A Very Faulkner Thanksgiving
Posted on November 25, 2011
We here at Faulkner’s Ranch are thankful for so many things…
our family, our friends, and being blessed with a wonderful family business that makes us love going to work each day.
Since moving to our new location on Raytown Road, it has become a tradition for the entire family to get together at the ranch for a huge Thanksgiving dinner celebration. We usually have between 30 and 40 people to celebrate with which means lots of laughter and LOTS of food!
We start the evening by getting in a big circle and each saying what we are thankful for…
Then it’s time for the food and we aren’t joking around when we say there is lots of food! Everyone brings their favorite dish so everything is absolutely delicious.
Once we are all stuffed we start the rather competitive game of Pirate Bingo.
It works like a White Elephant Christmas Exchange. When you win Bingo, you pick a gift…however that gift can be stolen up to three times by other winners.
Some people get the best seat in the house for this…
Especially since the game can get pretty intense…
and some tables don’t have much luck and start to get rowdy…
But luckily our beautiful Bingo callers keep everyone in line.
In the end, everyone scored some pretty awesome gifts, like Jamie with his boa covered plunger.
Overall, it was a fantastic evening!
We hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!
Stay tuned this month for more delicious holiday recipes, DIY Christmas gifts, and awesome party planning tips.
Happy Thanksgiving!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s
To read more about our family traditions, click here.
A Beautiful Ranch Wedding
Posted on November 18, 2011
This past weekend was a busy one for the Faulkner’s.
We had 1 fundraiser, 1 quincenera, and 6 pony parties!
We also had a very special wedding for Kaity Gerling and Philip Stair at our Benjamin Ranch location.
It is always fun to watch the barns be transformed into a dream come true for the bride and groom. Michele Gerling (the mother of the bride) and florist, Russ Lawrence, did a spectacular job creating the most magical environment for the evening.
Here is what Michele had to say about the special day:
“I can’t tell you how many phone calls I have received on how elegant the barn looked and how delicious the food was! No one believed the transformation could be made; I just told them, “I’ll show you.” Of course, it made a difference having a florist that understood my vision and was willing to put up with me. Poor guy. Of course, the Faulkner’s were very gracious. A true dream team! The food, the DJ, the cute bartender, and of course, Bob and Marilyn were awesome. It was an amazing experience! As my friend G said, “I give it two thumbs and a big toe up!”
We are so glad that you had such a wonderful time!
Now, without further ado, here are some of our favorite photos of this beautiful wedding.
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| Michele made these chandeliers out of hanging flower baskets and crystals. |
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| The gorgeous arbor for the ceremony. |
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| The Wedding Party |
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| The Reception |
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| The Bride and Groom’s Table |
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Photos by Russ Lawrence
To learn more about having a wedding at Faulkner’s Ranch or Benjamin Ranch click HERE.
Congratulations once again to the happy couple!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s
Ponies and Pancakes
Posted on November 6, 2011
A special thanks to everyone who came out to our Ponies and Pancakes Benefit to support Kairos Christian School in Guatemala!
It may have been chilly but it was super fun!
We enjoyed some yummy pancakes for breakfast…
Prepared by our awesome ranch chefs!
The pancakes got two thumbs up!
Of course you can’t have Ponies and Pancakes without some pony rides!
We also had some fun flying through the sky on Zippity Zack’s Zipline!
We even had a cow milking contest…
…and did some face paintin’!
And shhh! Don’t forget about the silent auction!
There was lots of great stuff to bid on to help the kids in Kairos!
Overall, it was a great day to be at Faulkner’s Ranch!
Did you miss the memo! Sign up for our newsletter where we will keep you up to date on upcoming events and offers!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s
A Great Big Faulkner’s Thank You!
Posted on November 2, 2011
We here at Faulkner’s want to give a great big thank you to everyone who helped make this Pumpkin Season so wonderful!
From our guests to our amazing Pumpkin Farm crew and entertainers, we couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you for making us smile every day in October!
We hope that you have enjoyed our Pumpkin Season inspired posts this past month.
But don’t worry – we’re not going anywhere! We are getting ready for holiday parties here at the ranch and we’ve got tons of Thanksgiving recipes, DIY Christmas gifts, kids crafts projects, and more coming up for you to enjoy!
In the meantime, here are some of our favorite pictures from this Pumpkin Farm season!
Happy Fall Ya’ll,
~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s
Animal House
Posted on October 31, 2011
Today is the last day of Pumpkin Season so we wanted to
share some love for the
Stars of the Barn!
Our wonderful (and super spoiled) petting farm animals!
We couldn’t ask for a better bunch!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s
Reader Showcase!
Posted on October 27, 2011
We love seeing the awesome ideas that our readers come up with. Seriously – you guys are too creative for your own good!
So of course, when you sent us some photos we just had to share!
Enjoy!!!
So of course, when you sent us some photos we just had to share!
Enjoy!!!
Lisa Gosselin: Upcycling An Old Planter
Lisa found this hanging flower pot at an estate sale and decided that it might be cute as fall decor! Check out what she did with it!
She took it from this…
To this!
Isn’t that adorable? Replacing the flower pots with some super cute pie pumpkins is just too cute!
We can’t say that we are surprised by all of her creativity. After all, she is the one who designs and makes the Pumpkercase Pumpkins that you can purchase at Faulkner’s.
Sarah Brines: A Pony Pumpkin
Sarah is one of our “friendterns” who helps us out over the summer and we just adore her! She visited us this past weekend to pick her pumpkins and sent us this awesome photo of her carving!
Here it is in her display using all Faulkner’s pumpkins:
Our ponies would be proud!
Paul Weikel: An Artsy Pumpkin Display
Paul made two trips out to Faulkner’s to get all of his pumpkins and we can’t believe all of the creative ideas he came up with!
Just look at his beautiful front yard display…
And check out this scary guy! Poor mini pumpkin…
Do you see the Frankenstein face???
Here it is after some paint…
Isn’t this bat just the cutest?
Boo! Look at this clever combo!
He even snuck a Baby Pumpkinseed in there!
Thank you all for sharing your awesome ideas with us! It makes us happy to know that our pumpkins have found good homes!
Do you have some creative fall decor going on at your house? Send us your pictures! We would love to share them!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s
PS – If you are getting ready to carve your pumpkins be sure that you check out these helpful hints on making them last!
PS – If you are getting ready to carve your pumpkins be sure that you check out these helpful hints on making them last!
7 for 7
Posted on October 24, 2011
We thought that this was too awesome to not share…
Meet Boston!
He just turned 7 this month and has had every single birthday at Faulkner’s Ranch!
Happy Birthday Boston!!!
We can’t wait to celebrate the Big 8 with you too!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s
PS – Are you interested in having a birthday party at Faulkner’s? Just click HERE for more info!
A Pumpkin Proposal
Posted on October 21, 2011
Maybe we’re a little bit biased because of our love for pumpkins, but this is one of the most romantic proposals we’ve seen. It is also holds an extra special place in our hearts since this is how our cousin (and former scarecrow) Kelly Jo was proposed to last year.
Her then boyfriend, Ben, along with his family carved fifteen pumpkins to pop the question exactly one year ago yesterday.
And it worked! They were happily married this June.
So if you’re thinking of popping the question, maybe a perfect pumpkin proposal is the way to do it!
~Your Friends at Faulkner’s
PSA from Faulkner’s: Preserving Your Pumpkins
Posted on October 20, 2011
There is nothing more heartbreaking than a pumpkin that shrivels before it’s prime.
You’ve seen it before. That beautiful carving a week later is unrecognizable. Those once orange beauties are now moldy balls of mush.
Something needs to be done to stop this tragedy from occurring.
That is why we hear at Faulkner’s Ranch are providing this:
A Public Service Announcement
for
Preserving Your Pumpkins.
A Public Service Announcement
for
Preserving Your Pumpkins.
That’s right, there are steps that you can take to prevent this unnecessary early fatality.
Below are some things that you most likely have sitting around the house that can help your pumpkin live a long and happy life.
Below are some things that you most likely have sitting around the house that can help your pumpkin live a long and happy life.
Rub Vaseline or petroleum jelly on the carved edges and inside of your pumpkins. This will keep moisture in and prevent premature shriveling.
Spray your pumpkin with water and cover it with plastic wrap and then store it in the refrigerator when it is not on display. This will also help to prevent early decomposition.
Soak or spray the pumpkin with water mixed with a little bit of bleach. This will help ward off mold and kill insects for longer preservation.
If you have a display of mini pumpkins, say in a bowl, pop in one of those silica packs that come in purses and other store bought items. This will keep the pumpkins fresher for a longer period of time. You can also put the silica packs in your carved pumpkins to prevent mold (Be sure to leave them in the pack though!)
If your pumpkin is showing signs of shriveling, soak it in water for several hours. The more shriveled the pumpkin, the longer it needs to soak. When the pumpkin is removed from the water, dry the inside with a towel as much as possible to impede mold growth. Dried-out pumpkins can be revived almost completely with this technique.
A Few Other Tips:
If your pumpkins are on display indoors, they need to be in a cool place. If your pumpkins are on display outdoors, they should be placed out of the heat and direct sunlight.
And don’t forget, before you even bring your pumpkin home, to stop by our Pumpkin Wash Station. That way they will be nice and shiny before they go on display!
We hope that you get to enjoy your pumpkins for as long as possible with these helpful tips!
Do you have any pumpkin preservation tips that we didn’t list? Please send them our way!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner’s
Friday Fun Facts: Family Owned and Family Loved
Posted on October 7, 2011
Faulkner’s Ranch and Pumpkin Farm is a family owned, family operated, and family loved business.
Each season you can find the entire Faulkner family either working or just hanging out on the farm.
For those of you who have been visiting us since the beginning, you might recall that Faulkner’s Pumpkin Patch used to be located a few streets over. When we moved to our new location, we wanted to make sure that we added some very special touches as we were building the new barns.
For example, have you seen the pony murals at the entrance of the Pumpkin Farm?
If you look closely, each pony has a nameplate next to it…
Each pony is named after a grandkid in the Faulkner family.
There are also two ducks on each side of the door entering the walkway to the petting farm…
The ducks are fondly named after the Uncle Clyde and Charlie, who would travel to Kansas City each year to work on the pumpkin farm. This past December, Clyde passed away suddenly. It just isn’t the same on the farm without him, which is why this pumpkin season is dedicated to his memory.
We miss you Clyde!
All of the murals were painted by Pat Barron, a local Kansas City artist and amazing friend of the Faulkner family. In addition to painting, she also teaches horseback riding lessons and has taught each of the grandkids how to ride.
So, the next time that you’re out at a ranch stop and see if you can find some of these special details!
We look forward to seeing you out on the farm!
~Your Friends at Faulkner’s
PS – Don’t forget! This weekend is Wild Western Weekend! We’ve got lots of special events planned!
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