The floor guys are showing up first thing Saturday morning, and will spend the weekend finishing the wood floors at the Lodge. Before that happens 48 hours from now, pretty much everything else at the Lodge has to be completed: panels will be installed on the refrigerators and dishwashers, all the sinks and faucets will be installed, the bar cabinets will be delivered and installed, all the track lighting will be up, the doors will be hung, distressed, and stained, and every single piece of equipment that belongs to Terry and Jerry and their crew will be packed up and moved back to town, never to be heard from again.
At least, Marlboro Man and I will never hear from them again. It’s a sweet, sweet silence the likes of which we haven’t known for months.
Not that I don’t love Terry and Jerry. I just don’t love their saws anymore.
But they’re really nice people.
I just hate their stuff.
But I love them.
But I hate their stuff.
Here’s what’s happening:
The marble top is on the baking island, and it might be my favorite thing so far.
I like that it sort of ties in with the rock wall behind it.
I also love the great job they did—can you see the seams? Me either! But there are two seams there…cross my heart.
We put the same top on either side of the range. I think it complements both the subway tile and the kitchen cabinets. Yahoo yippety.
At long last, the doors are in…and are being installed as we speak. They won’t be stained and finished for another couple of days, but I’m not worried too much about that.
I’ve got peace like a river in my soul. It’s all the cookies I’ve been eating this week. Cookies make everything better.
Here’s the door that leads to the…the…the…I can’t say it. The special, private area. And Marlboro Man chose this glass—the man’s a deep ocean of surprises.
These doors need to be distressed and stained, too. But that time will come.
The top is on the cabinets in the laundry room.
It’s stainless, but I think I’ll leave this protective plastic film on the surface for another twelve years.
I’m especially enamored with the bathroom countertops, which we covered in good ‘ol luxurious…galvanized steel. Man, they were cheap.
They were a…ARE YOU READY?…steel.
Here’s the beaten up beaded board in the mud room. Man, they really scratched the heck out of the stuff, didn’t they?
Here’s another peek at the “marble”…
…Which is actually an aggregate material made from broken pieces of old marble tops and a resin binder. The cabinet fronts will go on the dishwashers tomorrow if all the stars are in alignment.
Here’s the sink I found, which can also double as a beer cooler in a pinch. Or a bathtub.
I’ve always loved sink baths.
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.
