The Pioneer Woman... Ree Drummond Chronicles Life On An Oklahoma Ranch   Since Ree Drummond calls herself a pioneer woman, as opposed to a "cottage woman,"  some of our readers may question why a site on cottage living and cottage lifestyles would feature a blog about the adventures of life on a working cattle ranch. Well, this modern day pioneer spirit may live on a ranch rather than in a picturesque little cottage, and the fences outside may be barbed wire rather than white pickets, but the thousands of readers who visit The Pioneer Woman each day find her pages filled with hip, clever writing and thrilling photos that make this blog the envy of readers across the country.

Filled with anecdotes of everyday family life on a vast cattle ranch, chronicles of a major home renovation project and views on the world around her, Ree's daily postings are anxiously awaited by her regular cadre of admirers who have been following the adventures of her cowboy husband and four young children for almost four years. Her postings have featured such diverse topics as cattle roundups and rodeos, birthing calves, exploring the streets of New York...not to mention authoring her own cookbook which is to be released with a national book tour this month. The fact that her world consists of thousands of acres filled with cattle and horses may distinguish it from our usual blog favorites, but is nonetheless interesting and appealing than if she occupied a quiet bungalow on a tree-lined street with an English cottage garden.  Actually, The Pioneer Woman is not just one blog, but rather three or four rolled into one.  First,  there is Ree's daily life as a ranch wife and mother, another is filled with great recipes and cooking features, and one serves as a splendid, informative tutorial on digital photography.  Perhaps no one thing sets this blog apart from most others as the quality and range of the photographs that fill its pages. Also not to be overlooked is the fact that the overall graphic design and layout of The Pioneer Woman is clearly beyond the beyond the resources employed by the average blogger...and undoubtedly, the finished product reflects the creative talents and artistic drive of its creator.   Of course, we should mention that The Pioneer Woman was named by Time Magazine as one of its 25 Best Blogs of 2009.  That recognition, along with the upcoming release of her cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, will, in all likelihood, push Drummond to even greater popularity. In fact, it is safe to predict that you will soon see her on the network talk shows, and perhaps find her cookbook listed on several bestseller lists. And we might add that, just as this article was to be posted, the latest issues of People and Southern Living have hit the newstands with feature stories on Ree and the growing popularity of her blog. Apparently, a large segment of the print media appears to agree with our selection of The Pioneer Woman. The Pioneer Woman is an extraordinary undertaking and  a worthwhile contribution to the world of blogging. It was, in fact, a clear choice for our selection as receipient of All Things Cottage's first annual Cottage Blog of the Year Award. You can join the 40,000 other viewers who visit Ree Drummond each day at ThePioneerWoman.com.