Happy New Year!

From all of us here at Faulkner's Ranch 

to you and your family,

we would like to wish you a very Happy New Year!

2012 was an exciting year here at Faulkner's Ranch.

We accomplished a lot of new things from mastering some yummy dishes on our new smoker to creating the "Grill Shack."  We also spiffied the place up a bit by building a brand new bandstand stage, adding a concrete fire pit, building a new bar area, and adding wood trim to the banquet barn.  In addition to all of this, we also added some awesome new team members to our ranch family.

While 2012 was amazing, we are definitely excited about 2013 and what it has in store!

For example, in 2013 we will be providing several new party packages such as our new Vendor Sponsor Company Picnic Package, our Outdoor Country Wedding Party Package, and a new and improved Country Christmas Party Package.

All of these packages are designed to provide our customers with affordable, quality, memory-making events!

We will also be featuring some exciting new things on the blog like Wedding Wednesdays, Oh So Pinteresting Saturday, and more!  So be sure to keep checking back daily to stay up to date!

To kick off 2013, we would like to thank you for all of the support and love that you give our little family-business year round.  We couldn't do it without you and we hope that you know just how much you mean to us!

Once again, Happy New Year!

~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

2012: A Year In Review

A look back on some of our favorite posts from 2012...

January

We kicked off the New Year by sharing some of our favorite 2011 Holiday Party trends.

We also celebrated a the wedding anniversary of two of our favorite people, Bob and Marilyn Faulkner.

And we heard from Christine about some of the fun January parties that were taking place.

February

We celebrated the month of love with some Valentine's themed projects such as our Roll In The Hay Coupon and some Cupcakes in a Jar.
We also shared our favorite country love songs, perfect for a rustic, outdoor wedding!

March
In March, we got the inside scoop from Christine on all of the projects and parties going on at Faulkner's Ranch.
We also drew the winner of our donation giveaway for a free pony party.

April
In April, our ranch got fancy around Prom time.
Just in time for company picnic season, we shared some super fun and clever picnic snacks.
And we threw a rockin' mother/son party for Pembroke Hill.

MAY

In May we launched a special series of company picnic planning tips where we told you all about:

Beating The Heat

What To Bring

Food Safety Tips

Creative Ways To Serve Food

How To Show Guest Appreciation

Fun Games For Everyone

How To Choose Awesome Game Prizes

How To Select Music That Will Please Everyone

How To Generate Buzz and Increase Attendance

Creative Decor Ideas

We also introduced you to a few of our new babies.

July

In July, we told you all about why we love America.

We also wished a big Happy Birthday to the one and only, Bob Faulkner.

We met Jessica, our new director of youth programs.

Sarah shared with us all about her favorite things of Pony Camp.

Speaking of Pony Camp, we wrapped up another wonderful season of summer sessions and couldn't wait to tell you about all of the fun that we had!

August

We kicked off August by telling you all about the tremendous success we had at our Ponies and Pancakes to benefit SIDS Resources.

Richard shared with us how he restored an old mechanical horse.

We hosted a victorious watch party.

The four Faulkner siblings were once again reunited.

We shared with you all of the creative ideas that we get from our birthday mamas and papas.

We said a sad goodbye to our loveable Tex.

And we found out that Kelly Jo and Ben were going to have a little girl at their western-themed gender reveal party.

September

We kicked off September by announcing our Fall Contest.

We celebrated with an adorable couple at their very Pinteresty wedding.

Despite losing power, we had a blast at the Boilermakers Annual Picnic.

We even had a Nashville star make a special guest appearance at the ranch for one of our events.

Oh, and did we mention that we were on the news?

We partnered up with Cameron's Home Furnishings to host a class on decorating with real pumpkins. 

We had another beautiful rustic, fall wedding.

And Lisa, our creative genius, told us all about the new worm farm she made for the ranch.

October
In October, we once again kicked off an exciting Pumpkin Season!
And did we mention that we celebrated our one year blogiversary?
This month we dove into all things pumpkin, from teaching you how to choose the perfect pumpkin to using melted crayons to decorate them and using items from around the house to turn them into awesome decor. 
We also gave away some fun prizes for guessing the weight of our record setting pumpkins and sharing the Story of YOUR Pumpkin.
We even did another donation of 5 $100 gift certificates for pumpkins to some very special groups!
And did we mention that we made the news again?

November
November started off by giving a great big Faulkner's thank you to all of our awesome pumpkin season fans!
Then it was time to give back with another Ponies and Pancakes to help raise money for 4 Paws for Ability.
We reminisced on Throwback Thursday by sharing our family's history in square dancing.

And after sharing what we were all thankful for here at the ranch, the Faulkner's got together for their big Thanksgiving family dinner.

December
December began with a shout out to our amazing scarecrows.
Then we celebrated the amazing success of our most recent Ponies and Pancakes.
We shared with you the beautiful decor from the BOTAR party at Benjamin Ranch.
And speaking of Benjamin Ranch, we gave you the lowdown on just what goes on there.
We gave away another free pony party to the winner of our Fall Review Contest drawing.
We wished a Happy Birthday to Cowgirl Christine!
We got the Word From the Herd on all of the fun Country Christmas parties that were taking place.  From special guests to wacky tacky decor to wild weekends, you got to see everything that goes on behind the scenes.
For those that didn't have a party during the holiday season we shared the benefits of a post-holiday holiday party.
And of course, we wished everyone a very Merry Christmas!

So there you have it! Our favorite posts from 2012!
We've got lots in store for 2013, including some super fun new weekly segments!
Get ready for a good time!

Until then, Happy New Year's Everyone!

~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

Happy New Year Ya'll!

Wishing you the best in 2012!

~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

3 Last Minute New Year's Eve Recipes

We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and we wish you all a Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that 2011 is almost over!

We’ve got lots of great party ideas, recipes, and crafts to share in 2012,

but today we thought that we would share three of our favorite last-minute New Year’s Eve Party Recipes!

We hope that you enjoy these as you ring in the New Year!

Bubbly Jell-O Parfait

Image and Recipe via Family Fun Magazine

This bubbly treat is perfect for kids and adults alike!
To make, just follow the simple directions:

1.  Make bubbly Jell-O according to the directions on a box of Sparkling White Grape Jell-O. Be sure to use club soda, seltzer, or ginger ale and follow the tips on the box for getting the gelatin to sparkle.

2. Chill the Jell-O in champagne flutes or parfait glasses. It is best to make these the day of the party so that they keep their bubbliness.

3.  Wind a metallic multicolored star garland up the stem of the glass for some extra pizzazz.

Now, grab a spoon and toast the New Year with a cool, sparkly dessert that wiggles!

Times Square Ball

Image and Recipe via Family Fun Magazine
Bring the famous Times Square tradition to your own house with this midnight snack.

To make this you will need:
head of cabbage

aluminum foil

1-inch cheese cubes

mini foil baking cups

frilly toothpicks

Instructions:
1.  Use an unopened 8-ounce can and a head of cabbage, covered and joined with aluminum foil, for the base.

2.  Set 1-inch cheese cubes into mini foil baking cups, then skewer them on frilly toothpicks, inserting the pointy ends into the cabbage.

3.  Hold the ball up high, have the everyone count down as you lower it to the table, and let snack time begin!

New Year's Hats

Image and Recipe via Family Fun Magazine

Not only are these chocolate-covered cones a festive decorating, but they are a delicious sweet topping for a scoop of ice cream!

Ingredients:

Sugar cones

Ice cream

Chocolate chips (one 12-ounce bag for 10 to 12 cones)

Icing

Fruit strips or shoestring licorice

Sprinkles

Instructions:

1.  Spread melted chocolate chips over each sugar cone with a small spatula. Let the chocolate harden for about 1 hour (or 20 minutes in the refrigerator).

2.  For chinstraps, use icing to attach the ends of a fruit strip or a length of shoestring licorice to the inside of each cone.

Use icing to decorate the hats and attach sprinkles.
3.  Scoop some of your favorite ice-cream and plop these on top to celebrate!


We hope that you enjoy these tasty treats!


Happy New Year!
~ Your Friends at Faulkner's