Hat Intimidation

This Saturday is our 20th annual family Easter party at my cousin Lu's house. For some reason we started having an Easter parade down the driveway every year (they live in the country and have a really long driveway). The parade included anything we could think to put in it...bikes, wagons, instruments, and of course...hats. Since this is our 20th year, Lu's got all kinds of fun things planned, but the best part is there is an Easter bonnet competition. Even better is my cousin, Kristi, (who is Lu's daughter) issued a hat challenge on her blog...In fact, she told us to bring our A-game...I told her it was like a Bobby Flay throw down, but with hats!

Okay, so generally, when it comes to cooking and crafting I can't even begin to compete with either of them...but hat decorating...now there's something I have experience with. I know my China girls are laughing right now because our absolute favorite party of the year in Beijing was the Melbourne Cup. It wasn't that we cared about the horse racing. We just wanted to win the hat competition!

JR and I finished up his hat yesterday afternoon and I finished up my hat last night (I have 3 hot glue gun scars to show for it). Now of course I can't post a picture of these hats until after Saturday since my competitors are loyal blog readers...but I can post some pictures of my previous hat decorating skills for pure intimidation...

This picture was in the newspaper and made it into about 3 local magazines in Beijing. Debbie, who is standing beside me, was the winner that year. You can't tell from the picture, but her hat was amazing. She had a battery-powered horse that ran around a track on the brim of her hat! Anita's hat is still one of my favorites (she's right below me). I even borrowed that hat and wore it out one night.

Pictures don't do this hat justice. The problem with this hat is that it was so big, you couldn't see my face in any pictures, so I had to hold it back. Of course our group had the winner again that year. Melissa and her pink hat won the big prize.

AND...I'm not scared to wear silly hats anytime of the year, for any occasion....

Chinese hat for out on the town in Beijing

Hawaiian Punch hat to a Shrimp Boil

And a pumpkin hat for Trick-or Treating

How scared are you now hat makers? See you Saturday! ;-)