our success as a ward, nor his success as bishop can be separated.

Conspicuous Motherhood

24 has always been one of my favorite numbers, and it seems that in this pregnancy 24 is also my magic number. As of week 24 I finally developed a baby bump. I am now in week 25 and decided it was time for another picture update.
In other updates, I realize that I have been very short-sighted in all of this motherhood stuff. Case in point: Two of my sister-in-laws and a few friends send cards or well wishes for my first Mother's Day and I was shocked. Wait...me? Really? I guess I am still processing the fact that after 30+ years of being single, I am no longer in that stage of anticipating motherhood, or desiring motherhood, but officially in the thick of it.
And now with a baby bump I am also in the realm of conspicuous motherhood, where people, sometimes strangers, ask me when I am due and what I am having. I am still processing that too.
I am loving this stage of pregnancy though, the "magic window" of feeling good and having energy has been true for me lately. I have started doing some yoga safe for pregnancy, with great energizing results. I also finished the baby quilt. The best news though, is that my taste for sweets is coming back! This is most exciting because summer just wouldn't be summer without enjoying ice cream, frozen yogurt, or gelato. Boulder has a good collection of local fare frozen treat establishments that I can now patronize! And, Blue Bell ice cream recently made its debut in grocery stores in Colorado, which for a girl who grew up in Blue Bell country is very good news.

Book Nook

When Dallin received assurance of a new work rotation that would keep us local for another year, and would not require a move, we decided that we could start getting baby things. When the crib arrived I got a wild hair and in one day rearranged all but four pieces of furniture in the entire apartment to 1) make a place for the baby and 2) make some needed improvements. One of my favorite spaces now is this little book nook in the family room. Previously, the armchair was in our bedroom, and the end table and bookcases were in the dining room. There is something very comforting to me in a cozy armchair, a table holding a good lamp and a pile of books. When I was younger, books were some of my best friends. I was often found up a tree with a book in hand, perfectly content to have a bit of sky, a leafy view and reassuring words. One of my earliest memories of my second year of preschool was the "reading pit", a sunken area in one of the corners of the classroom filled with pillows and books. My mom was a collector of picture books and I was favored as a youth by her convenient hobby. My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Braun, read aloud to our class every Friday and the sound of her voice recounting the exciting adventure of Brian in Hatchet remains a strong memory. Much to my parent's dismay, I would sometimes find a book so captivating that sleep was postponed in order the finish the next chapter (or three). Falling asleep with the light on at 2:00 am, book in hand, was a frequent occurrence.
I look forward to sharing that love for a good book with my children. Perhaps without realizing it, I created this space in anticipation of cuddle time and story time with them.

Picture This

It is 1:27 a.m. and you are in bed fast asleep when you are suddenly jerked awake by intense pounding on your front door. Husband groggily gets up, opens the door and greets two policemen at the doorstep. They ask if he is the owner of a silver Honda Prelude, answering affirmatively, the policemen escort him to the parking lot. Before even leaving the internal hallway of the building, some kind of incessant alarm can be heard. The alarm, as it turns out, is coming from aforementioned silver Prelude. It seems that the rain has somehow triggered the horn to blare nonstop of its own accord. Unfortunately, said horn is loud enough to wake every neighbor within a half-mile radius. And is, apparently, annoying enough to prompt some roused neighbor (or three) to call the police and complain. Policemen track you down and help you remove fuse for car horn.

The ridiculous part about all this? It happened to us last night. It appears we have a possessed car horn. So, in the event of an emergency, in the absence of a horn, we will be the weirdos waving our arms and shouting out the car window.

It took me awhile to stop chuckling and fall back to sleep after that one. What are the odds!

From a Colorado Garden

I had a lovely surprise earlier this week.

I took a trip to the Denver Botanic Garden and found a plethora of plant life budding, blooming, and leafing out. Colorado horticulture early spring has an abundance of color and variety to share, I just needed to know where to look. It would appear, therefore, that much of the local public lives far beneath their horticultural privileges. In my frequent walks around local neighborhoods and parks I see the same twenty plants that are nice, but not terribly unique. I was beginning to think that the altitude, the winds, the dry soil, and low rain fall would not allow any great diversity of plant material to thrive. Not so!

Here are some favorite mid-April bloomers from the botanic garden, which are well-adapted to Colorado and could very easily be added to a residential landscape for some extra pizazz.

Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie' Burkwood Daphne (shrub)

Pulsatilla vulgaris Pasque Flower (rock garden perennial)

Anemone blanda 'White Splendor' Greek Anemone (from a rhizome-like tuber)

Chinodoxa forbessi Glory-of-the-Snow (bulb)

Aubrieta intermedia Rockcress (rock garden perennial)

Viburnum carlesii Korean Spice Viburnum (shrub)

What is leafing out right now? Silver Maple, Hedge Maple, Honeylocust, Green Ash, Peony, Filbert, Ninebark

What is blooming right now? Lilac, Tulip, Crabapple, Pearlbush, Quince, Flowering Plum, Serviceberry, Redbud, Hellebore, Fritillaria, Bleeding Heart, Currant/Gooseberry