Just now…
I got out of bed.
I put on a sweatshirt. It was chilly for the first time in what has seemed like eighteen years.
I got the first whiff of autumn.
I let Charlie in the house. He’d woken me up at 1:30 wanting to go outside, and he was now ready to come back in and take the first of his nine daily naps.
Butthead.
My older girl woke up and got dressed. She’s going to a homeschooling co-op today, which meant she actually had to change out of her pajamas.
Then she and Marlboro Man left the house. He’s driving her to Hyacinth’s house in town, and Hyacinth will take her girl and my girl to their destination.
It reminded me of the days when she was in kindergarten and the school bus picked her up at 6:35.
It also reminded me of the days when I was nursing. I think I always had some baby hanging off of my body when I waved goodbye to her as the school bus pulled away from our drive. I wonder what the driver thought?
And that reminded me that the little girl I used to wave goodbye to when she was five and wearing little khaki pants and a tiny jean jacket and velcro shoes…is now thirteen.
And that made me wistful.
So I stepped outside and snapped this photo.
Then I chased the horses out of my yard because they were headed straight for my native grasses.
And then I yelled “And stay out!”
They didn’t hear me, of course. They were already halfway across our hay meadow.
But it sure made me feel better.
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.
