Category Archives: Uncategorised

Mini Pumpkin Extravaganza!

Posted on October 23, 2012
Our creative genius, Lisa, has done it again!
Check out these adorable Mini Pumpercase Living Pumpkins that she created!
They’re for sale in the Harvest Barn for just $2.00 a pumpkin!
Come pick some up today to make the perfect fall centerpiece or mantle display!
Have a great day ya’ll!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s

Congratulations to Our Donation Request Winners!

Posted on October 20, 2012
Congratulations To Our Pumpkin Donation Request Drawing Winners!!!


This Year’s Pumpkin Donation Drawing Winners Are:
Hawthorne Hill Elementary (Angie Stott)
Residential Care Facility (Rita Dillon)
Johnson Elementary PTA (Stephanie Tyler)
Chapel Lakes Elementary (Jacque Hayes)
and
Langsford House of Lee’s Summit (Carla Griffin)
*Please contact Faulkner’s Ranch to set up a time to pick up your pumpkins.
Thank you for all of your entries!Remember, if you didn’t win this time you stay in the drawing pot for future drawings until your group’s name is drawn.
As a bonus thank you to everyone who entered, all donation request groups will receive a special rate on mini-pumpkins while supplies last.  Mini-pumpkins will be only $ .50 a piece, our lowest price available to any group!
Just call 816-761-1234 and place your order over the phone!  We’ll package them up and have them ready to go for pickup Monday through Friday!

In Case You Missed Us On TV!

Posted on October 18, 2012
Remember when we told you that Joel Nichols from KMBC 9 News Kansas City came by the ranch for some Pumpkin Season fun?
Well, just in case you missed it when it aired this past Sunday, here he is is having a rip roarin’ good time!
Joel Nichols interviewing our spokesperson, Corey!
ENJOY!
Have a great day ya’ll!

PS – For more videos of Faulkner’s Ranch, click here!

Have You Seen This?

Posted on October 5, 2012
Remember when Joel Nichols visited the ranch back in September!
Well, our favorite hilarious weatherman was back this week to have some Pumpkin Season fun!
Here he is interviewing Corey, our spokesperson!
Tune into KMBC 9 News on the morning of Sunday, October 14th to see what these two were chatting about!
And just in case you missed it, CLICK HERE to see Joel horsing around at the ranch back in September.
We told you he was hilarious folks!
Come have fun like Joel did out at the ranch this weekend for Wild Western Weekend!
Remember, if you wear a cowboy hat you get $1.00 off admission!
Have a great day ya’ll!

How to Choose the Perfect Pumpkin

Posted on October 1, 2012
It’s Fall Ya’ll!
Which means that it is time to get out that fall decor!  Of course, no fall home is complete without some of our favorite little orange guys.
We’re talking about pumpkins folks!
So, before we share with you all of our awesome pumpkin decorating ideas, we thought that we would give you the lowdown on how to pick the best of the best when it comes to your pumpkins.
Tips for Selecting the Perfect Pumpkin
Look for pumpkins that are rich in color.
Look at the pumpkin from all sides to make sure that there are no bruises, soft spots, scars or signs of mold.

Choose a pumpkin that feels firm and heavy for its size.
Turn the pumpkin over and place pressure on the bottom with your thumbs. If it flexes or gives your pumpkin is not fresh.
Check that the stem is solidly attached (but never pick it up by the stem, hold your pumpkin by the base).
A green stem indicates a freshly harvested pumpkin.

Set the pumpkin on flat ground to make sure it’s level.
How many will you need? 
Odd numbers are better. 3 should be the minimum number in your display.
What sizes?
A variety! One big, one medium, and one small is a nice start.
What about those weird looking ones?
Yes, the gourds and the squash!  Don’t be afraid of using these just because they’ve got some bumps.  Gourds and squash add visual interest to your display!
And remember…
Set your pumpkins in cool, dry place that is not in direct sunlight.
Also, never set the pumpkin directly onto your mantle.  Always place the pumpkin on a non-permeable surface.  This can be a flat candle plate, oatmeal box top, or folded up tinfoil.
This is a precaution in case the bottom of your pumpkin begins to rot and leak over time.
Lastly, remember safety first!  If you plan on using your fireplace, make sure that you have nothing flammable hanging from it.
For tips on preserving your pumpkins, click here.

At Faulkner’s Ranch, we make your job easy!
We only display the finest pumpkins.  All of the pumpkins you will find in our Harvest Barn are a deep orange in color.  No broken stems.  No bruises.
Only the best of the best!

Have a great day ya’ll and we hope to see you soon!
PS – Check out the awesome events that we have coming up.  First up, Wild Western Weekend on October 6th and 7th!

Happy Blogiversary to Us!

Posted on
Today is a day to celebrate!
Not only is it the opening day of Pumpkin Season 2012,
but it is another special day as well!
We’re celebrating because…
*drumroll please*
That’s right! Exactly one year ago today we began sharing our stories, tips, and tricks with you.
Now, over 180 posts later and over 27,000 page views, here we are!
Fun Fact:  Our most viewed page was Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats with over 2,600 hits
Of course, this blog wouldn’t be a success without someone very special…
YOU!
Our wonderful, faithful readers!
So
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
for always stopping by!
Now stay tuned, cause we are about to have pumpkin palooza – blogstyle! 
Have a great day ya’ll!

Word From the Herd: Meet Lisa and Our New Worm Farm

Posted on September 29, 2012
Today we want to tell you all about one of the most awesome and creative members of the Faulkner family…
Lisa Gosselin!
Lisa grew up in the Western Store just like many of the Faulkner’s, so she has always been a part of the family business.
As you’ll find out, she plays several roles here at Faulkner’s Ranch.
First and foremost, she is one of the creative geniuses behind the things that you see when you visit Faulkner’s Ranch.
All of the beautiful signs – yup, those are made by her!
The animal facts in the petting farm – all Lisa!
But she does more than that!  She also does food prep, she bartends, she works as a hostess at parties in her spare time, and she has done a ton of research on our Faulkner ancestry.
Besides being extremely creative and hard working, she is also extremely resourceful.  Which is why she suggested that we start our very own Worm Farm here at the ranch so that we will always have our own worms for our events with fishing.
Faulkner’s New Worm Farm
by Lisa Gosselin
Hello, this is Lisa!  I do a number of things to help out at the ranch, I make their signs, help out with parties, etc… Recently I have gotten into worm farming here at the ranch!
I started worm farming because I wanted the ranch to have their own in-house supply of worms for fishing.  After studying about worms, I soon learned the awesome things that worms can do for us!

Making the Worm Farm:

To get started, I created this worm farm using 2 totes. I drilled holes in the sides, the bottoms and in one of the lids. In the bottom tote I added about a half bag of peat moss, dampened with water.
I purchased and added 120 red worms. 1000-2000 worms to start is recommended, but I was comfortable with starting small.
For food, I buried some leftover salad from one of our ranch parties, and topped with shredded paper out of the ranches office. The shredded paper keeps the worm farm from getting too wet. So now and then I keep adding more shredded paper.  
 I feed the worms 1-2 times a week.  I bury their food in different places in the farm.  It is fun to see what they eat and what they don’t this way. Worms will eat whatever leftovers you have in your fridge. They love to eat fruit, veggies, pumpkin and watermelon rinds, deviled eggs, coffee grinds, tea leaves, pancakes, oatmeal, grits, and oatmeal.  The list goes on…I have fed  them a lot of leftover salad and watermelon, and so far these are their favorite.  Our worms are vegetarians, so no meat!! The only thing I have offered them they didn’t eat was some chocolate zucchini bread.  

Worms are hard workers and are true recyclers!  They basically take all your food scraps, shredded paper, etc.. and compost it into fertilizer for your gardens.  Their ranch chores goes like this!  First they eat the leftovers that would be normally thrown in the trash after a ranch party.  They then process the food scraps into castings (worm poop).

Worm Castings added to the soil of potted plants and the garden adds a ton of nutrients to plants as it is an excellent fertilizer.  
How It All Works:
Now a little bit on how the worm farm system works. As you see there are two totes.
I drilled holes in the sides, as pictured, in the bottoms and in one of the lids. In the bottom tote is where I added the worm bedding and where the worms currently are.  As more food is added, and more worm castings/fertilizer are created, the bottom tote will become full and the soil will be dense.  When this happens, its time to create new bedding in the upper tote.  Worms eat their way upward by nature, so they will make their way up through the holes in the bottom of the upper tote to eat the food you have there.  Then the bottom tote is used for plant fertilizer. And the bottom tote then becomes the top tote.
As you can see, one of the tote lids is used for a drainage lid.  If the soil gets too wet, it can drain down onto this lid.  That liquid can be used for casting tea.  This doesn’t mean you drink it!! It means you can take the liquid and  add to your flower pots when watering for a nice fertilizer.  
How It’s Going:
I started this Worm farm about five weeks ago.  The worms have multiplied, as they do every 90 days or so.  My son Spencer named the worms Rancher Rikki.  All of them are named Rancher Rikki, as we can’t tell them apart!  Each worm is both male and female, so a unisex name was in order. 
As they multiply, some of the worms will then be used for fishing activities at the ranch!
A Few Fun Facts About Worms:
Oh! and it is a myth that by cutting a worm in half that you will then have two worms!
Depending on where a worm is cut, the anterior end (with head) can grow a new tail.  But the tail end can not grow a new head and will die. 
Isn’t that all just too cool?  Thanks for sharing Lisa!  And a HUGE thank you for everything that you do here at the ranch!

Be sure to stop on by and see our new worm farm at the ranch this Pumpkin Season!  You can learn even more about it by the fishing station at the pond!
Have a great day ya’ll!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s

A Rustic Fall Wedding

Posted on September 27, 2012
A couple of weeks ago we had yet another amazing wedding at the ranch when we had the privilege to work with Hannah and Issac Cole on their special day.
These two lovebirds were just awesome to work with!  They were big kids at heart and totally made for one another, which of course makes our job really fun!
We were thrilled when we found out that they wanted to have a rustic, fall, pumpkin themed wedding.
In order to make their dream wedding come true, they brought in the experts at Blue Bouquet, one of Kansas City’s premier florists.
Check out the awesome look this professional team created to make this couple’s vision come to life!
Let’s start with the ceremony site which was lined with pumpkins…
Simple and beautiful!
They then carried the pumpkin/fall/rustic theme into the ceremony decor with the centerpieces.
We loved how they used a variety of different types of flowers and vases, along with mini-pumpkins to achieve this look.
Plus, check out these awesome mason jars that they used as candle holders.
We have seen burlap around the base of a mason jar but they used jute which was so cute!
One of the benefits of hiring a florist to set up your wedding is that you get to r-e-l-a-x!  
That’s why we love the picture below of the mother of the bride just chilling in a rocking chair before the guests arrived.
Because she hired a professional like Blue Bouquet, all of the details were seen to, leaving her to relax and enjoy watching her daughter take pictures before the wedding.
Now, back to the decor!  One thing that made this wedding unique was that this couple had a lot of very personal elements worked into their design.
One special element included the use of the family sofa that they lovingly referred to as “the pit.”  The Mother of the Bride told us all about how the sofa has been in their family for 30 years and how she even has pictures of her oldest son in diapers on it.
The close friends of the bride were even telling us about how many movies they have watched on “the pit: and how many nights they have slept on it (as well as a couple of make out sessions in their teenage years, lol).
So it was a natural that it spent its last night at Hannah’s wedding, placed perfectly next to the ambient fires for people to lounge on and reminisce.
Speaking of seating, we love how they incorporated hay bales into their pavilion design to give the guests more options…
What truly set the pavilion off though was the lighting.
It was amazing!
The Blue Bouquet floral crew hand-screwed in hundreds of very fragile bulbs and then hand unscrewed them too at the end of the night.  In all they had 5 staff here from 12:30pm to 4:30pm decorating the banquet barn, pavilion, and wedding arbor.  We estimate that they put about  30 man-hours into on-site decor and tear down.  Who knows how many they had in preparation?
And boy did it show!
 
So pretty!

The banquet barn continued their theme and further illustrated how these two were just kids at heart.
As you can see in the photo of the dessert bar below, they took the bride’s pumpkin rustic theme and mixed in the groom’s love of superheroes and comic books (see them on the table?)
Oh, and did we mention that the  groom even wore a superman boutonniere.
The couple also had a very unique guest book which was based on the movie “Up.”
Each guest made a thumbprint to look like a balloon and their name or signature to look like the string.  They will display this in their home.
What a fantastic piece of art to walk by each day and remind you of how special your wedding was!
Another cool thing that the couple did in lieu of party favors was that they donated to their special friend Charles’s surgery.
Charles lives in Uganda and you can read from the picture below his story about being hit by a car at age four.
They also Skyped in a relative in Uganda during the ceremony and reception which was fun.
Overall, this wedding was such a joy to be a part of!
So unique and personal, and of course, we LOVED how they incorporated pumpkins into their design!
Thank you Hannah and Issac for choosing Faulkner’s Ranch as the place for your special day!

If you’re interested in having your wedding at Faulkner’s Ranch click here for more information! We’d love to show you around and tell you about all that we have to offer!
Also, be sure to check out Blue Bouquet if you are looking for a phenomenal florist!  They were an absolute pleasure to work with and we can’t wait to have them back out at the ranch again.
Have a great day ya’ll!

Word From the Herd: Cameron’s Class Recap

Posted on September 21, 2012
Pumpkin Season is just 10 days away which of course means that we have all things fall and pumpkin on our minds here at Faulkner’s Ranch!
So, of course, we were elated when Cameron’s Home Furnishings invited us to teach a workshop at their store on
“How to Create a Fantastic Fall Mantle Using Real Pumpkins.”
First things first, if you have never stopped by Cameron’s (located in downtown Lee’s Summit) then you are missing out! This store is AMAZING! Pretty much the entire Faulkner family is addicted to it – they just have the most beautiful furniture and decor.  We especially love their seasonal decor.  To give you an idea of how amazing it is, here is a picture of their Halloween decor that they have set up at the front of their store…
Too cool, right?
Plus, they are a family owned business just like us, so of course they hold a special place in our hearts.
If you do one thing today, make it be that you go like them on Facebook. 
Now, back to the workshop!
Last Thursday night, I had the delight of teaching over 20 of the most fun women in Lee’s Summit how they can use pumpkins in their mantle decor.
I went over how to pick a good pumpkin (not just any will do) and the five elements that make up creating a mantle that is full and visually interesting (i.e. a large center piece, movement, visual weight, layering, and varying heights).
There were four different themes that we learned how to create:
Classic
Scary
Rustic/Shabby Chic
and Fun!
Here are some pictures from the “Fun” display…
For this display I showed how you can use paint and melted crayons to create some cool, unique looking pumpkins…
I then combined some fabric that I got for a steal at JoAnn’s with some of the super cute decor that is available at Cameron’s like the ghost, hat, witches broom, and owl that you see below…
If you want to really snazzy up a display, you can even add some of Cameron’s battery-operated rice lights.
Doesn’t that look so cool? These lights even have a timer so that you don’t have to keep replacing the batteries if you forget to turn them off! Genius!
Oh, and did we mention that the The Kansas City Star even stopped by to take some pictures for an upcoming article on decorating with pumpkins?  Be sure to check it out in the Home and Garden section on October 21st!
Overall, the evening was just a blast! The ladies were so much fun and we had such a great time together!
With that being said, we just want to give a big thanks to Amy, Sue, and Steve for inviting us to share our pumpkin expertise at their beautiful store!
A Mother/Daughter Team – Amy and Sue
If you are interested in taking a class at Cameron’s then you are in luck! They have another one coming up next Thursday, the 27th where you learn how to Build a Wreath.  At that workshop you will go through different stations, pick out pieces for your wreath and they will assemble it for you right there! To register, call 816.554.9190.
And don’t forget to stop on by Faulkner’s Ranch to pick up your pumpkins! We swing open our gates for Pumpkin Season on October 1st and are open from 10am to 6pm daily!
We hope to see you there!
Have a great day ya’ll!
~ Kelly Jo & 

Tune Into KMBC News Tomorrow Morning!

Posted on September 16, 2012
Joel Nichols of KMBC’s Weather Team and Bob Faulkner
We just love it when local celebrities stop by the Ranch!  This week, we had the pleasure of seeing Joel Nichols,  one of the featured stars of KMBC’s Weather Team, when he stopped by for a little mosey around the ranch.
We can’t divulge too much information and tell you what his story is going to be, but you don’t want to miss it!
You’re just going to have to tune into the morning news on Sunday, September 16th to see what Joel was up to!
We were lucky to get to spend about at hour with him at the Ranch.  He is extremely witty – but we’re sure that all of his beloved viewers already know that.  He is also incredibly intelligent, a father of four very bright young adult children, and did we mention so so funny!
Bob and Joel actually go way back.
Here is what Bob had to say about how they met:
“When Joel first came to town he was the new morning weatherman on Channel 9.  Shortly after he started, Larry Moore called me and asked if I could provide a couple of ponies for Joel’s youngest’s birthday party at his house.  We did the gig and when he went to pay, whomever I sent with the ponies told him there was no charge.  He has remembered that throughout the years and has always been very kind to the ranch and me.”
Now Joel just needs to to predict LOTS of sunny weekends for October! ;o)
Have a great day ya’ll and don’t forget to tune into Channel 9 tomorrow morning!
PS – Did you know that Joel Nichols has a blog too? You can read it here!

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