The Best Bits: My March 2025 Favorites
The Best Bits is a monthly series where I let you know what I’ve been up to! Things I’m doing, media I’m loving, and products I recommend! Here’s a fresh batch of favorites for your reading pleasure!
DISCOVERING | Vintage Cookbooks
As you might guess, cooking is one of my passions, and that means that I can never have too many cookbooks! In any book store, the cookbook shelves are always the first place I head. Some of my most favorite places to find cookbooks are at thrift and antique shops, and this month I hit the motherload! On a drive from Virginia to Pennsylvania, my family and I stopped at a handful of shops along the way, and I found 5 awesome secondhand books! Their ages and topics vary widely, a book on cake from the 70s, a recent print on Korean cooking, a mid 2000’s anthology of soups, an Italian-American recipe tome from the 80s, and a collection of magazine cookie recipes in a binder!
READING | Funny Story by Emily Henry
I really enjoyed the last Emily Henry book I picked up, and this one is even better! It’s one of those cute feel-good books you can read in a weekend, and that’s perfect for springtime!
WATCHING | Severance
Severance is the best show I’ve watched in years. We started it a few weeks ago and we’re now halfway through the second season. We’re absolutely hooked, and I have a million theories about the innies and outies. It’s well worth the month subscription to Apple TV!
LISTENING | The Measure by Nikki Erlick
My book club read this book in March, and it was a really interesting concept. One day, a box shows up on each person’s doorstep. Inside the box is a piece of string and the characters quickly realize the length of each string is “the measure” of each person’s life span. Chaos ensues, as you’d imagine.
PLANNING | Master Gardener Presentation
Next month I’ll be giving a presentation on Tea and Edible Flowers to my fellow master gardener trainees. I’m working on gathering my research materials and soon I’ll have to brush up on my public speaking skills!
CRAFTING | Knit Socks
I started on my first ever pair of knitted socks this month, using an indie-dyed yarn I purchased at last year’s Maryland Sheep and Wool festival. The needles I’m using are TINY so they take some getting used to, but the socks come together really fast so they have great instant gratification payoff! I have a few pairs of socks I’ve promised
GROWING | Ranunculus Corms
Last year I grew ranunculus for the first time and now I can’t imagine going without them! They quickly became my favorite flower, and are just too beautiful. Ranunculus are a bit fussy in my gardening zone, tender perennials that grow from “corms” (basically an ugly scraggly bulb), so in order to keep my investment in these (pretty pricey!) corms worthwhile, I plant them in early spring, allow them to grow and bloom, and then dig the corms back up once the greenery dies back in the summer and store them until the next spring. This is my first growing season working with last year’s corms, and so far they’re doing great!
APPLYING | So Much Mulch
In an effort to keep some weeds down in an area of our yard that gets pretty gnarly (and susceptible to poison ivy) I did my best early this month to smother the nasty weeds before they could begin and covered them with a thick layer of cardboard and mulch. So far it has helped a ton, but I anticipate a bit more maintenance on the horizon once some of the more persistent weeds start sprouting as it gets warmer. You know what they say, work is never done in the garden!
WEARING | Pact Leggings
I’ve been taking Barre classes for a few weeks now, and I found out pretty early on that my ratty old yoga pants were not gonna cut it. I grabbed these cotton leggings from Pact and I think I’m now a lifer. They’re breathable, don’t budge even in intense classes, and don’t trap nasty sweat. I’ve got two pairs and I’ll definitely be back for more!
EATING | With Friends!
A few days ago I had my bridal makeup trial and made a day of being back in the DC area to see some of my very best friends! Since I live far from most of my closest friends, it’s easy for months to pass without seeing a familiar face, but it’s so worth the extra time and planning to get those friend dates on the calendar.
SIPPING | Charleston Tea Garden Raspberry Tea
Another tea from one of my favorite tea brands, the Charleston Tea Garden’s raspberry black tea blend is so good for a big glass of iced tea!
INDULGING | Knitting for Olive Silk Yarn
I have a secret project in mind for gifts to give some loved ones at my wedding, and this silk yarn fits the bill perfectly! I also have a few other silk skeins in my stash that I’ve been looking for a project to match, and I think the Cumulus Tee by Petite Knit will be a great one!
ADMIRING | Handmade Watercolor Sets
Etsy always has the best arts and crafts finds, and these watercolors have been catching my eye lately. I have a million and one projects going at any time, so I probably won’t be watercolor painting for a while, but I love that there are so many options beyond the six color trays at the craft store!
OBSESSING | Vintage Light Switch Covers
This was a flash in the pan fixation for me, I spent an afternoon pouring over etsy and poshmark and ebay looking at dozens if not hundreds of different switch plates. If you can think of it, there’s likely a switch plate to match! I was drawn in by a few midcentury modern pieces, and ended up scoring a sunflower motif plate from the artist Leandra Drumm for pennies on the dollar!
CELEBRATING | Warmer Weather
Things are blooming around here, and I am so excited about it! My daffodils are starting to open and I’ve caught some peony stalks peeping up from the ground. My hydrangeas and hyacinths are starting to pop up as well. I can’t wait for all the color!
What are your favorite things this month?
