BeautyRevealed | The Blog of Melissa J. Dillon

“Babies are bits of stardust, blown from the hand of God.”

- Barretto

Our Itty-Bitty Little Girl had her first ever party last Sunday afternoon! My sweetest Sister-in-law, Angela, and my two very dear friends, Becky and Heidi, threw a perfectly pink party for our little one. It was such a special shower! And despite a very snowy/icy day, almost everyone was able to make it.

Angela decided to use Mom and Dad’s cabin in the woods for the special occasion, and when I walked in I squealed with delight. Pink and white everywhere… it was beautiful! Fresh flowers, polka-dots, ribbons and all things sweet and pretty for this little darling. I can’t wait to show her pictures of how much she is loved and cherished already.

Angela created this sweet collage from pictures of me when I was a baby and child. If our baby girl is anything like I was, she will be c.h.u.b.b.y! Mark is hoping she will be… I’m not so sure.

I loved the diaper cake… it was full of fun things: pacifiers, onesies, diaper rash ointment, a rubber ducky, plastic utensils…

And the delicious cake! I love the little baby carriage on it… it matched the invitations. So many sweet details were thought of by these girls.

Mark and I were so blessed by all of the wonderful gifts showered upon us and our little one. We were overwhelmed by the kindness of so many family and friends. I am busy putting away gifts this week and washing clothes and blankets in Dreft. I’ve been working on her nursery, and it’s so much fun to see it all coming together. The drawers are getting organized and little dresses are hanging in the closet. We are still waiting for her crib to arrive, but her crib bedding is here and washed and ready to go. I’ve been waiting till it’s all done so I can post pictures of the finished nursery. Then I’ll show pictures of all the wonderful gifts from everyone. She received so many cute things!

Today Mark installed her car seat so we’re ready to bring her home whenever she decides to make her appearance! It’s just a little over 3 weeks until her due date, and we’re counting down the days.

Angela, Becky, Heidi and Mom ~ Thank you all for such a lovely party! I was tickled pink! Thank you for showering us with such love. And thank you to everyone who could make it on a snowy afternoon to celebrate our much anticipated “little joy” with us.

We love you all!

Melissa, Mark and little Baby Girl Dillon

Here’s some pictures of the baby shower that mom and I hosted for my friend Bekkah. Mom and I really had a fun time planning and doing this shower.

My hubby helped out so much as well… He printed out baby-blue letters so that I could make a banner for Lee. And He pretty much made that diaper cake single-handedly… yep, He’s a keeper. I think he wonders how he gets himself into all these things (all fingers point to ME!), but he is so sweet and never complains.

Here’s the little Star of the Show… Lee James. Isn’t he the sweetest? He slept through his party, but we took pictures to show him later. It was so much fun to shower him with love and gifts. Congratulations, Bekkah and Dan!

Just returned from the wedding last night at about 1:00 am. What a week! The wedding was gorgeous, and although it was quite humid outside and warm in the church, the day went without a hitch. Such an honor for our family to witness Jamie marrying his bride. I didn’t get many good pictures since I was in the wedding, but I got a few before and a few at the reception.

The guys looked so handsome in their tuxes… I know they were hot, but it was worth it to be so dashing for the day. I was so proud of Jamie this week… he worked so hard to make it the most special day for Angela. He went without much sleep so he could complete every detail. I will always remember the way he put her first in everything he did. Such a shining example of a man who truly loves a woman.

Mom and Dad looked amazing. I wish I had gotten a better picture of them together, but hopefully the photographer got a few.

The happy couple at their reception.

Jamie took Angela to the Grand Hotel in St. Paul for two nights before they headed up to the North Shore for a week. At the gift opening on Sunday, Angela said that their room was absolutely beautiful and that she felt like a queen. I hope they are a having a wonderful time on their honeymoon… resting a lot, I’m sure, after such a busy wedding season!

Mark and Jodie taking a breather. These guys worked so hard… I was so proud of them. They made sure to do whatever it took to make the day run smoothly. From setting up, decorating, running errands, cleaning, hauling gifts and tearing down until midnight, they were there. I don’t think Mark knew what he was signing up for when he married into this family , but he never complains.

In all it was a gorgeous day. The Lord’s presence was truly there during the ceremony… many people said that. We wish Jamie and Angela a lifetime of happiness and joy together! Bless you both!

Yes, okay, okay… I’ve been a very bad blogger. But this is why… this fun Bridal Shower that we hosted for my dear (almost) sister-in-law, Angela. (And then I needed a week to recuperate) but now I’m back to blogging ~ I promise!

We decided to do an outdoor Garden Tea Party on my front lawn. And it rained all…week…long. I was pretty nervous since I knew we could not fit 25 ladies into my living room! I prayed and prayed… and Sunday morning dawned clear and beautiful (Thank you, God!) We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day… upper 70’s and blue skies.

Our dear friend, Mary, offered to loan us all of her beautiful teacups and teapots, goblets, plates and silverware for the shower! We were so delighted! It would not have been nearly as special without all her beautiful china.  Thank you again, Mary, for your kindness! (We missed you!)

It was such a blessing to have so much help for the occasion from my mom, my Auntie Shirley, my Auntie Kathy, and especially my cousin Mary who ran even harder than me to prepare and serve and clear dishes, etc. I couldn’t have done it without her! She also brought beautiful flowers and hanging baskets to put all around the yard… it turned out so beautiful.

Mark and my dad were so great, as well ~ bringing all the tables and chairs from various places for the occasion. I was so pleased to see all of our hard work coming together to create such a special day.

Here is Angela with her mom, Char (middle) and my mom, Bonnie.

We served a light luncheon of croissants, my Auntie Shirley’s yummy chicken salad, and fresh fruit with dip. For dessert, my Auntie Kathy made a wonderful mandarin orange/pineapple cake. I cannot believe that I don’t have a picture of it… it was lovely!

Mary serving Lemonade Punch.

These little princesses are my second cousins, Olivia and McKenzie. (I’m not sure how their mom, Darla, escaped the picture).

Angela received more lovely gifts for their home. I can’t wait to see them all in use… They will have such a cute place!

I had quite a few requests to share the recipe for the Lemonade Punch, so I thought I would share it here to save some time.

Easy Peasy!

It was such a lovely day! We leave in a little over a week to head down to Bloomington for the Wedding Preparations!!! So exciting and so close!

“There aren’t enough days in the weekend.”

- Rod Schmidt

We celebrated Mom’s Birthday this weekend as well as Mother’s Day, so that Jamie and Angela could be with us for both. They traveled up from The Cities on Friday night and we had such a nice weekend with them (although, it always goes by so quickly). On Saturday we all helped mom with a few projects for her birthday present… 7 pairs of hands can get a lot done in a few hours! Then we went out for dinner at our favorite Mexican Restaurant. We played Dictionary late into the evening… I forgot how much I like that game!

On Sunday we all went to Jodie’s house for a Mother’s Day/Birthday celebration. Jodie grilled his famous Lemon Chicken, mom made potato salad and baked beans, Jamie and Angela prepared the salad, and I brought the cake. Team work! It was a delicious meal, and we sat out on Jodie’s deck and enjoyed the warm sunshine. 

The Grill Master at work! 

Jamie and Angela  (sorry guys, the sun was bright looking up at the camera!)

Wedding bells are coming quickly for these two… August 8th will be here before we know it! Seeing the love between these two is such a joy! The Lord is so good.

After our yummy lunch, we moved inside to play some wii before everyone had to head for home. It was a lovely weekend. Happy Mother’s Day and Belated B-day, Mom! 

Mom and I threw a mexican-themed birthday party for my Auntie Shirl and my cousin Mary last night. We had a fun time playing Pictionary… it was a very close game. We ate too much. We drank Pina-colada punch. We laughed a lot. We gave them presents. But mostly, we celebrated the lives of two very special people in our lives. Happy Birthday, Auntie Shirley and Mary!

“Every father should remember that one day his child will follow

his example instead of his advice.”

- Author Unknown

My dad turns 59 today. For his birthday we ordered Papa Murphy’s pizza, drank Cream Soda and rented an old John Wayne classic to watch as a family. Then chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream and presents of course. The evening fit daddy to a “T”.  It is the simple things in life that mean the most to dad… family, good food, westerns… chocolate. 

My dad is one of my greatest heros. He’s the hardest worker I know. He’s so selfless, so giving. He built their home, that we all love so much, with his own hands. In between a full-time job and projects on his own house, he still makes time to help us kids with anything we need. On our own house he has completely remodeled the downstairs bathroom, helped us paint (twice!), leveled our backyard with Mark (by hand), and put in a Creative Space upstairs for me for my many projects I love to work on. He’s a giver. He would give you the shirt off his back if anyone needed it. He’ll go with holes in his shoes for a year as long as we all have what we need. How humbling to have a father like this. 

It has been said that girls tend to marry a man just like her father. I knew right away that my dad and Mark had the same laid back temperaments and they got along like they’d known each other forever. But I had no idea just how true it was until after Mark and I were married for a while… then the similarities began to get scary! The same sense of humor (as you can see!), the same likes and dislikes (even in food), the same one-liners, the same responses to their wives! The list goes on and on. I’m so so so happy that I married Mark, because considering how much I adore my Daddy, I know I’ll love him forever.

But the thing I am most grateful for is the hunger that Dad has for the things of the Lord. We kids are so lucky to have a father with such spiritual discernment and wisdom. Most of what he has taught us has been through the example that he has lived, but so many times now, we come to him with our questions and thoughts and discussions on the character of God, theology and our wrestlings with tests and trials and the faith we need to press through them. Never once has he been too busy to sit and talk… to pray with us and gently guide us with the Word of God. To continually train us in the way that we should go.

We love you, Dad! Thank you for being a man of integrity and strength… our lives are forever changed because you live for Jesus!

“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!” – Psalm 128