Mother Daughter Trip to Oklahoma

I am so excited to share with ya'll about my exciting Labor day weekend adventure. My Mother and I were asked to deliver a custom farm table and benches to a couple who lived in Elgin, Oklahoma. My brother-in-law, David, builds beautiful custom furniture and because of the large size of the farm table and benches, he simply could not ship the furniture. So Mother and I volunteered to be delivery girls for the weekend. 

By the way if you aren't familiar with David's work, you should definitely check his items out on his Etsy site: PennysInWells

David packed and loaded his pickup truck with the table and benches and Mother and I set off before the sun rose on Saturday morning headed for Elgin, Oklahoma. Elgin is an extremely small town located in the southwest part of Oklahoma near Lawton. 

We made very few stops along the way to Elgin because we wanted to insure that the farm table and benches made it safely to their new owners. We did stop at this little short-stop in Davis, OK that had the most delicious fried pies and fudge. We needed something sweet to perk us up from our 10 hour journey. 

We made it to Elgin and were greeted by the sweetest people ever! They were thrilled with their new farm table and benches. After the job was done, Mother and I headed north to Oklahoma City to spend the night. 

Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City is about 90 minutes from Elgin and by the time we got there, we had worked up an appetite. Hideaway Pizza is a quirky place with DELICIOUS pizza. The staff and service were beyond great. I would definitely recommend eating here, if you ever get the chance. https://www.hideawaypizza.com/  

How cute are these cups! I brought them back to our boys. 

They have several locations. It would be worth looking them up!

Shopping in Oklahoma City

After getting a restful night's sleep, we shopped on Sunday. When I say we shopped, I mean we shopped and shopped and shopped! Oklahoma City has fabulous shopping. Penn Square Mall is a GREAT mall with a huge Dillard's and Macy's. We had so much fun picking out fall clothes for ourselves and my two little boys. Hopefully, I can do a blog post with a try-on-haul for the boys' clothes. Be on the lookout for that!

                                           

I was trying to channel my inner Ree Drummond in the photo above. 

Of course, again we got hungry and we found this wonderful restaurant called Whiskey Cake. Again, they have many locations across the United States, but this restaurant should definitely be on your bucket list to try. Click this link to find more locations: Whiskey Cake 

Their motto is farm to table with all fresh, organic ingredients. 

The restaurant has really cool vibes too!

Restaurant tip- At really busy restaurants, where I know there is going to be long wait times, I sit at the bar. The bar is open seating (the Cheesecake Factory is like this). This means that you do not have to wait for a table. 

When we arrived at Whiskey Cake, there was a one hour wait time, but there were seats available at the bar so we were able to grab a seat and start looking over the menu. You do not have to order an alcoholic beverage at the bar. It is just a different place to sit without the wait time.

We ordered the Local Board. Oh my goodness!!! It was so delicious! 

We finished it off with their one and only dessert on the menu- Whiskey Cake with hand whipped cream! Words can't describe how good this was. 

Traveling to Pawhuska, OK

After a full day of shopping, we headed north for Pawhuska, OK, home of the Food Network's Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond. I was a chatter box the entire ride to Pawhuska. I have been wanting to go and visit Ree's Mercantile store for awhile now and I finally was getting the opportunity!

We thought that we would be able to get dinner in between driving from Oklahoma City to Pawhuska, but we were really wrong. Below is all that we saw for 147 miles. Nothing but windmills, cows, horses, grasslands, and oil pumps. Don't get me wrong, we really enjoyed the views. They were spectacular. 

Pawhuska, OK

We finally made it to Pawhuska. Here is a little travel tip that we had to find out the hard way- there are only 2 restaurants open on Sundays in Pawhuska. They are Subway and Simple Simon's Pizza. Make sure to keep this in mind while you are planning your trip to Pawhuska. 

               

After we figured out that there were only two restaurants available, we chose Simple Simon's Pizza. It is not going to win any major awards, but it was really good and we were just thankful that we had found something for dinner. 

                                    

We stayed at The Grandview Inn Bed and Breakfast. This home was owned by the Drummonds, but it is now owned by a really sweet couple.

We stayed in the Red Bud Room. I had never stayed at a Bed and Breakfast before, but my Mother had. Staying at these types of establishments allows for the chance to really sit down and meet other people from around the country. There are no televisions in the rooms. There is a television downstairs in the family room. You also share a bathroom with other guests. Everyone that we met at the bed and breakfast was super friendly and nice. 

A culinary student came the next morning and cooked everyone breakfast before we headed out for the day's adventure. 

Downtown Pawhuska

When we drove into Pawhuska on Sunday, it looked like a ghost town, but by Monday morning (the Mercantile store opens at 7 a.m.) the little town was hopping. 

My husband is the publisher of 3 newspapers so I had to get a photo in front of Pawhuska's local newspaper. 

Downtown Pawhuska

The Mercantile or the "Merc"

Ree's Mercantile Store and Restaurant

Inside the Mercantile store, you can find all sorts of gifts and gadgets. 

This is a view from above. Up the stairs in the Merc leads to the Bakery.

The Bakery in the Mercantile

There are all kinds of adorable kitchen gadgets to be found in the Bakery. 

Mother and I split a cookie and it was DIVINE! We purchased a bunch of goodies to bring home to share with the family. 

The bakery's display cases are stunning! We had to wait outside the Merc for just a few minutes because they were at capacity. While we waited, we chatted with one of the employees. His nickname is Sheriff Terry. He was super nice and told us some of the history of Pawhuska. 

We didn't wait long outside before it was our turn to go inside the Merc. Once inside, we went upstairs to the bakery for a coffee and some goodies. Sheriff Terry came over to our table and gave us the book, The Pioneer Woman: High Heels to Tractor Wheels. He spoke so well of the Drummond family and his hometown. Every employee that I encountered at the Merc was so nice and sweet. Mother and I felt very welcome there. 

Mom and I had so much fun shopping and eating at the Merc!

The Lodge

The Lodge is owned by the Drummond family and it is also the location of where Ree films Food Network's,  The Pioneer Woman cooking show.

To visit the lodge, all you have to do is pick up a ticket at the Merc. The ticket will give directions on how to get there. 

  

Cowboy Bill, a friend of the Drummond's, was there to greet us upon our arrival at the Lodge. 

 I could do a whole lot of cooking and baking if I had a kitchen this size! 

Mother and I enjoyed playing like we were Ree Drummond. You are given free range to roam throughout the Lodge. 

Did I mention the views? Off in the distance is actually where Ree Drummond and her family live. 

There are several bedrooms at the lodge. This was Ree's bedroom (I'm guessing from the clothes). 

Ree had decorators from Tulsa there at the Lodge getting ready to shoot her Christmas cooking shows. 

It specifically states in the directions to the Lodge not to turn in here, but I had to stop for a photo!

The Drummond's family pets were there at the Lodge to greet everyone. 

Pawhuska was wonderful and really, all of Oklahoma was wonderful. Mother and I had a great time together! 

If you have any questions or comments about our trip, please comment in the comment section below!

Happy Travels!