My Best Friend's Wedding

I want to give an advance “Congratulations” to my best friend and part-time Pecan Shed employee Jeri Martin. She will be marrying Jamie Kaspar tomorrow afternoon and I could not be happier for them both!

Jeri and I have been friends since our college days when we worked on a big senior project together. To make a long story short…we stayed up very late for many nights finishing the project in order to get a good grade. Jeri and I were there for each other during a very critical and difficult time in our lives.

That would not be the last time we helped each other get through some rough patches in life. Jeri has been my rock, my sounding board, and my voice of reason. She has been the shoulder I cried on, the one that I laughed with, and the one who was always willing to meet me at On the Border when I needed a drink and a friend.

Jeri has been my early morning workout partner for many years and this past year we completed a half marathon together! We have also served together on the Board of our community service group, the Senior Junior Forum, and we were co-chairs for the Wine and Food Affair of our annual Wine Festival Weekend back in April 2011.

More than anything Jeri is just always there when I need her. When I am short staffed at work or when we have booths at different events, Jeri is always willing to help me out. In fact two years ago Jeri helped out the store a lot by being the weekend fudge-maker for the Pecan Shed. That year Jeri and I worked 49 days straight without a day off! Now if that is not a true friend I don’t know what is!!! Even though Jeri has a very important and demanding real job at the local hospital, she was still willing to give up most of her free time to help me. I could not have made it through that pecan season without her!

I learned many lessons that year. I learned to work “smarter” so I didn’t have to work “harder” and I am proud to say the next year I had things planned out much better so no one had to work a Sunday (although Jeri still made fudge for the store on Saturdays). Woo Hoo! I also learned that I can get through anything with good friends by my side. And I have always known Jeri is one of the best out there. No matter what she has on her plate or what she is going through, I always feel like she will drop everything if I need her. I am so lucky to have her as a best friend.

Even this year Jeri has been a blessing to me. She has been a bit busy with wedding plans so she has not been working at the Pecan Shed this year. But every Friday night she has me over for dinner because she knows two things…#1 I am too tired to cook during pecan season…#2 I don’t cook even when I am not tired. So not only do I get a great meal every Friday night…she makes sure I go home with leftovers too! She is still taking care of me!!!

Jamie is one lucky man…but Jeri is a lucky girl too. They are two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. I am so glad they found each and I can’t wait to be the Maid of Honor tomorrow when their two lives become one. I am so blessed to know them both.

May God bless their marriage and I wish them health and happiness for many, many years to come!

Christmas Time is Coming!!!

Make sure to hurry in and get all your Christmas shopping done right in one location. The Pecan Shed has a wide variety of unique gifts perfect for everyone on your gift list this year. They have local pecans grown in their very own orchards located in Charlie, TX. The Montz family now has over 27,000 pecan trees. Along with great management techniques and irrigation practices, they are able to provide tasty pecans year after year.

The Pecan Shed has pecans available in the shell in five-pound bags for $19.75 per bag and cracked pecans are sold in five-pound bags for $21.75 per bag. If you want shelled pecans, the Pecan Shed has them in a one-pound bag for $8.95, a three-pound bag for $25.95, and a four-pound bag for $33.95.

The Pecan Shed also has candied pecans in small or large bags and both make great teacher gifts or are perfect as stocking stuffers! These pecans come in many flavors including Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Creamy White, Praline, Honey Toasted, and Roasted Cinnamon Glazed. They even have Sugar Free Chocolate Pecans and Sugar Free Cinnamon Pecans for those who are on a special diet.

If you need a sweet treat for holiday parties, the Pecan Shed’s homemade fudge cannot be beat. The fudge is made right inside the Pecan Shed in their fudge kitchen. The Fudge Flavor of the Month for December is Fruitcake, and they have other great flavors like Chocolate Pecan, Butter Pecan, Turtle, Tiger, Mint Chocolate, Maple Nut, Dark Chocolate Pecan, and even Sucrose Free Fudge! Special for December, the Pecan Shed is offering Divinity Fudge and Candy Cane (Peppermint) Fudge. These specialty fudge flavors are only available while supplies last so hurry in before it is all sold out!

Along with local pecans, homemade fudge, and candied pecans, the Pecan Shed has a great selection of Texas gifts including shirts, caps, mugs, magnets, cookbooks, frames, and more. They have local honey and local jerky, gourmet food items like preserves, salsas, apple butter, and so much more. They even have pecan oil, pecan flavored coffee, pecan brittle, and pecan pralines. There are so many great gift idea it is NUTS…pun intended!

The Pecan Shed is open Monday through Saturday 9am until 5pm. They are closed on Sundays. The store is located at 1401 Midwestern Pkwy (just one block east of Old Jacksboro Hwy). You can call them at 940-322-0756 or visit their website at www.pecanshed.com. Don’t forget to follow them on Facebook!

So Much to be Thankful for...

This time of year I am always reminded of how blessed I am. I have many wonderful people in life both personally and professionally.

I am blessed that over 30 years ago my parents decided to open up the Pecan Shed. Through lots of hard work and sheer dedication, they turned a small family business that was literally a "shed" open only a few months a year into what is now a year round business who has customers located all over the world.

I am lucky to get to work with my family...well at least I feel like that on most days! ;) I get to see and talk to my mom and dad on a regular basis and no matter the conversation (good or bad) the call is always ended with an "I love you." Now working with my brother has its ups and downs. Jake and I have grown up a lot in the last few years but we still have moments of sibling unrest. Although if I have to argue with someone it might as well be him...I am after all a professional at it since I have been doing it since I was old enough to talk!

I get to work with a great staff. Many of my staff members have been with me for years. Kathy is one of those great ones! She truly is a second mom to me and my right hand lady at the Pecan Shed. I know I can leave and things are in good hands.

Of course I have tons of great employees that have been around for a while including Tara, the Beckys, Hellen, Desiree, and Tiffany. And my new girls are great too! Holly, Stefanie, Stephanie, Sarah, Angela, and Sierra have all done a great job learning about the pecan business and working hard.

My firemen are great guys. Raymond does our custom cracking and the others do all our buying. I couldn't do it without Max, Brad, Minton, Mat, Ryan, and all the others that fill in as needed! (Especially Mat...he brings us donuts on Saturday mornings!)

Chad and Terry (aka Coach) who work out in Charlie with Dad and Jake are certainly a valuable part of all of this because without all those guys working in our orchards I would not be able to sell such great pecans to my customers. (Plus anyone who can work alongside my dad and my brother is a total saint in my book.)

And speaking of customers...I am so blessed to such a loyal customer base. Some of our customers have been with us since the beginning and many of them have been around for well over a decade. I cannot be thankful enough for the people who continue to purchase pecans from us year after year. Without them none of this would be as successful as it is.

I even have the next generation of Pecan Shed "management" to be thankful for. Presley and Dotty are both growing up so fast. They may just be cousins but they are one heck of a combination when you get them together. Some day they will have the opportunity to take over the Pecan Shed and do with it whatever they see fit. I can only imagine what those two will come up with!

All in all I am one lucky girl. I have a great business that I am a part of...I have great coworkers...and I have a great family...and all those things are intertwined together to make up the Pecan Shed as a whole.

I have been so blessed to grow up in a family business. I have learned every aspect of what it takes to make a business continue to grow and succeed. I have worked with awesome people that have gone on to do great things. I have made lifelong friends. I am blessed beyond measure!

Happy Thanksgiving Day!!!

One Week Away!!!

Thanksgiving is just about a week away! Can you believe it?!?!

I am always thankful that I get put in charge of rolls and desserts for any meal I am invited to. I buy the rolls at the local grocery store and I always bring fudge from the Pecan Shed (super handy). Everyone knows I can't cook very well so to save everyone from giving me "nice try" pat on the back...I just go with the fool proof favorites!

Working at the Pecan Shed makes celebrating Thanksgiving a bit of a challenge each year. The store is closed on Thanksgiving Day but we are busy before and after the holiday (which is a great thing).

I have to remind myself to personally slow down and remember what the season is about...being with family and friends and giving thanks for all the blessings in my life. It only takes a quick glance at my sweet 5 year old girl to remember I have so much to be thankful for these days.

I know most of us live very hectic lives. We are running around trying to get work done, shopping done, be at school programs, and a long list of other things...but when you have a minute (whether it is while you are waiting in line at the grocery store or simply stopped at a red light) take some time to give thanks for what you have in life.

I even try to be thankful for the challenges...because when I ask God for more patience He doesn't give me patience...He gives me opportunities to be patient. We I ask God for strength He gives me chances to be strong. When I ask God for love and forgiveness…He shows me those who need my love and forgiveness.

I hope this time of year finds you all in good company, good spirits, and good health!

Lessons in Retail...Those Not Found in Any Text Book

For those of you who have ever worked in retail you know it can be tough. Many times I have gotten an ear full from an unhappy customer over things I have no control over...like the weather, shipping costs, the day of the week Christmas happens to fall on, etc.

I have had a few customers in my time that have really made my blood boil. While I always believe it is important to treat people with respect and curtesy, I also believe that once you have made me mad it is hard to get back on my good side. I may forgive but I rarely forget (I am a typical woman after all).

Yesterday I had a customer come in to the store that I try to avoid like the plague. Last year he really made me mad by some comments he made about my family, our store, our products, etc. I didn't ban him from the store (I thought about it but I have never banned anyone from our store), but I sure did not rush to be the one to assist him.

Well yesterday I happened to be the only one around when he came in. I took a deep breath, put on a smile, and welcomed him back to the Pecan Shed.

He didn't remember me from Adam.

(I know many of you who know me will make the comment that I change my hair like some people change their nail polish...and I realize that I can be hard to recognize...but my regular customers know me no matter if my hair is blond, brown, black, or red...yep I have been all of those.)

He just talked to me about his recent trips, his upcoming cruises, etc. He was as friendly as ever.

I was still cautious though.

I smiled. I nodded. But all the while I was waiting for the "grouchy customer" who had ripped into me a year ago to show himself.

Then he did something I didn't anticipate. He shared with me how he likes to go up on the upper deck when he is on a cruise and he likes to let all his worries go. He thinks back to his Navy days. He remembers the good times...and he even remembers the not so good times too. He told me he wished he had valued people more than things. He wished he had been better to his children. He wished he had more people in his life now to share the days with.

He teared up and so did I.

At that moment I was reminded of what I already knew. In retail (and even in life) when people take out their anger and frustration on a store employee...most of the time it has nothing to do with whatever it is the customer is complaining about. Most of the time the customer is really in pain about something much bigger, much deeper, much more painful.

A year ago that man was hurting and he took out his hurt on me. He forgot about it soon after he left. He probably does not even remember that day. He had bigger issues on his mind.

I on the other hand remembered every detail of what happened a year ago. I let it eat away at me. I let it build a wall between me and another human being. If another one of my staff memebers had been available yesterday, I would not have taken the time to visit with that man. I would have continued to hold my grudge.

But yesterday I let it go. Yesterday I realized that, while it was wrong of him to be so mean to me a year ago, it was also wrong of me to carry around my hard feelings towards him. I needed to forgive. I needed to be a better person.

Now I don't know what will happen the next time he comes in to the store. I can't control him. But I can control me. So regardless of how he, or anyone else, acts to me I need to remember that I don't know someone else's story. I don't know what they are going through. But I do know that I can make a difference. I can be nice. I can be understanding. I can be forgiving.

This time of year when all the holiday activities are upon us it can be easy to think of it being "the most wonderful time of the year"...but for some it may not be. So I hope to remember that if I come across an unhappy individual while I am working or out shopping myself...that I don't know their story. I don't know what they go through day in and day out. I don't know how the holidays make them feel. I just need to let go of whatever may hurt my feelings and send up a little prayer for God to bless them and to help them with whatever may be hurting them.

I have learned a lot in working at the Pecan Shed. I have learned about pecans, fudge, buying inventory, marketing a store, creating reports for CPAs...I have learned so much about business in the "real world". However, my greatest lessons have come from learning how to treat people. I may not always do it right, but it seems like God keeps presenting me the problem until I DO get it right.

Funny how God works. He shows His teachings in the most unlikely of places.

Choctaw and Wichita Pecans Now Available

Even though the temperatures refuse to fall much below 80 degrees these days...we have lots of pecans falling out of the trees (thanks to a custom shaker that does most of the work for Mother Nature). We now have New Crop Choctaw and Wichita pecans available to go along with our Pawnee pecans.

The Wichita pecans are available in the shell and cracked. The Choctaw pecans are available in the shell, cracked, and shelled. Both pecans are really nice this year. They are yeilding over 54% meat (and with the last two dry summers that is sure good news).

The Choctaw is by far the biggest of the pecans we have right now. It is really easy to shell out. The Wichita pecan is still large but it has a tendency to fill out so tightly in the shell that it can be difficult to shell out.

Stop in to the store to sample each kind of pecan and to find your favorite! Mohawk and Cheyenne pecans should be available soon.