Yesterday started early.
Around dark-thirty, I think.
*Yawwwwwwwwwn*
By the time everyone arrived with their horses, the sun had popped up!
Look at my niece. No matter what time it is, no matter how early, no matter how hot or cold or windy, no matter how tired she is, she always shows up with a smile.
It’s contagious!
Once everyone was on their horse…
Marlboro Man and his brother Tim discussed the gameplan while the kids listened in.
They don’t ever just show up and take off on their horses. There needs to be a plan, man.
And they’re off!
And the plan fell into place.
The guys had to work about a hundred calves yesterday, so they had to gather the mamas and babies together…
And slowly drive them across the pasture…
Until they would eventually reach the pens behind our house.
Once they were at the pens, they sorted the mamas from the babies while I went to the house and made bacon, sausage, and apple fritters.
When I showed up at the pens with the food, they were all smiles.
Cowboys + Food = Smiles. I’ve learned this through the years.
In other, more globally relevant news, my brother-in-law Tim is now sporting a beard for the first time ever. He says he’s getting ready to shave it off, but both Missy and I say he should keep it because it makes him more rugged.
Here he is with no beard.
Beard.
No beard.
Will you please weigh in? Our family harmony depends on it.
Thank you for voting! I’ll share the results tomorrow…both with you and with Tim.
And finally: When did the kids get so big? My nephew will be 15 in June!
What?
It isn’t possible.
And this guy…
Well, he can rope with the best of ’em now.
And my younger daughter? She’s one of the best hands on the ranch.
And look at my niece go!
Smiling the whole time, of course.
In closing, here are two of my favorite quotes about smiling:
“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”
–Mother Teresa
“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.”
–Phyllis Diller
Amen, sisters.
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.
