Editor’s Note: Happy Friday. Today, Kendra Quince discovers holiday ideas in her garden. It’s that time of year when getting out into the dirt is kind of a drag. Not much planting or pruning going on. But, kids always seem to know how to make dirt and the garden fun any time of year. Here she is:

Ah, winter garden. Everything is droopy, wet and cold. There wasn’t much to look at as I wandered through for holiday ideas. What? Holiday ideas from a droopy garden? Yes, it’s true. With nature as my muse, I was hoping that inspiration would arise.

I enlisted the kids in this task. Really, they just seemed interested in dipping into the frosty rain filled wheelbarrow. “To water your plants, mom,” they say. Oh, yes, that is just what the plants needed!

With the pickings looking slim, I was relieved that I had one back up craft for us to do this year - pine cones. Who doesn’t remember some version of the Christmas tree pine cone decoration? All painted and glittered for the indoor tree, or smeared with peanut butter and bird seed for an outdoor tree.

This is going to sound strange, but I had been wanting to make this craft for a few years. That’s right, years. Three to be exact. But, I just couldn’t find the right pine cones. I know there is no such thing as the “right” pine cone and I’m also aware that cones (be from pine or elsewhere) are abundant in the valley.

The problem? I wanted to work with the pine cone that I remembered from when I was little – the perfectly fat, round and not too long pine cone. And it seems so funny, because there are pine trees everywhere, but the cones I usually found were Fir, or from the Ponderosa Pine. I even enlisted my family to go on “walks” with me – or “Mama’s perfect pine cone hunts” - and we did this all last fall.

You must be thinking it can’t be that hard to find a pine cone. And if I had researched the image I wanted, and the tree it was from, and when to find said cones, I would have been way ahead. But I didn’t. I just figured these cones I really wanted had to be out there, and would turn up somewhere – in time for Christmas.

It turns out that I was after cones from the European Black Pine, and like most pine trees the cones actually take 18-24 months to mature. It all finally made sense!

One hot September day, as I walked around the block, I finally found my cone – 10, no 20, perfect pine cones! So, this year we shall have pine cones on our tree. And so will grandma and grampa!

I had been sidetracked from our task of finding garden inspiration, and was poking about in the muddy garden beds, when the little ones ran over, “Look mom, fairy hats!” My daughter held out her hand with five acorn tops on the palm. “Fairy hats indeed!” I said. I envisioned hand crafted leaf mache fairies with delicate wings and these little acorn hats.

But, it’s funny how some things are lost, especially when you must sacrifice time because dinner should have been started 10 minutes ago, and you’re still knee deep in kids craft experiments. We did manage to make little acorn people, which I think are adorable, and my daughter can’t wait to give one to each of her friends.

I simplified my original idea to pipe cleaner figures with a small wooden bead for a head. Before gluing the head on the pipe cleaner we cut a hole in the center of a little wool rectangle and slipped that on as a smock. The final touches were to glue the acorn hat on top, and to fold the pipe cleaner arms and legs at the ends to make hands and feet. Cute.

Now for the wrapping. While I was out digging in the dirt I happened across a few potatoes. Since they were a little weathered, I thought we could use them for some good old potato painting. So, I cut shapes into them for the kids.

I originally thought Santa, reindeer, star and perhaps a sled. But the knife proved to be challenging and I sliced off one of my star arms, so I end up with a few simpler shapes and a snowman, albeit a little crooked and box-ish. Oh well, by the time the kids finished painting, smearing and mashing, it was hard to tell what the shapes were anyway.

No matter, our potato painted newsprint will make a great wrapping alternative to store bought wrapping paper.

As an afterthought, I did one more search through the yard for something red and I come across rose hips. After drying them slightly, I used a pin to thread a string through each one and hung them on our tree beside the pine cone ornaments. They are delightfully simple and beautiful.

Now, our house is feeling festive. With our pine cone and rose hip ornaments, our acorn people having tea and our potato paper wrapped presents - this year is shaping up to honor our yard.

So be it. I do love my garden.