Hello and welcome to the April 2024 Edition of The Hearth and Soul Link Party. I am excited to say that we are rapidly approaching the 14th anniversary of the Hearth and Soul Link Party in June! I am so grateful for you and for the community we have created together. I also can’t believe that it is my 22nd blogging anniversary in October…
How are things in your corner of the world? I hope you had a lovely Easter weekend. Spring has definitely sprung here in the south of England, although April showers definitely arrived early this year, and show no signs of letting up. The few pockets of sunshine we are getting are very warmly welcomed, that is for sure!
The Hearth and Soul Link Party welcomes family-friendly blog posts about anything that feeds the soul. Things that feed the soul may include (but are not limited to) recipes, decorating, crafts, family, home, DIY, organization, travel, book reviews, the arts, and self improvement.
The Latest
My husband Guy and I had a wonderful long weekend break in Jersey recently. It was our first visit to this British Crown Dependency in the English Channel. We had so much fun exploring, eating and relaxing. I am working on two articles to share with you in the next week or so. I had hoped to finish them in time for the April 2024 edition of Hearth and Soul, but there has been lots going on!
We enjoyed visiting with family over Easter. My son and his partner, Hannah, stayed with us for a couple of days, and I hosted an easy buffet lunch on Easter Monday for family. We had cold meats, cheese, salad, and artisanal bread with homemade dairy-free chocolate cupcakes for dessert. (The recipe has a gluten-free option too.)
On the Blog – April 2024 Edition
If you are planning a trip to London this summer, and are planning on Visiting Buckingham Palace, I have up to date information and tips to help you make the most of your visit.
Eight years ago, I was the woman in black – but then I started to introduce more colour in my wardrobe. Find out more about how wearing colour changed my life, as well as why – and how – to add more colour to your wardrobe in this article.
This Crunchy French Bread Egg Pie is a wonderful way to use up leftover crusty bread and tastes absolutely scrumptious. It’s perfect for light lunches, picnics, and buffets.
I also shared Maple Glazed Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables, Raspberry Bakewell Tart Squares and Oatmeal Coconut Cookies.
The Hearth and Soul Community on Facebook
You are warmly encouraged to join The Hearth and Soul Community on Facebook, whether you contribute to Hearth and Soul or simply visit for inspiration. Over sixty people are now a part of this supportive community and I would love to see you there. Whether it’s connecting with other bloggers and visitors, looking for inspiration, sharing content from your blog or social media platforms or asking for advice, the Hearth and Soul Community is a welcoming space for all. Please do join us!
Featured Posts – April 2024 Edition
Thank you all for sharing your inspiring content.
From The Hearth and Soul Community on Facebook
Maria from Roots and Hearth shared a Rosemary Lemon Tart that looks and sounds beautiful. What a lovely flavour combination.
If you have leftover candy you want to use up, you will love this Homemade Chocolate Easter Rocky Road Candy Bar recipe from Elizabeth at Pine Cones and Acorns.
From The Hearth and Soul Link Party
Congratulations to Helen of 3 Winks Design on the birth of her new grandchild! Helen shared 10 Great Ways to Use Up Leftover Buttermilk.
I also really like this twist on soda bread from Julie of Julie’s Creative Lifestyle – Irish Soda Bread Muffins!
If you are thinking about Spring cleaning, Nancy from Colors 4 Health has some Brilliant Ways to Declutter This Season.
Lisa of Lisa Notes shared a very thought-provoking post – Can You Do It Slower?
Do you love afternoon tea as much as I do? Sandra from Dinner at Eight has some Pretty Table Settings for Savoring Tea to inspire you!
Take a virtual visit to St George’s Pioneer Park in Utah with Patrick of Adventures in Weseland.
On with the party!
The Hearth and Soul Link Party – April 2024 Edition
The Hearth and Soul Link Party is held monthly, opening on the first Sunday of every month and remaining open until the 25th of the month, or until 300 entries are reached. Please share a maximum of 8 links per month here at the party. (You can share more in the Hearth and Soul Community on Facebook all month long.)
Please share the permalink to your blog post with the April 2024 edition, not a link to the home page of your blog. Please do not link to anything except blog posts. You can share other types of content in the Hearth and Soul Community on Facebook.
By submitting a post to the April 2024 edition of the link party here, you assert that you own the content and photographs. You also give me permission to share them here on the blog as well as on Pinterest, X (formerly Twitter), and both my own Facebook page , The Hearth and Soul Link Party page and The Hearth and Soul Community Facebook Group.
The April 2024 edition is open until 25th April so please come back as often as you like. I look forward to seeing what you will share this month and to seeing you for the May 2024 edition of Hearth and Soul, going live on Sunday May 5th. Have a wonderful April!
Comments & Reviews
I have been out of touch, but saw your FB announcement and decided to join the party today!
Welcome back, Michele! It’s lovely to ‘see’ you again!
Hi, April! I’m looking forward to your new travel articles! I love both black and color in my wardrobe. I feel like one frustrating thing is that some seasons (and whole years), there aren’t new clothes in colors that work for me so shopping can be futile. Have to rely on existing clothing and perhaps look for non-clothing items when shopping. Last, I love hearing about everyone’s family celebrations. We had a late Easter/birthday family celebration this week and it was really great because we can’t often get together now with folks no longer in the same location.
Love that gorgeous Rosemary Lemon Tart. Easy to make it gluten free. Enjoyed the Utah trip report. That’s a state I’ve not yet visited. I appreciate you curating all the posts you shared. Sometimes just reading the title gives me exactly the message I need!
Have a great week!
Shirley
Hi Shirley,
Thank you! I’m working on the new articles now. We had such a lovely time, there’s lots to share.
I’m so pleased you had a nice family celebration. It is so good to get together!
Thank you so much for all your support and for being a part of Hearth and Soul.
I hope you have a great week too! x
Hi April,
Wow, 22 years of blogging that’s really amazing!
It’s Autumn here in Australia so we are enjoying the cooler days from the searing hot Summer we just had & Easter was a family affair for us. ☺️
Blessings, Jennifer
Thank you, Jennifer! I can hardly believe how long it has been.
I hope you are enjoying Autumn – it is one of my favourite seasons, although I have yet to see it in Australia. It’s on my list!
I’m glad you had a lovely Easter and I hope you have a lovely week.
Blessings to you!
Thanks so much April for hosting this fun party. I’m excited and honored “Brilliant Ways to Declutter This Season” is a feature at April 2024 Edition of The Hearth and Soul Link Party. Happy April April. Nancy Andres @ Colors 4 Health.
It’s a pleasure, Nancy. I am so glad you are pleased! Thank you for your support of Hearth and Soul and the Hearth and Soul Community!
Thanks for hosting this great party and Happy April to you.
Happy April to you too, Patrick!
Hello, April! Thank for featuring the lemon tart! Most appreciated. And love all the other features too. You made me giggle with the “I was the woman in black” because I love wearing black, but when I turned 50 last year, I decided that I needed more color into my life. It’s been baby steps, but I love adding pops of color to my wardrobe. Also, that fuschia look fabulous on you!
It’s a pleasure, Angie, and thank you so much for the compliment! I’m glad you are adding more colour to your life too 🙂 Thank you for visiting and sharing.
Happy April, April! Spring has sprung here in the eastern US. And so far it’s been rainy here too. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us this spring 🌼
Linking up at #17,21&22
Thank you so much, Paula! Happy April to you too! I hope the rain lets up for you and that you have a wonderful week. Thank you for visiting and sharing!
Happy Spring April! Thank you so much for featuring our post about using buttermilk! I’m sharing some very divergent topics today. One a delicious recipe, one that helps families with babies in the NICU and one fun one for the kids! Hope everyone gleans something from them all! (Or at least one of them!) Thanks for hosting this fabulous party and have a wonderful month!
That Egg Pie looks and sounds so good. I thought it looked like a quiche until I clicked over and read about it.
I’m glad you got to spend Easter with your family.
Thank you so much, Barbara! I hope you have a wonderful week!
We’ve been having a lot of rain too with just a bit of sunshine here and there. Spring has been very slow to show up here but I can not wait for it to truly get here!
Congratulations on celebrating 14 years with the Hearth & Soul linkup! That’s wonderful. I was glad to “run into” you again at another blog–I linked up with you here years ago, then took a break from blogging to earn a Master’s degree, and am now back! I’m looking forward to participating here again and seeing what others are sharing, too. 🙂 Thank you for hosting!
Oh, and I meant to add that I have ancestors from Jersey! I’d love to visit some day.
It really is a lovely island, Jennifer. I hope you are able to visit someday soon.
Congratulations on your Masters, Jennifer! Well done! Welcome back – it’s lovely to see you again 🙂
Thank you very much! 🙂
April, I love that bright pink color of your blazer. It looks beautiful on you! Thanks for featuring the Irish soda bread muffins I made. I also made your old fashioned oatmeal muffins and have them linked up. My family and I love those muffins and they are great for breakfast or a snack. I hope you have a nice week April.
Thank you so much, Julie, and it is a pleasure! I’m so pleased to hear you made my old fashioned oatmeal muffins, and that you all enjoyed them. I have just popped over to visit your blog and they look wonderful! I hope you have a nice week too, Julie!
Thank you for hosting this wonderful link party, April. This week, I’m sharing posts 105 and 106. I’m off now to see what others have shared since I was here last time. Have a lovely week!
Thank you so much for visiting and sharing, Jennifer. I hope you have a lovely week too!
April, thank you for including my pretty table settings for tea among your features! I’m pleased that they appealed to you! Have a wonderful spring
It’s a pleasure, Sandra! I hope you are having a wonderful spring too!
Thanks for hosting this month.
It’s a pleasure, Patrick. Thank you for visiting and sharing. I hope your month is going well!