I’ve been combing through my photo archives for a few different categories of photos that will wind up in my next cookbook, and as is the case with any photo search through the past, I’ve wound up on the ground in tears more than once, weeping and wailing and gnashing my teeth over how teeny tiny my kids were two, three, four, five years ago and how there’s no way I’m ever, ever letting them go away to college.
No, I mean it. I’m not.
I seriously mean it this time.
Two years ago my younger daughter was positively tiny. She had a little chin-length bob. Now she’s eleven feet tall and her hair is as long as Rapunzel’s.
Okay, not quite that long. But it’s longer than her old chin-length bob and this is a very tragic thing!
And don’t get me started on my baby, who was practically an infant two years ago. And okay, he was six. But still.
Also, why do I do this to myself? And why isn’t it a joyful experience to look back at older photos of one’s kids? Why does it grip your heart and twist it around and make you want to gather up all your children, hold all of them on your lap, and sing Itsy Bitsy Spider to them…never mind the fact that they would find this odd?
Fortunately, I have old photos of Charlie to keep me from spiraling into a complete pit of despair. This photo is from the dark ages of 2009, back when I had no jowls. Charlie was working.
Well, he thought he was.
This photo is from January 2010, which seems so very long ago. Again, Charlie was working.
Again, he thought he was.
This is a pattern throughout my vast photography archive.
This is a pattern, too.
Charlie was working.
Well…he was dreaming he was.
Off to Torture Myself Some More,
P-Dub
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.
