Raise Your Hand If You Love Pioneer Woman!
Dec 03, 2009 
210 Comments
Thank you all so much for visiting and entering the contest! Reading your comments was so much fun and reminded me of even more reasons that I enjoy her blogging. Having grown up in the country, helping my parents with cattle, eating country food and roaming the pastures on summer days, I feel like Ree helps remind me of my roots each day that I read her posts. I’ve spent my adult life in cities so it’s refreshing to look at her picture and see her children doing country-kid things that I used to do.
Back to the matter at hand, though. We have a winner!
The cookbook is going home to Sabra Childers! Congratulations, Sabra! Email me with your information and I’ll get the book shipped out to you. I know you will enjoy it!
As you many of you know, I’m a huge fan of Pioneer woman, her blogs and her endless talent. She’s clever, witty, entertaining and….real. So very real. She’s someone that people all over the world can relate to and feel a connection with. She’s an incredible cook, a photographer, a homeschooling mom and a seriously hard worker. Her name is Ree and she is an inspiration to women–and men–everywhere. She knows how to entertain us through her writing, draw us in with her delicious recipes, and keeps us laughing with her Ethel Merman impressions. And for me, she’s my inspiration to not throw my hands up and give up as a housewife and mother when the laundry keeps coming, dishes keep getting dirty and the kids just want to be kids.
If you’re not familiar with her, let me assign you some PW homework. You won’t regret completing this assignment. Trust me.
- First and foremost, scroll to the bottom of this page. Read each and every chapter of Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, the story of how Ree met her husband, Marlboro Man.
- Now that you’ve read that and are head over heels in love with Ree’s sense of humor and passion for story telling, go fall in love with this recipe.
- And this one. My family loves these.
- Check out a few of these.
- I love her for her Photoshop tips and actions and for her gorgeous photography.
You get the idea. I could link all day, but I want you to take some free time and lose yourself in her sites for awhile. It’s the good stuff.
Now. On to my story….
She’s currently on her book signing tour for the amazing cookbook she just released. When I found out she was coming to a bookstore (somewhat) near me, I was thrilled! I felt a little twinge of I-might-be-a PW-groupie-ness as I got giddy at the prospect of meeting her, if even for just a moment. As the date neared, though, it wasn’t looking good. The book signing was at 7pm on a school night….over 2 hours away from home. The day arrived and I accepted that my plans that day just couldn’t include meeting Ree. Who would pick up Alex? Who would wash Elliott’s curls and tuck the kids in? What if the roads got too nasty with the snow in the forecast?
I was doing housework and settling into the daily mom routine, when all of a sudden my in-laws arrive acting a bit…sneaky. Lo and behold, Shayne had arranged for the kids to be taken care of. He cleared his work day. He did all of this so that he could take me down to Dallas and spend many hours waiting with me to get my cookbook signed. That’s love, man.
Within minutes, I was showered and ready to roll. We hopped in the car and drove as quickly as we safely and legally could in hopes that by the time we arrived at the bookstore, there would be a wristband left for me. And there was. So we settled in and waited. 
And waited.
After killing 3 hours roaming around the store and nearby retailers, our group was called to get in line….where we waited almost four hours for our turn to have our book signed. We met a lovely group of ladies and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them. As the line slowly moved, we realized that we should have brought drinks and snacks. We laughed our way through our thirst and dropping blood sugar with our new friends and finally we arrived at the front of the line!
After hours of waiting, one would think I had come up with something witty to say. One would think. By that time, though, I was fresh out of personality. I’m not at my best at 10:30 at night, for sure. All I could muster was something like, “Hi, Ree. How are you? Thanks for doing this” or something equally bland. Fortunately, she’s as radiant, gracious and charming as you would expect and once she recognized “The Green Wife” we had a conversation about how I’d won a Le Creuset from her fairly recently.
And I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for this pic.
Then she looked at me and said with a touch of sadness to her voice and a touch of Ree-style humor, “I used to have red hair, too.”
We discussed red hair.
And she signed my book.
If you haven’t gotten a copy of the book, I highly recommend it. It’s chock full of real-people, everyday-ingredient recipes.
Oh, yum.
It has pictures of life around her ranch.
Pictures of her ‘punks’.
And pictures of dogs in hats, of course.
Oh, wait! What’s this?
How did I end up with an extra copy?!
And it seems as though….
it’s signed! And it says…
That must mean one of my lucky readers is getting their own signed copy!
To enter, leave one comment on this post letting me know what you love about PW. Do you love her photography best? Her recipes? Her cowboy pics? Or maybe her burps? If you’ve never heard of her, just tell me that you’re going digging through her archives.
This contest will end Saturday, Dec 5 at 5pm and the winner will be announced soon after. One comment only, please.
–Abbie
Popularity: 7% [?]
Well, I’m a food junkie so I’ll have to say the cooking hooked me at first glance. If I remember correctly, I found her recipes and then would read up in her other stuff in the mean time waiting for another recipe!
I just love her sense of humor. And all the pictures that go with her recipes!
I am very new to PW! I love that she uses regular ingredients and yet makes amazingly delicious food. And those photos you showed are fantastic! I would love to get my hands on a copy of that book, I love cooking!!
i am a PW newbie and am so excited to read more…off now to become a PW expert!
Oooh, what a gorgeous cookbook! I am new to PW, but am excited to become an expert with the rest of you!
I “met” her through her cooking first. She has great yummy easy recipes. But then I was pulled further in by her photography and her writing. I can only dream of writing as well as she does.
That’s a great photo of the two of you!
Jamie
I love her wonderful and original sense of humor. It is in everything…her outlook inspires me and makes me smile. Whether it is her cooking, photography, home and garden, or confessions her take on life is most why I love her website and her!
I just love PW! I remember when I first discovered her site and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning reading Black Heels to Tractor Wheels!
I love the cooking part the best though. So much inspiration and in a great fun way. Thanks for doing this giveway!
I love Ree’s humor and her yummy recipes. I just tried one of her recipes for the first time (Chicken Spaghetti) and it was down-home good! Can’t wait to try more of her recipes!
I love everything about PW but my favorite is her photos. Every single one looks amazing!
I love her stories about her brother, Mike. Especially the one where he gets left at the rodeo. Too funny!
I love her humor. Plain and simple. Everything else is just icing on the PW cake!
How super sweet of your hubs to surprise you like that! That’s the best story ever!
I love her pictures!
I like her Charlie pictures and the related commentary. As a dog owner myself, they crack me up.
I first became hooked with “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels”, but I now enjoy her humor, recipes and homeschooling section.
I love PW’s sense of humor!!
I love her sense of humor and how one post she can make me laugh my butt off and the next day I am crying!!
I LOVE her recipes – especially the Cinnamon Rolls and Spaghetti Casserolle.
Nice recap! What I love most about PW is her joy for everything she does! Oh and that Gingersnap Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Cheesecake – Yummers!
I found PW from a mention on a fellow card makers blog last year. Read some, but really got into it two weeks ago when I was home sick from work. Spent my days reading through the “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels” story. Love everything about her site!
I LOVE her Confessions stories…..recipies (tried many of them) and even though I’m not a photography nor homeschooler, I read those too. Overall, I’m a fan. She’s not getting up to Northern Wisconsin, so I have ejoyed reading other’s blogs to live vicariously through you all!!! Thanks for the update.
I love PW! How exciting you got to attend her cookbook signing!!
I read PW everday for a new recipe or just to check in on her amazing farming life in OK.
I love her photos and her humor.
I love Ree’s recipes and funny confessions. I must admit I check on her two or three times a day. Glad to find your site!!
I LOVE everything about Pioneer Woman oh, but that I could meet her…
I am new to PW gravy train however I have tried two of her recipes this week and they have been hits at my house. Not an easy feat when I have a 1 year old, a 3 year old and a 35 year old husband all with different preferences! I am so happy to have found PW’s blog – it is a lifesaver!
I love PW!! Her photography is awesome!!!
What a great husband for organizing this surprise for you. I live in KY far from any signings or I would be in line as well. There’s so much to love about Ree’s site, mostly I love how she weaves personal tales into everything. You’re not just looking at a picture or a recipe, there’s more to it than that!
I love that she’s from Oklahoma, which is practically at my back door.
I like her sideways humor.
OMG, It’s all about the humiliation chronicles for me. Seriously, I have come really close to wetting my pants from uncontrollable laughter. Also it’s a huge thing to finally meet someone else in this world who agrees that dogs’ paws smell just like fritos…something that I discovered as a kid, with my aunt & uncles basset hound, Moses. I too love bassets.
I love her! Great blog you have. Hope I win, I’d love an extra book, one to get dirty and one to keep purty forever.
I am SOOOO jealous! I heart Ree!
I love her sense of humor!
What do I love about PW? Each of her writings leaves me wiht a smile on my face, I learn from her photography info, I’m inspired by her cooking, I’m awed by her appearance of being able to do it all…and keep her feet on the ground!
I love her recipes best – that they use typical, easy-to-find ingredients that I typically have on hand make life a bit easier.
I LOVE her recipe photos, I always catch up on PW through my reader at work and I’ve learned to read them after lunch or my stomach will be growling at 9:15 AM!
I love everything about PW’s site. We try the recipes, learn about picture taking, and life in general. Nothing not to love about PW!
I love her personality, her humor and her recipes. I also love that she is real and down to earth!!
I love her life.
I LOVE PW! Her photography section is what first brought me to her site but now I stalk her recipe section looking for dinner ideas, Making the cinnamon rolls as I type actually for our Christmas party tomorrow!
I love the way that she WRITES. I love her recipes and photography. And I love that she gave you a signed copy of her cookbook to give away!
Love her humor!
I love her humor and recipes!
Great post! I’m so envious that you got to meet PW! I love her recipes – they are the best and I would love to be to entered to win her cookbook. Thanks for the very generous giveaway!
I love Ree’s pictures of life in the country. I’m using them to tide me over, ’til I can start taking my own. Also her recipes. And her sense of humor. And her “realness.” And…..
I love the humor in her recipes and the way she calls her kids ‘punks’!
I’m so sad I missed out on the Dallas signing! I was sick and figured everyone would enjoy it if I didn’t come! But I LOVE Ree’s sense of humor. She doesn’t take herself or life too seriously and that’s awesome in my book!
I’m so envious that you got to meet Ree. And what a great DH for making sure you could!!!
I love P-dub’s cowboy pictures, and her recipes. I love how she photographs each step of the recipe, so I know “it’s supposed to look like this”. It’s so helpful when you’re making something new!
I love her honesty and also that she is such an entrepreneur. In addition to all of the great stuff she has on her website, the tastykitchen site is also one of my favorite go-to places for recipes.