Have you ever seen The Lord of the Rings? This is a spoiler alert, but toward the end of Frodo’s journey— just after he throws the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom—he is instantly released from its curse and declares in utter relief, “It’s gone. It’s done.” Well, that’s exactly how I felt when the winter of 2024 melted into spring. Yes, I’m being overly dramatic. But I’m telling you, after the cold, dreary season we’ve just had, I feel like Frodo finally being freed from the ring’s evil powers now that the weather is getting warmer and the earth is coming to life. To put it another way, I’m so excited for spring...bring on the tulips!
My spring feels and looks different this year. It seems like every March I’m either working on a cookbook, filming my Food Network show, overseeing a construction/ remodeling job or gearing up to travel here and there for work. But due to a bit of luck and a little careful planning, I find myself with a nice “spring break” of sorts, where I have a good two months of working from home, not filming and not shooting a cookbook! Things will ramp up again in early summer, but in the meantime I intend to enjoy this little window of time and get caught up on all the things I love: planting a vegetable garden (for the first time in years!), cooking delicious spring dinners, weeding out some clothes and other odds and ends that have piled up, blogging, shooting videos and photos of the dogs, kids, house and Merc, and making plans for the pickleball court Ladd and I are going to make out of an old basketball court outside our house. Never mind that neither of us has ever played the sport—we just think it’ll make us more popular with our kids!
Openness! That’s what this spring means to me. Openness with my calendar, openness to having friends and family over more often, openness to reading new books, watching new movies, making new plans (or not!)...and staying open to all possibilities. Some may thrive on a full, busy schedule, and maybe I did at one time. But right now, I feel the need to see more than a foot or two in front of me and stay on top of my work, rather than my work staying on top of me. I feel like I’m writing greeting cards here!
Whatever your spring plans are—vacation, building projects, family time, cooking, baking or other adventures—I hope you allow yourself the space and openness to absorb and enjoy them. I wish someone had told me to do this years ago. Wait, they did! (Haha.) But this spring, a time of new beginning, it finally clicked.
Enjoy this time of year! I’ll see you in the summer, when I’ll be overrun with tomatoes and zucchini and lamenting why I gardened so much!
Love, Ree
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.
