No Miss Mustang pageant yet. The missing memory card, which may not even exist, hasn’t turned up. But I’m taking the advice of many of you and have stopped frantically searching for it, the idea being that once one stops frantically searching for things, he finds it. This was proven last week when I had to add cornstarch to something I was cooking and discovered there was no cornstarch in my pantry even though I knew I had cornstarch. My initial instinct was to freak out and start rifling through ever drawer and cabinet until I found the cornstarch, but instead I calmly walked out of the pantry, took seven deep breaths, and began working on a different element of the meal. Then, ten minutes later, I calmly walked back into the pantry. I immediately saw my big, fat tub of cornstarch–right in front of everything.
I love it when I learn how to outsmart myself.
Anyway, these photos aren’t officially tied to the pageant. They’re just photos–a sneak peek at the pageant contestants before the contest begins.
I love this girl. She lives near my house and we’re friends. She isn’t exactly aware of this yet, but she will be.
I love photographing mustangs at this time of year. They’re still plump and shiny and really have no use for us humans yet since we haven’t started feeding them for the winter. So it’s that much more rewarding when I can get a few to stand relatively still when I approach them.
Hello, lovely!
Even if they let me get close, though, the horses still eyeball me the whole time. It’s how they’re wired. And whatever happens, I take great steps never, ever to sneeze. One time, when I was sitting on the ground near a herd of mustangs, I did actually sneeze.
Chaos ensued.
Sneezing + Mustangs = Not a Good Idea.
This girl is lovely, too. And she was pretty comfortable around me.
She even gave me a sneak peek at her piece for the talent competition!
One-two-three cha cha CHA!
I think the competition this year is looking extra fierce.
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.
