Since I update you about the thoughts in my head, the food in my skillet, the kids in my life, and the dogs in my house (or is that the kids in my house and the dogs in my life?), I thought I’d give you another quick update about my building project in town!
Actually, it’s Marlboro Man’s building project in town. I have had almost zero to do with it aside from an occasional “Oooooh, neato!”
The helpfulness of my contributions can not be underestimated. Ha.
So these are the two buildings we have been working on, I mean Marlboro Man has been working on. Work is going on inside and outside, and the balcony/porch has been going up over the past couple of weeks!
Here’s a view out the window of the second floor! The structure outside will serve two purposes: First, it will be a balcony/porch for the folks on the second floor of the two buildings. Second, it will serve as protection for folks on the sidewalk below! (There’ll be a solid floor on the structure.)
I sure hope that made sense.
Marlboro Man and I saw a balcony/overhang like this in downtown Houston a few years ago—and of course, New Orleans has them everywhere. We both thought it would be a fun addition to downtown Pawhuska, then Marlboro Man took it from there. I like the style of it!
All I know is, I want to hang ferns from it. Not practical, but I’m rarely practical.
It’s fun to see Pawhuska from this angle. That’s the courthouse up there on the hill. There are actually steps that go from street level all the way up. I run them every day.
No. Not really.
The three story building is going to be an 8-room hotel with suites so comfortable and cozy, Marlboro and I are going to want to move into one.
We won’t, of course, but just think of the reduction in chores it would mean!!!!
I showed you this mural a couple of weeks ago. It’s in the common area of the hotel—and actually, I think I’m going to call it a boarding house because hotel doesn’t sound right.
We’re already starting to frame in the rooms, and Marlboro Man has already changed the bathrooms based on a hotel he and I stayed in recently. It had the coolest layout for the bathroom! We actually took pictures of it because it was so clever. We’d never seen it before.
We probably need to get out more.
This is the two-story building next door, upstairs. We have separate plans for this, which I’ll keep you posted on as it progresses.
I don’t think that sentence was grammatically correct. But I guess in a post entitled “Oooooh, Neato!”…anything goes.
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.
