I made a trip home to Oklahoma this weekend and my friend Bridget just happened to be teaching a cookie decorating class at The Pioneer Woman‘s Ranch! Lucky girl!
Cookies, blog friends and family… talk about an awesome weekend!!
Bridget invited me to tag along with her and of course I couldn’t pass up a chance to see Ree, her family and these amazing animals…
A few of my favorite things about my home town are the hills and beautiful prairies. One minute you’ll be on a wooded hill, the next you can be in the middle of nowhere looking forever into the horizon. Even though I’ve seen them before, the mustangs at the Drummond Ranch are so beautiful! I could seriously sit and watch them for hours.
The lodge was full of women who had won a contest to attend a weekend at the Lodge and meet Ree. I think over 40,000 people entered for a chance to win. Talk about lucky winners! Everyone was so sweet.
Ann, Jenn (one of the winners), Ree and me.
Get two silly bloggers together and they do this. Did I mention I have camera envy???
Oh and hair envy! Look at Bridget’s amazing curls…
While Bridget was preparing for her demo, I enjoyed meeting new friends and talking with some old ones too. I’m so happy to have gotten to hang out with this lovely lady!! Julie is another ranch girl/blogger who lives back home. Love her!
I don’t know what it is, but Oklahoma girls just flock together! I could spot them right away. This is Lillie-Beth a childhood friend of Ree’s. She and her mother, Helen, were a joy to meet.
Yeah for Oklahoma:-) These ladies were fantastic as well…
Hyacinth, Connell and Ree’s daughters were so adorable!
I got out the lips and mustaches from the I Heart Faces Workshop and little did I know they would snatch them up in the middle of Bridget’s talk.
Whoops! I haven’t been around a group of girls in a while. I will learn to hide my mustache “stash” until presentations are finished! (Sorry Bridget and Ree.)
Bridget was amazing. Even with Ree snapping photos of her teaching. (No pressure! ha.)
Some of the attendees had great cookie decorating skills!
My claim to fame is the Ree cookie. She didn’t last long at home. My kids gobbled her up. I did get a bite of her leg though. It was tasty!! There were some ladies making OU cookies, so I had to make the OSU one. Just had to!!!
After enjoying time at the lodge making cookies, I met my family for dinner and the town’s Christmas parade.
My husband is from Boston and I think this was the first small town parade he’s ever watched. He didn’t know what he was in for!
Let me just explain what happens at a small town parade.
You get candy.
Not just people throwing you candy, but people walk up and HAND you handfuls of candy!
My kids were in heaven.
The kids get so much candy that they then throw the left overs back at the people on the floats!
Here you can see a float full of shepherds going nutso trying to get the candy. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a long time! Mary and Joseph were trying to calm them down, but you can’t hold a shepherd back from getting free candy.
Some of you Pioneer Woman fans might recognize these angels. Ree will be glad to know how well behaved they were. No jumping for candy on this float. Maybe it was because their dad was standing by us? I bet there was some candy grabbing later:-)
Back at Grandma’s we had hot cocoa and checked out the candy stash. My daughter even came home with several necklaces and a stuffed animal! I think they are ready to move to Oklahoma.
So that’s the re-cap of my trip home. There is always something eventful when I go to Oklahoma!
fun with @livinglocurto @bakeat350tweets and @thepioneerwoman http://ow.ly/3mgnq
Wow, that is so wonderful that you were able to hang out with Ree. She is such an amazing person. And it looks like you met and hung out with a BUNCH of fabulous ladies. Look all the pictures. And your Ree cookie is so cute!
And we went to our parade here is Lafayette on Sunday and of course here, the kids get Mardi Gras beads even at the Christmas parade (and plenty of candy too!) 🙂 Merry Christmas!!
@Jennifer (mom of 4),
Thanks! Oh, you have talent girl:-) I don’t think I need to rub off too much on you!
@Tammy,
Thanks Tammy! I was on vacation:-) My mom and husband were watching the kids, so I was very relaxed!
Hey, saw all you guys when I dropped by PW’s blog earlier today and I envy you for having a great time with Ree and for making all those uh-mazing cookies! And oh, for seeing those magnificent mustangs..
Hey, saw all you guys when I dropped by PW’s blog earlier today and I envy you for having a great time with Ree and for making all those uh-mazing cookies! And oh, for seeing those magnificent mustang..
@livinglocurto I loved meeting you, too! Your blog is great. ( http://bit.ly/gNiaIS for those who don't know ) #cookieweek
Cookie Party & The Pioneer Woman | Living Locurto – FREE Printables, recipes, party ideas and crafts. http://t.co/kJAmcYU via @AddThis
Cookie Party & The Pioneer Woman http://t.co/p1QP7wK
Oh, what fun, Amy! I know you girls had a blast making cookies. Your parade looked so fun. Wish I could go back to the ranch again, I sure enjoyed my trip there too!
Loved the recap! Loved the picture of Ann, Me, Ree and You!
I have all your blogs in my feed reader so will keep up with all your fun stuff!!! Wish some of your talent would have rubbed off on me! haha
My writing is about this part of the country, but the women in the story wouldn’t even recognize the beautiful room you’re in as a kitchen!
Whenever I see pictures of you, Amy, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, I’m always struck by how relaxed you look. Perhaps because you use a camera a lot it makes you very relaxed when you are on the other side of the lens? I dunno? I’m just guessing that you have a way of putting others at ease 🙂
Blessings,
Tammy ~@~
looks so fun!!! wish i would have known about the workshop! i am in okc, next one that comes up i wanna go!
Love this recap from @livinglocurto of the cookie party with @bakeat350tweets and @thepioneerwoman http://bit.ly/ebPUOy
Amy, that looks so amazing! I’m totally jealous of your fun day at Ree’s with Bridgette! Beautiful cookies and fun times. Thanks for sharing your pics!
Are you from near Ptown (Pawhuska)?? My hubby is from there and I had heard about the parade… we were just in town for Thanksgiving. Love that little town – it’s THE most relaxing place in my world!
Looks like a great time! Being a NY city girl, I would probably feel the same way as your husband did during the parade. 🙂
looks fun!!
Looks like a ton of fun! I’m going to make those cookies this year. I’ve always wondered how they got the frosting on just so!
How fun! I love small town Christmas parades…this year we had a couple of our grandchildren with us and they jumped up and down during the whole thing…. just wish the weather would of been better…rained off and on during the event.
Thanks for sharing
Oh wow – it looks like such a fun time!! Beautiful pictures. what a gorgeous bunch of women!! And the parade looked so festive too!
xoxo
Jen
Fun recap… Love the horses… Ree’s mustang pictures about kill me!! I would have heart failure if I layed eyes on those horses in real life… I guess it is better that I wasn’t one of the lucky winners! ha ha!! It would have been a fabulous way to spend my 40th birthday… sniff … sniff..!! I have blue mixer envy too… and with a glass bowl… be still my heart! ha ha!
What a fun time! I wish we had a Christmas parade! We just have the Hollywood Christmas parade that just doesn’t llok the same. Your cookies were very cute.
@kami,
Yes! I had Blue Mixer envy also:-)
Very fun to hear about your weekend!! Lucky you. =)
You look right at home at Ree’s Lodge 🙂 What a fabulous experience. I was one of those 40K entrants of course, would have given my left calf-nut (if I had one to give) to be a part of that cookie decorating party! Great recap – the horse photo, LOVE!! …and what a great glimpse into small town America, I’m completely smitten with OK now.
Too fun!!! Thanks for the recap Amy~! and OMG my kids would LOVE a parade like that…….heck my HUBBY would love a parade like that! haha
I loved this!! What a wonderful time Amy. Thank You for sharing. (Oh and I was one of those 40,000 people). Smiles~
Wow! What a fun weekend! That blue mixer…I love it! Is it Ree’s?
Oklahoma girls are the BEST! =)
Loved reading and seeing your pictures of your trip back to Oklahoma. What a fun time.
You are absolutely darling, btw.
that parade is so cute!!!
Love your recap….and I need to work on my facial expressions while I’m photographing other people, LOL!!!
Your Ree cookie was THE CUTEST!!! I realized that I didn’t have a picture of it when I got home.
Thank you so much for helping me with the print-outs! I’ll be giving you a big ol’ shout-out in my post!
So glad you came!
GET OUT! You went to Ree’s and didn’t TELL ME?!?! HAHAHAHA I am SO jealous! LOL
Oh I would have been scared to death!
But happy……. because there was cookies….let’s be honest here. LOL
Great seeing you again on the Ranch!