Happy Birthday to Mom...

December 31st is a date celebrated around the world by almost everyone. It is New Year's Eve which means one big party! This is a time when people celebrate another year over and a new one beginning.

For my family it has also always meant another kind of celebration...my mom's birthday! Mom always joked that everyone celebrated her birthday since she is a New Year's Eve baby. Today my mom celebrates another year of her life officially in the books and a new one beginning. She has double reason to celebrate on this day!

My mom, Molly Montz, has been a great many things in her lifetime. Not only is she the "original" Pecan Shed manager but she helped my dad get our family business off and running. Mom was hardly ever on harvesting equipment but she was the face of our retail store. Even when I took over after Mom "semi-retired" I still had people who wanted to see my mom and do business with her.

Luckily Mom taught me everything she knows about running a pecan store. I learned how to work hard, how to treat people fairly, how to handle adversity (like droughts, late freezes, and unhappy customers), and how to make a business grow. Many nights growing up I saw my mom come home after a full day of work to cook us dinner (yes...some nights she did cook) and start working again...paying bills, labeling bags, or doing whatever else it took that there wasn't enough time to do between 9am-5pm. Mom was a great boss...not just to me but to many others. I know this because so many people still tell me that the Pecan Shed was one of their best jobs...and a lot of that has to do with Mom.

While I did learn so much about our business from my mom...the best thing she taught me was how to BE a mom myself.

My parents worked very hard but they didn't miss the important stuff that Jake and I did. In fact, I don't think Mom missed ANYTHING that Jake or I did.

Mom was a room mother for our grade school classes, she made all the school programs, she was at every ball game, pep rally, track meet, One Act play, UIL event, band performance (yes...Jake and I were in the band for a short period of time)...Mom made ALL of it!

My mom was one of those parents that got to games early. She braided my hair and half the team's hair. She not only brought us bubble gum balls but she knew which color each girl preferred. She was at every track meet and packed enough food to feed an army (which ensured I didn't have to eat concession stand food). My mom was in the bleachers when it was freezing cold, steaming hot, blowing 100 mph, and even on those rare pretty days. She was at basketball games when we had tournaments and our games were at 10am. She might be one of the few people in the gym but she yelled like she was 20+ (granted half the time she was yelling at the refs and sometimes not even the right thing...but hey...she was supporting the Lady Pirates always!).

My mom was simply there.

She was there for me...and for anyone else who needed her. She made enough Rice Krispie treats to feed all the girls who went with me to a week long basketball camp one summer. She probably cooked 100 sock-it-to-me cakes while I was in school. Tammy Williams practically lived with us for a few months (and if I was on a date Mom and Tammy would go out to eat and to a movie). She feed about 20 people a night the summer we got our pool (I thought I would never eat another cheeseburger ever again). She was my mom by blood...but she was a mom to many because she has such a big, loving heart.

If my mom can do anything really well...it is mother (you thought I was going to smother didn't you??). I always said if I ever went on a talk show to complain about my parents my only real complaint was I was loved TOO much.

Even off at college my freshman year Mom sent me at least one and sometimes two cards each week. She talked to me every day. And on the days I cried because I was homesick...I have no doubt she had to control herself not to hop in her car and come get me.

Of course Mom has let me do things on my own a time or two. She may have objected to what I wore or how I did my hair (I cannot for the life of me figure out why I still try to perm my hair about once every decade)...she may not have always liked who I dated...she may not have agreed with my choice of friends (but Tammy finally won her over :)...) and she may have wanted to step in to heal a broken heart or hurt feelings a time or two but like all good mothers...she knew I had to learn some things on my own.

My mom is my biggest fan. She loves me more than I could ever be loved by anyone. She is one amazing Memaw to her grandgirls. She is not perfect but she is my mom...and I think God knew what He was doing when He put us together.

Now I know Jake has stories of his own...as do many others who know my mom...but this is how I see her.

I take great pride when people tell me I look like my mom (after all she was Miss Weatherford back in the day) but I take even more pride when I find myself doing for Dotty the things that my mom used to do for me.

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!!!

Blue Ribbon Kind of Day...

Jake recently submitted some of our Mohawk and Kanza pecans to our local Wichita County Pecan Show and both varieties won blue ribbons! We have had the Mohawk pecan for several years now, but the Kanza pecan is new to our orchards.

In fact, I have not even had any Kanzas in my retail store yet. These trees are still so new they have not yet begun to "commercially produce" in order for us to use them at the Pecan Shed. However, I do feel in a few years we will have the Kanza pecan on our shelves and available to customers and I think they will be a huge hit!

So proud of Jake and Dad and all the guys who work out in our orchards! They put in a lot of hard, long hours to make sure we have some of (what I think are) the best pecans in Texas!!!

Wow What a Year!!!

This past year has been full of truly wonderful things for the Pecan Shed!

Not only have we survived two rough summers in severe drought conditions, but we have acually grown our orchards and our business! Dad and Jake planted a couple thousand more trees this past summer in our orchards out in Charlie, TX and we started working on a second Pecan Shed location to be open Fall 2013 in Henrietta, TX on Hwy 287 (right beside the Best Western Hotel). Now if that is not growth I don't know what is!!!

In addition to continued growth, we have also been awarded with some really nice top honors this year! In May, the Pecan Shed won the "2012 Family Business of Year" award which was presented by the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce. Just this past month I was also named "Top 20 Under 40" which is an honor given by the Times Record News. Trust me when I say both awards were a total surprise (especially my personal one)!

On top of all this great news, I found earlier this week the Pecan Shed has also been nominated for the Henrietta & Clay County Chamber of Commerce "2012 Outstanding Business of the Year"! A big "Woo Hoo!" followed up by one of Dotty's happy dances does not even begin to express my emotions!!! This is just all so great!!! What an honor to be nominated with other such great businesses!

We at the Pecan Shed are truly blessed! I have a wonderful family I get to work with and my staff members are more than just employees...they are extended family too! Without such a great staff the Pecan Shed would not be able to do all the unique things we get to do for our customers. And speaking of customers...thanks to everyone who does business with the Pecan Shed. Without all of you I would not have such a wonderful business to manage!

I know it will be hard to top 2012 but I have big plans for 2013!!!!