Happy New Year!

2010 was a year of changes for the Pecan Shed. Some of them were easy to do, but some were harder than others. I think that is true for life as well.

All in all, I have to say that as I sit here about to close the store and celebrate the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, I am glad that my family is healthy, that my staff is a great one, and that I am still open for business. I know some people are not as lucky as me.

I hope you all have had a great 2010 and I wish you an even better 2011.

May God bless you always.

Until next year...Jill

Closing Early...

Just to give you some notice...

The Pecan Shed will close early Friday, December 31st. We will close at 3pm that day. We will also be closed all day Saturday, January 1st.

We will reopen Monday, January 3rd with our normal business hours (Monday through Saturday 9am until 5pm).

Congratulations Chad & Courtney!

Chad has been with the Pecan Shed family for many years. I personally have known him since kindergarten. We both went to a small school and we have been great friends for over 25 years...WOW we are getting old!

Chad was always the nicest guy you would ever meet. He was super popular in school...heck he is super popular in life! He is very funny, loyal, loving, giving, kind, did I mention funny, sweet, caring, smart, and oh so funny.

Chad was always the guy you wanted around at work or at play. He was the type of friend you did not call if you got thrown in jail...he was the type of friend that was right in there with you. (Of course neither Chad nor I have been in jail...it is just a figure of speech to show that he is the type of friend that will always be there for you during the good and the bad. I feel like I needed to say this because my parents read this blog...no worries guys...I have never been in jail with Chad or anyone else.)

Chad has been dating a real sweetheart, Courtney, for several years now. Courtney is a nurse at a local hospital and a saint for sticking with Chad for so long.

You see Chad is one of the best guys in the whole world but some of us doubted if he would ever settle down and get married. We all told him Courtney was a great girl and he had better not mess it up but Chad can be stubborn at times.

I am glad to say that over the Christmas holiday Chad proposed to Courtney! And the even better part is she said yes! I have not heard of a date yet...although I think Chad would do it tomorrow if Courtney was willing to hop a flight to Vegas.

Congrats you two on such a big step in life! We are all so happy for you!!!

50% OFF SALE

Did you forget someone this year? Are you attending a late Christmas party? Do you just love the Plain Chocolate or Chocolate Pecan Fudge and don't mind if it is in a Christmas Tree container? It still tastes delicious!

We are now having our after Christmas Sale. Many of our Christmas items are on sale for 50% off their original price.

Hurry in soon! Take advantage of these great deals.

Hannah's Last Day...

Today is so bittersweet for me. This is the last day Hannah will be working at the Pecan Shed. She has been here for three years. Not only is Hannah a valuable employee but she is a great friend.

This December, Hannah graduated with her nursing degree from MSU. She will be an RN at UMC in Lubbock.

While I am so proud of all Hannah has accomplished, I am sad to be losing a great employee and a true friend.

Hannah has done a lot of great things while at the Pecan Shed. She is our tech guru and she has updated our computer systems dramatically. This season alone she updated our billing system to be computerized. Before we had always had to write out receipts to our customers. Now, everything is printed and looks very professional. While I had always known we should get more up-to-date on our billing, I was just never willing to take the time and go for it. Hannah is always willing to help out in that area of the business and for that I will always appreciate her.

Hannah is not perfect though and she did have her negative points. She usually did not wear the correct color shirt to work. She was difficult to get her work schedule done because half the time she did not remember if she had a clinical, a class, or something else scheduled. She could be quiet at times which often made me worry if she was sad about something, worried about school, or just sitting there asleep. She has TERRIBLE handwriting. She often transposed numbers (which if I ever have to receive medication from her I am going to double check her myself). And she would eat sushi at work at times which totally grossed me out.

But other than that...and a few more I cannot put into print for all eternity...Hannah was pretty close to a perfect employee. (I hope you all know that while the negative points I made are all true...I was never upset with her about them.)

I will miss Hannah more than I could ever say to her or ever put into print. While many employees have come and gone over the years, some of them are very special. Hannah is definitely one of them. Hannah is not from Wichita Falls so I know that she really will not have much of a reason to come back to see us but I hope she knows she is always welcome and that she has friends who miss her and would love to see her anytime she is passing through.

To Hannah...

Thanks for your friendship. For showing me how to blog. For showing me how to do a lot of stuff on the computer. For showing me that just because someone is quiet, it does not mean that something is wrong. People don't have to be constantly talking (thus I can be quiet sometimes too). Thanks for sharing your life with me...the funny, the not so funny, the personal, and the public. Thanks for listening to my life story...the good, bad, and ugly. Thanks for opening up your heart to all of us. You are one in a million. You will be truly missed more than you will ever know. And I will always remember you. (Don't worry...years from now I will not talk about the girl in the headband who wore the wrong color shirt...what was her name??? I will always remember Hannah.) All the best...Jill

Last Day before Christmas...

Today is the last day we will be open for Christmas.
We are open today until 5pm.
We will be closed both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

We will reopen Monday, December 27th at 9am.

Merry Christmas from all the staff at the Pecan Shed and the Montz Family.

Christmas Bonus...

For two days only...Dec. 22nd and Dec. 23rd...we will be paying $1.25 per pound for pecans.

We were paying $1.00 per pound so hurry in soon to take advantage of this limited time price increase.

We are open the 22nd and 23rd from 9am until 5pm. We will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The Fudge is Flying...

Our Homemade Fudge is flying off the shelves!!!

We sold LOTS yesterday and we expect to do so the next two days. Our fudge makers are working 13 hours a day to keep up with demand but I recommend you come in early if you are wanting fudge this Christmas.

We will be open 9am until 5pm today and tomorrow and then we are closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Hurry in soon!

Count Down

Okay...okay. The countdown has begun. Well, actually it began quite a while back I am just now starting because I am under 5 days left.

If you still have some people on your list that you still need a gift for the Pecan Shed can help.

We have lots of great gift ideas...
- Homemade Fudge (by the piece or by the pan)
- Fudge of the Month Club Gift Certificates
- Candied Pecans
- Gift Tins (filled with either candied pecans or plain pecan halves)
- Texas shaped containers (filled with candied pecans or plain pecan halves)
- Local Pecans (in the shell, cracked, or shelled)
- Texas gifts, home decor items, Christmas ornaments, and more
- Cookbooks, gourmet food items, jalapeno grillers, etc.

We are open this week Monday through Thursday 9am until 5pm. We will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Reason for the Season

Today my daughter's school put on a play called the "Christmas Story". Dotty was "Mary".

The teacher narrated and the 3 year olds acted out the parts (too cute might I add). When it was all over Dotty told me the story over and over again.

Then she said...."I love the Baby Jesus. And Santa."

Her school and my sweet daughter reminded me that even though the Pecan Shed is swamped with customers, even though I am working 7 days a week a lot this time of year to keep up, even though my feet hurt, my head hurts, and my mind hurts with all the stuff I have left to do, even though my tree has not a single present under it yet (all bought back in October just not wrapped yet), even though I dream at night about pecans, fudge, and customers, even though I answer my house phone "Pecan Shed"...the reason for the season is the same and it has nothing to do with presents, pecans, or people at all.

It is not about getting Dotty one more gift. It is not about the Pecan Shed only having 7 more days of our crazy retail time. It is not about Christmas parties I need to attend, Christmas cards I need to write, or Christmas presents I need to wrap.

It is about the birth of a sweet baby boy. And my sweet baby girl reminded me of that.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Last Day...

Today is the last day we will guarantee a Christmas delivery on anything we ship through standard ground UPS.

After today there is only "hope" it will make it there in time.

We can do 2nd Day Air or Next Day Air but it will cost a pretty penny.

Hurry in with your orders! Santa's Sleigh waits for no gift!

The Hustle and Bustle...

The Hustle and bustle of the season is upon us. Lots of people are still looking for the perfect gifts.

We have lots of them!

Our fudge is great to send to family and friends. We also have the Fudge of the Month Club you can sign someone up for. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving for months after the tree and trimmings are put away.

Hurry in soon! Christmas Day is just 10 days away!

It is NUTS!

Did someone say Christmas is less than 2 weeks away?!?

They must have because we have been crazy busy...which is AWESOME!

Lots of people are coming in to get gifts, have them shipped, and of course they are picking up lots of fudge!

Remember to get in your order soon. We do not guarantee any shipments to arrive by Christmas after December 15th!

Congratulations Hannah!

Being a small family business we have relied on family, friends, and college students to staff our store during our busiest time of year which is October through December.

Over three years ago we attended MSU's Part-time Job Fair and we were lucky to find two really good girls to come and work for us...one of those girls was Hannah.

Lots of college students only work a season or two but both girls have been special and have stayed on year round since the day they started working here.

I am proud and a little sad to say that Hannah will be graduating tomorrow with her Nursing Degree. I am so proud of how Hannah has persevered and kept up through all the pressure that went along with her degree. I have no doubt she will be an excellent nurse (although, if you get her, double check her numbers before she gives you medicine...just kidding Hannah).

I am sad to see her leave the Pecan Shed. We all become family around here. We know each other (perhaps we know TOO MUCH about each other), we care for each other, and most of all, we are all good friends.

I have a great staff and it is times like these that remind me how wonderful my staff is. Tonight at Hannah's "Pinning Ceremony" I have no doubt I will cry...tears of joy for my friend...and tears of sadness for myself.

To Hannah...(who is one of the few people I know who reads this blog...)
Congratulations Hannah! You are such a good employee (our computers will probably all become overwhelmed with viruses when you leave...or we will delete every customer record we have), you are an amazing person, you will be a great nurse, and you are a true friend. I have enjoyed getting to know. I will always remember our times bowling, the day I "fired" you, and many, many more things that I don't care to put into print for all eternity.

Just know I will miss you greatly!

Christmas Trees

The Pecan Shed now has Christmas Tree molds filled with our delicious Homemade fudge in either Plain Chocolate or Chocolate Pecan. We can also do Sucrose Free Fudge but you will need to place an order for that.

These trees hold almost one pound of fudge and are perfect gifts for friends, family, teachers, the postman, or the UPS Driver who is busy delivering all the other great gifts you have been ordering this holiday season. (Bryan Cash happens to be our great UPS Driver and he has been working extra hard this time of year with all the Christmas packages our customers have been ordering...thanks for doing such a great job Bryan!)

These fudge filled Christmas trees are $12.95 each. Stop by soon and pick one up today.

NEW!!! Chocolate Amaretto Pecans

Just arrived we now have Chocolate Amaretto Pecans available in a 5 ounce box for $6.95. These delicious pecans will just be available for a limited time so hurry in for yours today.

They make great gifts for teachers and are perfect as stocking stuffers!

We are open 9am until 5pm Monday through Saturday.

Supplies are limited so hurry in soon!

Christmas Delivery...

If you want to guarantee those on your Christmas list will get their pecans, fudge, or other holiday gifts in time for Christmas we recommend you have your packages shipped off no later than December 15th. Of course, the earlier the better!

We ship anywhere within the continental United States. We do so via UPS Ground Service. We will ship any of our products except we do not ship glass.

Texas pecans and homemade fudge are great gift ideas for family and friends. We also have our holiday tins that hold up to two pounds of candied pecans in them.

Remember our "Fudge of the Month Club"! What a great gift that keeps on giving for months after the holiday season.

We are now paying $1

As of today we are now paying $1.00 per pound.

We do buy pecans from the public and the process is very easy. We buy pecans Monday through Saturday 9am until 5pm. No appointment necessary. Take your pecans to the West end of the building (look for the big red arrow). Our store location is 1401 Midwestern Pkwy.

The pecans need to be new crop and well filled out. We cannot buy last year's pecans, pecans with the green or black hulls on them, or pecans with a lot of leaves, sticks, rocks or any kind of trash in them. They also cannot be wet.

We can only buy pecans in the shell. We cannot buy pecans that are cracked or shelled.

You can bring them in any container. We will weigh the pecans, then we will crack a few to check them, then we will pour the pecans in a hopper. If you bring them in a bucket, box, or something that weighs more than a pound, we will weigh the container back and subtract that weight from your total.

You then get paid for your pecans. Currently we are paying $1.00 per pound.

All the pecans we buy from the public are then sold to shelling companies or are shipped overseas. Therefore we must adhere to the standards set forth by these companies. We also buy based on a market so the price is subject to change without advance warning.

Fabulous Fudge Friday...

Did you know that if you call in your anniversary to 99.9 KLUR they will enter you in the weekly drawing for FREE FUDGE every Friday morning?!?

Every Friday Brad and Trista Lee draw from the weekly names of anniversary entries. The winner gets six pieces of FREE Homemade Fudge from the Pecan Shed. To claim the prize the winner simply comes in and picks out the six pieces he/she would like.

What a way to celebrate! Something sweet for your Sweetie!

Remember to call in your anniversary to KLUR during the week days during the morning show with Brad and Trista Lee.

Fudge of the Month Club...Great Christmas Gift Idea!

Pecan Shed is excited to announce a new product line. Their new Fudge of the Month Club is a great gift for anyone! The Pecan Shed is now offering gift certificates for their Fudge of the Month Club. You can sign up for a three month membership which is $39.95 or a six month membership is $75.95.
A welcome letter with a flavor calendar is included in the first shipment (which will go out January 2011) to welcome the lucky recipient. On the first Monday of each month the Pecan Shed will ship the recipient a piece of the Chocolate Pecan Fudge, a piece of the Plain Chocolate Fudge, and a piece of the Fudge Flavor of the Month for that specific month. Each piece is approximately one-fourth of a pound. The package is sent via priority mail through the United States Postal Service.
Sign up now as a great Christmas gift that keeps giving for months. Or sign up for yourself because you deserve it and the fudge is delicious! Either way - call or stop by today to reserve your spot for our Fudge of the Month Club!