Welcome to the 2nd edition of In the blogLight!
Ok, ok. I know. Another duh.
Who hasn’t heard of The Pioneer Woman?
But let’s be real here; She isn’t as popular as she is by good luck alone.
Her blog has substance. Meat and potatoes. And I would be concerned with anything less from a Cattle Rancher’s wife.
How I found it:
Early in my blogging days (because I’ve been at it so long, haha) I used to see this “Pioneer Woman Cooks” blog on all sorts of blogrolls. I clicked on it a few times and saw some fantastic fixins… just delicious looking recipes. The pictures looked professional and my automatic thought was it must be a professional website with a blog…and a team of writers…and a team of cooks. And that was that. Little did I know that “The Pioneer Woman” really was ONE person with a story on becoming a “Pioneer Woman”.
Why I LOVE it:
I’m not sure at what point I began clicking around the site… but I soon discovered that she was more than just a good cook. I started reading through some of her Confessions posts… and just about lost my marbles. She is cotton pickin’ hilarious! She is the type of person that you would choose to be your BFF. I totally “got” her humor… there is nothing forced or fake about it. Just clever, quick quips that leave you in a constant state of appreciation for her writing. And, of course, leave you wanting to read more.
One day, I started reading her “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels” … the love story of her husband (known as Marlboro Man) and her. All right. Let me tell y’all, I couldn’t stop reading. No, we are not talking a couple posts here. We are talking hours of storytelling that I could not get enough of. I finally had to be peeled away from my computer screen by my husband so we could leave for our pre-scheduled plans. Surely I would not have made those plans had I known there was such a story that needed to be read! When I came home, I continued to read… laughing, crying, totally invested in this story. I finished the rest the following day and I wanted a sequel. I had to hear more. I was practically family now. And, accordingly, I should get some input, right? Make this into a movie. Hello Hollywood!? Are you listening? This is box office GOLD, right here!
The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, has such an appeal to her writing as she can brilliantly weave genuineness with opinion, authority with humility, and real-world (city slicker and all) relevance to life on a cattle ranch. Now I’ll tell you what, I find life on a ranch to be so intriguing and romantic and idealistic. And that statement alone should serve my point in proving to you that I don’t know a cotton pickin’ thing about ranching. haha With that being said, I love Ree’s observations and documentaries of ranching life in all of it’s glory and all of it’s hardships. Simple snapshots of life on a cattle ranch coupled with storytelling filled with subtleties, wit and heart. The cookin’ may have brought me in, but her writing keeps me coming back.
But, oh my, the cookin’. I can tell you honestly, I have never made a PW recipe that I didn’t love. And I will tell you how fond I am of her recipes… I was at the Barnes and Noble the day the book came out. And they already sold out. You can read about my devastation-turned-triumph (and my complete review of her cookbook, pictures and all) here.
Final Thoughts:
Yes, I’m a little nutty about The Pioneer Woman. I even considered driving 5 hours, by myself, to one of her book signings. But I chickened out. Because I’m a big chicken sometimes.
I love her because she is real. She doesn’t try to portray an unattainable model of perfection; She can laugh at herself, which makes you love her all the more. I read her photography blog and I don’t even own a nifty camera (yet. snivel, snivel). I read her homeschooling blog (and I’m certainly not in that boat). My point is, you can read anything she writes and not only enjoy it… but somehow feel as though it pertains to you.
And, girlfriends, don’t even get me started on her giveaways. Like, we are talking Kitchen-Aid mixers and Nikon Cameras. Nevermind the 53,000 entries to win these things. Pay no attention to that. You just enter and hope. And pray. And pray some more. 
Don’t be intimidated by her fabulously professional and the commercial appearance of her blog. I know a lot of people want to read blogs with a small readership… and that is fine. It is just personal preference. But I’m telling you, don’t overlook this gal… or you’ll really be missing out on a big ol’ honkin’ gem.
I’ll leave you with two words.
You can thank me later.
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Now. For my McLinky doodle dandy thing. I’d love to hear all about your gems! I’m in the process of making a button you can copy onto your blog/post for In the blogLight. Stay tuned for that.
Wait you say? What the heck is this “In the blogLight” all about? You need more explanation? Go here.
If you would like to participate but don’t have time to write up a post or if you don’t have a blog… We’d still love to hear about your favorite blogs in the comment section. 
And just so y’all know, I love and appreciate each and every one of you that reads my blog. Your comments are such sunshine to my day. Truly. xoxo
Now, the Mclinky link link.
