You might remember this room. It’s the space where we held a cowboy Christmas party in 2014…
As well as a graduation party in 2015. It’s a glorious, open space filled with light, and until a few months ago, we had planned to leave it open, without assigning it any particular purpose.
Oh my goodness. Look at what it looked like when we started!
I need to look at this photo daily to remind us of how far we’ve come.
As the deli and mercantile store project has evolved downstairs, we have realized that this upstairs space is going to need to have more of a defined purpose—as well as more space for cooking events and other fun activities. So we’re transforming this upstairs space into a big bakery and demo space, which has pumped even more excitement into things!
While I hated to frame out (or block off) any of this room, we are still leaving a good part of the room open for visitors, and the good (and goodness and butter and sugar) that will come out of this space will make it all worth it. Plus, we’re leaving it pretty open and keeping the bakery activities largely visible, which will keep that part of the room from feeling closed off.
I’ll tell you something else: The bakery/demo space/cooking classroom was 100% Marlboro Man’s idea. You know, sometimes when Marlboro Man says, “Hey. I have an idea.” I have a fleeting thought that I want to run pull the covers over my head. Because more often than not, his ideas are good ones—but they result in more work for everybody! Ha. But as I said, this definitely feels like it’s a good direction—the whole mercantile concept feels complete now.
Believe it or not, I need to pick out the marble for the bakery countertops so that we can proceed with some of the other aspects of the design, so I looked at them Friday.
This is the kind of decision that makes me nervous. Here were my options!
I loved this one instantly. It’s white and clean, but not plain and stark.
Alas, this slab (and its matching counterparts) was already spoken for.
This is the same kind of marble, but it’s not the same lot, so it’s a little swirlier than the first. Plus, they only had a honed (unpolished) piece, so it’s hard to tell how it really looks.
I like it, though.
I also liked this one because it had a pattern without being too dramatic or crazy. It’s a lot more gray, and to me, gray is from the devil. No, seriously; I have nightmares about living in a gray world. But I think it would look pretty with wood-toned (or brightly colored) cabinets.
This is gorgeous, but I worry that it’s too strong and, again, dramatic for our small town mercantile store.
Oh, and here’s a pretty piece of marble…but I don’t think there’s enough pattern to break up all the white.
Another grey-ish one I stared at for awhile. Another really pretty one…but I don’t think it’s right for the merc.
Except I’m forgetting one thing: I don’t know anything!
No seriously. I don’t.
And that’s okay! (Please feel free to weigh in on anything bakery-related. What colors do you like? What surfaces? WHAT TREATS?)
I may not be an expert in marble slabs, but I do know about is this. Steak Bites and Eggs, baby! We’ll be serving this (in a more stepped-up form) downstairs in the deli.
(Recipe testing starts in full force next week. Please pray for my love handles.)
And speaking of praying…this is Todd doing his homeschool presentation on Daniel. His sister gave him a man-bun right before the performance because his wig was tickling his cheeks and preventing him from concentrating.
It’s nice to have sisters when these life challenges arise!
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.
