Seven Layer Salad for Easter

seven layer salad

A few years ago, I decided that I wanted to make a seven layer salad for Easter dinner. I played around with a few recipes to get the dressing the way I wanted it and to put my favorite ingredients into the salad. And now it has become one of our Easter traditions. I never knew I could love seven layer salad so much!

It’s so pretty on the table. Each little layer adds something new, and it’s just plain delicious! I really only make this for Easter Sunday and think it’s the perfect addition to our traditional Easter menu.

Seven Layer Salad
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 15
 
Ingredients
  • Head of iceberg lettuce
  • 8 eggs, boiled
  • Real bacon bits (I like Hormel)
  • Green onions, chopped
  • Shredded Cheddar cheese
  • Frozen green peas, thawed
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
  1. Chop the iceberg lettuce and put in a good layer on the bottom of your clear dish; I like to use a trifle dish.
  2. Chop the hard boiled eggs. I'm not a neat chopper, so I just chop them up so they fit nicely in the dish.
  3. Add the eggs on top of the lettuce.
  4. Add the bacon bits on top of the eggs.
  5. Add the layer of chopped green onions.
  6. Add enough shredded Cheddar to cover the top.
  7. Add the peas to the top.
  8. In a separately bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, and lemon juice.
  9. Pour the mayonnaise mixture on top of the trifle dish for the seventh layer.
  10. Refrigerate the salad until ready to serve.

*This post was originally posted on Every Day Cheer last Easter, but I wanted to share it with my readers here.

Classroom Valentines from Minted

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I started thinking early about what kinds of Valentines the boys would bring to school for their classmates. In the past we’ve done big printable Valentines, we’ve gone to Target to pick out Valentines, and we’ve done treat bags. My kids are still at the age where they get into it no matter what kinds of Valentines they give to friends.

This year, I wanted to keep it simple for me since I’m pregnant, so I sat down with the boys and we picked out some classroom Valentines from Minted. I love that the designs are adorable, we can personalize them, and they’re shipped directly to our door.

Classroom Valentines

The designs are really really cute and classic and I love that we could personalize them. Hayes picked out a rocket ship design and Hudson picked out an alien design. When they arrived at our house, the boys were so excited to see their names already on them, but they still have space to write their friends’ names on them.

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The Valentines are printed on amazing quality Minted paper, and are the typical small size that you see for classroom Valentines. (They are too small to be mailed.)

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I just love Hayes’s little face on the rocket ship! And some of the more girly designs are the cutest things I’ve ever seen. I’m tempted to get some and pass them out to all my friends, too!

*This post contains affiliate links that may provide me with a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my writing here. As always, all opinions on products are my own.

25 Days of Christmas Movies

*This is a post from the archives, but since it’s the beginning of December and time to start watching Christmas movies, I wanted to share my 25 favorites with you again.

25 Days of Christmas Movies

Every year, right after we clean up the kitchen after Thanksgiving dinner (which is usually eaten around mid-day, because in the south, we eat dinner in the middle of the day and supper in the evening), we sit down for a Christmas Vacation viewing party.

As soon as we watch Christmas Vacation as a whole family, we know it’s officially time for the Christmas season.

Throughout the next month, as we count down to Christmas Day, we watch a lot of movies. I’m very nostalgic, and have to watch all of my favorites. And there are too many where I can recite every word. Todd isn’t a fan of this, so I refrain, for his sake.

I can sing every word to “Sisters” and I want a family just like in The Family Stone someday. In my next life.

And now that Hudson is old enough to watch some of them, and Hayes is old enough to watch a very select few, it’s become a fun, family tradition. We’ll eat dinner and settle in with some popcorn, hot chocolate, some warm pajamas, and watch our favorites.

I’ve included my list of 25 days of Christmas movies here. They can obviously be watched in any order you want! Some nights, we’ll watch one with the boys right after supper, and sometimes Todd and I will stay up late watching one after we put the kids to bed, depending on how age-appropriate it is.

I’m proud (or maybe I should be ashamed) that we own all of these movies. I’m a Christmas movie junkie. Or just a movie junkie, in general.

(Almost all of the movies are available via Amazon Instant Video through Amazon Prime. I’ve linked to the movies for easy viewing.)

In the words of Kevin McAllister, “This is it. Don’t get scared now.”

25 Days of Christmas Movies

1. Frosty The Snowman

2. A Christmas Story (Full-Screen Edition)

3. Four Christmases

4. Holiday Inn (Special Edition)

5. Santa Claus: Movie

6. A Charlie Brown Christmas (Remastered Deluxe Edition)

7. Miracle on 34th Street (the original)

8. Miracle on 34th Street

9. White Christmas (Anniversary Edition)

10.The Polar Express (Widescreen Edition)

11. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Deluxe Edition)

12. Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas

13. The Holiday (2006)

14. Elf (Infinifilm Edition)

15. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

16. Love Actually

17. The Family Man

18. It’s A Wonderful Life

19. The Family Stone

20. Prancer

21. All I Want For Christmas

22. Home Alone

23. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York

24. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

25. The Santa Clause

Okay, so what did I miss? Is your favorite on this list?

*This post contains affiliate links

 

our trip to the North Pole

On Friday, Todd and I picked up the boys from school a little bit early, and we loaded up to the car to head to Bryson City, North Carolina in the Smoky Mountains to ride the Polar Express. We met Todd’s parents and grandmother at an exit on the way out of town and they followed us up there.

It’s about a 3.5 hour trip to Bryson City, and the boys watched The Polar Express and The Santa Clause (with Tim Allen) to pass the time on the trip. Hayes crashed about halfway into the trip.

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We got to Bryson City and went straight to our hotel so the boys could change into their pajamas. We stayed at the McKinley Edwards Inn and liked it. The rate was decent. Todd’s parents and grandmother were able to stay in a little cabin. Todd, the boys, and I stayed in a room with a king size bed and a hide-a-bed. The room was comfortable and well-decorated. I’d stay there again.

Our good friends, the Johnstons, were there the same day we were. And we were actually staying in the same hotel and riding on the same train car. So the boys were so excited to see their friends!

We headed to the train depot to get our tickets – and the boys got their golden tickets.

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Then we got in line to board the Polar Express. We were riding on the Silver Meteor car. I think the only difference is that we sat at little tables instead of in rows.

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The train ride is about an hour and fifteen minutes long and it walks you through some of the adventures through the books and the movie. Music from the movie is playing throughout the ride, and we had a dancing chef named Ginger Snap coming down the aisles to entertain us. The boys loved her!

Of course they brought us hot chocolate and we got to keep the cute mugs. Hayes loves the movie, so he was singing “hot, hot, hot chocolate! We got it!” the whole time. So cute! And he wanted to “cheers.”

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I forgot my big camera, so a bunch of pictures ended up blurry.

Hudson just loved it. Their ages were perfect for this trip. They both sat and paid attention to the book and what was going on inside the car. They ate their snacks and just took it all in.

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It was still light outside for most of our trip. The views outside the train weren’t always the best, but the kids didn’t notice at all. I imagine that when it’s dark it’s much more mysterious. When we approached “the North Pole” we got to see The North Pole, the house where Mr. and Mrs. Claus live, the church where they got married, and other fun buildings. It was very cute and the boys ate it up.

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After we saw Santa, he came aboard the train to say hello to each child and hand a sweet silver bell to each child. It was pretty magical for the kids. And they love those bells, of course! Ha!

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After the train ride was over, we headed over to a local pizza place with Todd’s parents and grandmother. It was seriously delicious and I wish I remembered the name of it!

We spent the night in Bryson City and headed back early the next morning to get back in time for the Gamecock football game.

If you are considering getting tickets for a ride on the Polar Express for your family, I highly recommend it. I’m glad we waited until the kids could really appreciate it. They do have to sit still for a good bit and we sang songs and they were able to participate. The whole experience was very well done and was very professional and streamlined. My kids came home talking about how they met Santa and at the North Pole. It was a really sweet experience!

It was a great way to introduce them to the Christmas season!

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