Rednecks, Redheads & Reality-The Pawning Planners Pay It Forward…

Helping people who don’t have any money is never easy- Pawning Planners clients have one thing in common- lack of money.  These families share another similarity-hard times & bad luck.

We’ve met hundreds of families the past 6 years who needed a wedding, funeral, birthday party, baby shower, friendship ceremony, baptism, pawning party, estate liquidation and more.  

Hillbillies are occasionally also hoarders so Appraisal Appointments are often “find a needle in a haystack” adventures for us.  Finding a treasure digging through trash takes time and patience!  Cindy loves nothing more than “hunkering down and searching for buried treasure.”  She’s adventurous when I’m apprehensive and although we are identical twins, we have compensating personalities. 

 Don’t get me wrong because our Pawning Planners clients are also a lot of fun and the most hospitable people we’ve ever met. They may not have much but what they do have- they are willing to share from moonshine to rattlesnake stew to fried squirrel.  Occasionally we politely decline these “country favorite” meals and share a glass of Texas Tea instead. 

 A few of them might be rednecks and need teeth but our clients are often as interesting as their requests.  Even my brother in law, Steve Daniel has a few missing teeth after his “8 year stint” as a fuel truck driver in Iraq.  It’s not well known that many American contractors deployed to Iraq suffered tooth loss, gum disease and worse due to contaminated drinking water. 

Missing teeth bother the person who is missing them more than you realize.  
My brother in law, Steve had perfect teeth due to the fantastic insurance at Albertsons like all of the other drivers but a layoff changed that and with limited jobs here in Texas, Steve took on one of the most dangerous missions to save his family.  Within his first day on camp, a mortar attack sent everyone running for cover but knowing the “job issue” back home,  Steve would wait 8 years before returning to make sure he could find work-My Brother In Law & Survivor Of The Good Friday Roadside Bombing. Steve lost his teeth while working to send money home to his family and if you’ve ever met anyone with missing teeth, before you look away-you need to realize that their story is one of hard times and hard luck!  My brother in law is one of the most hard working and dedicated and husbands and grandfathers that I have ever met (aside from my own husband who helps the Daniel Family whenever we can).  Steve is currently supporting both of his adult children aka Boomerang Kids as well as all three of his grandchildren to give you a better idea of his devotion to his family.  
Several months ago I wrote a blog regarding why we can occasionally “skip bringing a truck” because hoarders are unpredictable and it’s harder to find a flip, swap or trade in a sea of junk-Appraisal Appointments Are Eye Openers For The Pawning Planners.I’ve learned a lot in the bartering business of The Pawning Planners over the years and while some families have similar stories of job loss and struggle- I’ve yet to find an item in pristine condition or as Cindy would say “a quick flip.”  My twin sister, Cindy often calls herself a hillbilly “because hillbillies can’t afford to go out and buy stuff- they have to figure it out and I’m pretty good at it!”

The truth is that we spend a lot of time in my workroom stripping, staining & refurbishing items we take in trade. 

 “Quick flips” are hard to find and knowing the value of a car, truck, boat, farm equipment, antique furniture, and other unique item submitted in exchange for services is an important element in the bartering business.  

We bring our mini me twins aka The Little Pawners to many of our Appraisal Appointments and they love digging for antique toys or video equipment.  Maryssa and Makenna Mahaney have been in over a hundred weddings as flower girls, ring bearers, and ushers and work for tips and flips.  They love every aspect of the wedding and events business along with meeting clients.

    
  Being on location at a farm or barn in the middle of nowhere brings a degree of danger when snakes and spiders are often “hanging around” along with hornets nests.

I’ve had a few occasions where from the looks of the “home,” I had second thoughts about getting out of my SUV but my saucy sidekick Cindy Daniel is fearless along with being pretty fun and jumps out ready to “dig for treasure.” 

We’ve had previous clients donate items to dream event families when I didn’t have clothing in stock.  Last summer, Debbie and Hannah Poteet met us at a sponsored double baby shower for Joanna Magee and Brooke Blumfield to donate a dress after I had posted the size needed for a Mineral Wells bride who didn’t have a dress for her daughter who was acting as her maid of honor.  

Our story is a unique “dive” into the wedding and events business that required merging Texas Twins Events and Texas Twins Treasures to create The Pawning Planners which created an opportunity for anyone to submit a trade in exchange for services.  Loaning clothing is occasionally necessary to “pull everything together” for clients who have no way to afford the luxury of “dress clothes.”

   

My family and I are often surprised when previous clients “jump in” to help a stranger but they are often so appreciative of what we did to pull their event together that they do by helping with photography or donating an item or even making a wedding cake or giving us their silk arrangements to use for an event. 

 Outhouses?  Well, we never know where we will be on location and it’s always a good idea to bring your own toilet paper when your road trip lands you at an outhouse rather than a standard restroom.

                 

I’m often asked if my twin sister and I are always together?  Yes!  The best part of all of my unique businesses is the opportunity to spend time with my family on our unique journey to give anyone a beautiful event (regardless of their income) by taking trades. The Pawning Planners opened a window that had never existed for families who wanted a Life Event but had no way to afford it.

 Items offered for sale at Texas Twins Treasures are unique because we never know what we will find but never sale anything we wouldn’t buy ourselves-Visit My Treasure Chest-Texas Twins Treasures!

Finding an outlet to “flip” items was necessary since we currently only have one storage unit.  Estate Liquidations and Pawning Parties take place at the clients location because it’s far less expensive to rent a truck and move items.

Do you have a creative request that isn’t listed at Texas Twins Events? Please use the contact us link-Low Cost Wedding & Event Services.

Desire a dream event but don’t have any money? Submit your trade-We Take Trades-The Pawning Planners.

Throughout our 6 year journey we’ve met a few rednecks but it should be noted that we are often far more appreciated by clients booking through The Pawning Planners because they understand the lengths we go to for their event that even their own friends and families wouldn’t help them with because we are committed to helping everyone we can and believe that by helping them that they will be inspired to help a stranger one day too!

Wendy M Wortham