sorry...one LAST thing

I promise this is IT there ain't no more. I had somebody say to me the other day..."your blog is kinda all about the Pioneer Woman, isn't it?"......I like to think it's more about what I enjoy: encouraging others (hopefully), sharing my FOOD, and sharing my life experiences, which Ree Drummund fortunately has become part of. So I write about it. I hope I haven't bored you, or annoyed anyone by writing so much about this trip or P-Dub. I might write about her more, but for now this is it...and well, this really isn't anything about the Pioneer Woman herself anyway...it's just something I observed while at the Ranch and I thought you and any inquisitive minds in your home might want to see it.

It just so happens when I was visiting her that I saw for the first time, laid out before me, (and now you) the purpose of the Fly, and I thought I would share it with you.

POOP! Yes this is what you think it is. It is horse SH_ _. We took a few walks and it is everywhere on the ranch roads. I told you I wanted it to be just like you all were with me...I didn't want to leave anything out.

I just found it very interesting.....the decomposition of horse poop, manure, dung, whatev you wanna call it. My kids are always asking me "why this, why that"...why did God make flies. I have always told them...because they eat poop, and something needs to get rid of the poop. I can always see their brains a-churnin like who's poop. There isn't any poop laying around here.

Look close you can see the flies...lots of them.

So because my kiddos, ask...and maybe yours do too. I had to take a picture of the natural progression of manure decomposing with the help of the good Ol Fly. This poo however had some help from Marlboro Mans truck tire.

Busy, busy these Oklahoma ranch flies...they are breakin' it da-own.

And there it is the final poo. Almost gone...just waiting for a truck to drive over it and mix it all in with the dirt, a good hard rain, or a good Ol wind to whip up and blow it away.

Gone

Gone

All done.

Good-bye horsey doo doo.

Thank you flies. We are grateful to you all. Now that we see what hard work you do.

Thank a fly today!

horseys

It's been over two months since I was blessed with the opportunity to stay at The Pioneer Woman's Ranch, with eight beautiful, funny, smart, hungry woman. We had so much fun....that I just can't stop blogging about it. Actually, this will be the last in my series of writing about this trip. P-Dub did make comment recently that she is writing another cookbook...OH brother, I'm gonna hafta start working out more, just in case I decide to cook through it.

If you remember we were able to request what we wanted to eat...the first night with Ree was the Cowgirl Dinner Party AAAND the second was Mexican. Whatever Ree wanted to fix us. We just wanted Mexicali food! P-Dub showed up with lots of goodies and we all pitched in and started cooking!

Big D chopping up cilantro for quesadillas, Greek Guacamole, and all kinds of other delectable treats for our taste buds. You don't like cilantro? Oh I am so sorry...I hear it's not on the top of the herb favorites for people, but it seemed to be a favorite of the ten of us.

Hey like our shirts? We had to wash them, cause they got a little sweaty on the ride in....(well mine did anyway). Ree wanted us to put them back on for the last night so she could do a photo shoot...still hopin we end up on that blog thing of hers that nobody reads.

That there is a heap O flour tor-till-OZ!

We requested two Tres Leches Cakes....well because one just didn't seem like enough. But unfortunately our eyes and dreams were bigger than our stomachs...we had lots of cake left over. I am sure the cowboys ate it up! Oh it sure was good though. If you have never made a Tres Leches Cake, you MUST. Trust me, it is life changing.



By the third night together, we were like old college room mates. Very comfortable with each other. Laughing and eating and double dipping. It was a once in a lifetime experience!

Hyacinth and Ree where yucking it up here over their cake.

This is my favorite picture of the whole entire weekend! Ree Drummond taking a picture of MY guacamole! The Top Dog, the Queen, the bestest ever food blogger was photographing my guacamole. AND and and after she ate it....she said it was"life changing"!

BOINK, slam, bam, OUCH dang....oooh hey I am back. Just writing it makes me pass out, fell clean off my office chair!

Hokey Pete! Earlier in the week end me, my seestor and Big D had gone for a walk....we saw some Horseys....we were delirious from the heat and thought the horseys were going to charge us so we pulled a Charlies Angel on them. (minus me cause I was taking the picture.)

Yeh...we're nutty. And the horseys were down there they were just really far away...but trust me they looked like they might charge us.

But since we are wild and crazy and adventurous, deliriously over heated women, we decided to march on and get a closer look.

There they are, the horsey version of Charlies Angels.

Closer....closer.....

Well, Hello there...we come in peace...we from Michigan..we think you purdy...we only want good picture...

OH please don't run. Where are you going? We like you.........

FACE OFF

They took off running from us...we had gotten quite close to them on the road. They ran way out away from us, then they came back toward us again....we were like OH MY. Thought maybe they were tricking us by acting as if they were running away, BUT then coming back toward us. But then the just stopped and snorted and whinnied, and shook their beautiful hairs. They were looking us up and down. We stood there to for a few minutes, wondering if we were completely stupid, for getting so close. We had asked about the cattle being dangerous but not the wild horses. Were we about to be front page news in the Pawhuska paper? They eventually turned and walked away. I am sure we were quite boring to them. Three shortish dark haired girls from Michigan....they are used to long tall Ree and her flowing mane of auburn taking pictures of them.

The last night before our Mexican Feast, Ree was kind enough to load me, my seestor and Karen into her truck and take us out FOUR WHEELIN', so we could get up close and personal with the horseys.

We went off Road.

"Well hello Ree, I see you have the three dorks from the other morning in your truck....you lost your marbles woman? Do you know they pulled a Charlies Angel on us? They are koo-koo-ka-choo. If I were you, I would drive them ladies straight to the Tulsa airport."

We were rammin' around them in Ree's truck. The horses did not seem too scared at all. Ree was spinning us in circles, honking her horn, and banging her hand on the steering wheel like a wild woman. Hey whatever it takes right? They started moving....that's what we wanted. We wanted some action shots.

It was a blast. I felt like I was back in high school in my best friends pick up truck tearing up someones front yard. Did I just say that? I never did anything like that. Really truly. I may have thrown a pumpkin or two...hhhmm hhmm...let s just get back to the matter at hand.

Beautiful Horseys....

Aren't they stunning? Takes my breath away

That's all.

The End.

kitchen ENVY

I keep blah blahing about our vacation at Lake Michigan sorry...I won't dwell on it too long. Other than to say that while we were at the cottage rental...it reminded me of how fantastic the kitchen at the Lodge was when I got to visit Ree Drummund in June. So now I will blah blah about P-Dub again...if you don't mind. Honestly this cottage kitchen was the best I have ever encountered in my days of cottage rentals...

But it did leave a few things to be desired.......

Like a rolling pin, but I made do. Did you know that Bowers Harbor Pinot Grigio makes the best rolling pin for Cherry Pie? Nice cold bottle of Pinot and you are good to go with the pie bakin'!

Table space was another thing that I hankered for. But by golly what one can't do with a ironing board. I knew that thing would come in handy one of these days.

I was more at home in the kitchen at Ree's, than I am in my own kitchen. Did I tell you that they had to pry my hands free from the counter the morning we had to leave....yeh...well...it was not one of my prouder moments.

Have a look and maybe you'll understand why I didn't want to leave....

Look at all those baking sheets....HOLY Hannah! I could bake a Texas sheet cake, cinnamon rolls, cookies, muffins, and more all at the same time!

That would be me Vanna Whiting it in front of the fabulous double Wolf ovens. Vanna eat your heart out! I bet Vanna has never baked Ree's cinnamon rolls in the ovens she prances around.

Mouthwateringly sinful! Eat your heart out Vanna.

I actually heard the angels singing when I stood near these pots. Aren't they somethin'...no other words can describe the beauty of Le Creuset. I personally don't own any...it's on my bucket list though.

Be still my heart...I think this is why they named the lodge "The Lodge", look at all the Lodge iron skillets! Dam! (I avoid cussing in my writing by misspelling.......)

White dinner ware is my new favorite...all white...always perfect...never goes out of style. You could feed alot of cowboys with all them plates.

This would be a fuzzy picture of my friend Dee, Redletterword Lady, I was so giddy about the sink and the mandolin she was slicing taters with that I was actually doing a hurky as I took this shot...so really it turned out pretty clear...oh yeah and take notice of the sink.....did I say that already...eegs sorry, but that sink was awesome.

We drank alot of coffee during our visit to the Ranch...we wanted to be alert...awake, not sleepy...did not want to miss a thing! This was my mug. They each had a different cowboy or girl on them. I loved them...Ree you might want to count your mugs...just kiddin'.

This would be the bar....UM...well this got some use...not proud of that...but it sure was handy. And Ree being the hostess with the mostess...well she had that baby stocked! I had to keep reminding myself that it was OK I would not be getting an exorbitant bar bill upon checking out...it really didn't take me too long to get used to it. An hour or so.

The handy dandy bar also had an ice maker...need I say more.

The shelves, the sinks, the olive oil waiting for me to make pizza crust....picture perfect!

More of the good stuff. I love open shelves. I need me some.

Now that's a sink PEOPLE! I could have given triplets a bath in that thing. And Oh the water fights my kids would have with that faucety thing, devilish....

This bowl looked marvelous full of chips....I still need to post our about the Mexican meal we had the last night.....oh whoa is me....this week end was really too much to handle. I am still processing it. The reality has still not hit me... But seeing this bowl again...makes my heart pound and my knees get all jelliefied. It was love at first sight.

I gasped when I discovered this....be still my heart.

And then there was the bacon...Ree made sure we would not run out of bacon. Gotta love that about her. Stocking up on bacon is a very endearing quality....something I really look for in a friend.

Butter and Cheese OH MY!

A beef lovers Para-deese...

Really this is the "piece de resistance" the pinnacle...ice cream lots and lots of ice cream and the coffee flavor was sitting there. Right out front. As if to say "Welcome, make yourself at home".

All of us gals received an email from Ree the other day letting us know she misses us desperately...well she said she felt like we were old friends by the end of the weekend..... she also said she is preparing to post about us....Oh I think my bowels will do a flip flop dead if I see my face on her website.

Well hang in there, if you dare, there is more of this P-dub adventure to come....just stringing you along. No other way to quite say it.

You know how much I luv ya'll don'tcha!