I’ve got to stop going to the Lodge. Ever since Thanksgiving, when we set the Christmas deadline to be finished with this crazy-arse project, I’ve been making more daily trips to the Lodge than I ever have; some days my kids and I will drive up there eight times or so. I can’t help it—I love the smell of paint fumes—it makes me feel so funky inside—and besides that, I want to be available in case any little questions come up for which Jerry needs a quick answer.
The problem is, when you look in on a project eight times a day, it can quickly start to look like nothing’s getting done. I guess I keep imagining that “this is the time—this time I’m going to walk through the door and the Lodge is going to be all finished.” When really, all I see are baby steps.
But the baby steps are fun, too.
Today they stained the mantle on both sides of the fireplace, which was one of the first things we tackled back in February, and boy howdy, does that seem like a long time ago. We distressed and stained the wood to match the ceiling and beams throughout the Lodge, but put a black glaze over the top so it would bring out the grain and distressing a little bit.
Or something like that.
Here’s one of the distressed and finished bathroom vanities. I really had the dudes beat the heck out of ’em. At first I thought it was a little much, but then I realized how glaringly imperfect I am and I felt right at home.
Laundry room cabinets. Again, I asked the finishers to please take out all their aggressions of life on the cabinets, thank you very much, and I’d say they did the trick.
I like distressed things. I don’t know why.
Here’s the beaded board in the Mud Room. We’re putting big hooks all along the top board of the bead board and hanging all manner of chaps and Carharrt coats on them so our future guests will be able to play dress-up.
Here’s the track lighting. Right above the ceiling is thick styrofoam insulation that’s been there since the 1960’s, I think, so track lighting was pretty much our only option. We considered hanging the track on the beams themselves, but thought that might look a little cluttery.
These are little cabinets we had made for the “closets” in each of the bedrooms. They really aren’t closets at all—just a little area outside the bathroom for shoes and clothes. No door. Simple.
We put concrete countertops on these small cabinets against the rock wall, and per your (overwhelming) instructions, I had them glaze the tops so it would darken the color of the concrete.
You guys are smart. I was going to leave the concrete naked and light-colored, but I’m so glad I went this way.
Here’s Cowboy Josh. He lives about a hundred feet from the Lodge, so he comes up to check on things even more than I do.
And here’s…THE AREA. I’ve been reading through your suggestions regarding the hood, the wall, etc. Let me answer a few questions first:
The windows. They’re there to let in light from the other side of the pantry, and to break up what we thought would be an awfully tall wall in the middle of the house. We’ve played with just putting plain glass in the windows, or even dark bronze window frames. Or lining the opening with wood all the way around.
The tile. Sometimes I want to take it all the way up. Sometimes I think that’ll be too much tile. Sometimes I want to paint the wall to match the tile, and leave the hood as is. Sometimes I want to dance naked in our north pasture and sing “I Enjoy Being a Girl!”
But I don’t.
The wood band at the bottom of the hood. The natural thing would be to stain it the color of either the kitchen cabinets or the ceiling beams. But I wonder if doing something lighter might be better; that way, the hood might blend more? I’m reading through your suggestions with great interest.
The refrigerators. The matching cabinet panels will be in by Thursday, which should make it a lot easier to discern what needs to be done.
One more thing: Are we there yet?
Ree Drummond is the founder of The Pioneer Woman and a lover of butter, basset hounds and life on the ranch! Ree started her blog in 2006, and now millions visit ThePioneerWoman.com every month for her trusted recipes and fun family stories. Here’s what she has been up to since it all began:
New York Times Bestselling Author
Ree has written two memoirs (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Frontier Follies) plus nine bestselling cookbooks:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier (2012)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime (2015)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! (2017)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier (2019)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy (2021)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Food Network Host
Since 2011, Ree has been sharing simple, family-friendly recipes—and the occasional kitchen prank!—on her award-winning show The Pioneer Woman, filmed right on Drummond Ranch. Ree is also a regular judge on Food Network competitions, including Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Founder, The Pioneer Woman Collection
Ree has been creating and selling kitchen and home products at Walmart since 2015 and she’s involved in designing every piece and pattern. The line now includes best-selling appliances (you have to see the floral blender!), plus hundreds of pieces of cookware, tableware, and more. Ree doesn’t like to play favorites but the Agatha print has a special place in her heart.
Restaurant and Hotel Owner
Together with her husband Ladd, Ree has opened several bustling businesses in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, including The Pioneer Woman Mercantile—a bakery, restaurant, and general store that draws visitors from across the country (many come for the biscuits alone!), P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Ice Cream Shop, and The Boarding House, a charming hotel with eight different rooms decorated by Ree and Ladd.
Media Personality
Ree appears regularly on national TV shows like Today, Good Morning America and more—all while managing to keep flour off her shirt.
Wife, Mom and…Grandma!
Ree’s kids (daughters Alex and Paige and sons Bryce and Todd) are all grown up, and as of December 2024, Ree is the proud grandma of the cutest baby ever, Sofia Scott, born to Alex and her husband Mauricio. Ree still cooks for Ladd (and the kids when they’re home), and she also looks after a few mischievous ranch dogs.
