It’s probably no surprise that I’m a wee bit behind on my blog reading this week, mainly because I’m reading stuff related to the NCAA Basketball Tournament whenever I can. So for the four of you who care, here’s what’s grabbed my attention lately.

– The Clarion-Ledger‘s MSU sports-related news is the best thing going for an out-of-state Bulldog.

– The C-L also has a great MSU blog, and this week, on average, I’m checking it about six times a day.

NOT THAT I’M OBSESSED OR ANYTHING.

– President Obama filled out a bracket – and he did not pick the Bulldogs. I don’t even know what to say about that.

– As of today there are almost 100 people (!!!) signed up for our ESPN Tournament Challenge group. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME. The brackets close tomorrow, so if you’d like to join us but just haven’t gotten around to it yet, here’s the link.

– Stock market down? Necklines up.

– Rachael Ray is doing something called March Menu Mania (oh, basketball tournament time, I adore you), and the Round 1 competitors have given me some great supper / hearty appetizer ideas.

– I loved this list of spring’s top 10 fashion finds for under $30. And I’m betting we can count on Big Mama to find even more great sources for all of the trends. Just a hunch.

– Beth Moore needs some input from ministers’ wives. So if you qualify, click on over.

– A couple of days ago I ran across a post on Sweet Juniper! that continues to haunt me even now. On the surface this beautifully written post is about Detroit’s abandoned public school buildings, but on a deeper level it’s about so much more. It speaks volumes about a whole host of social and educational issues, and it absolutely broke my heart. (link via Amalah)

– Yesterday, during a bout of clickiness, I found “Detroit Reliquary” on time.com. The photographs are stunning.

– In completely unrelated news, Melissa from The Bachelor is about to kick up her heels. Literally.

– Right now I am loving (LOV-ING) “Five More Hours” by The Gabe Dixon Band.

– My friend Shaw-awn – who travels all over the country (and sometimes Canada) and sings real purty and talks real good (for free!) so that kids all over the world can be released from poverty – is working on his touring schedule for the spring and early summer. And he needs our help.

– Okay. This is my last Bachelor-related link until, well, May – but here’s the low-down on all the drama from the show’s executive producer.

An AMAZING post-Bachelor collection of links. For your AMAZING entertainment. Until we watch the second “After the Final Rose” tonight. Which will no doubt be AMAZING.

– Chris Harrison sets the record straight and, I believe, sets a record for bloggy sarcasm as well.

– Jason Mesnick says he broke up with Melissa on national television because of his contract with ABC.

– Jimmy Kimmel gets the behind-the-scenes info from Jason. And like The Bachelor, you probably don’t want to watch this clip around your kids.

– Fish Mama has written two great ebooks: one on cooking with kids and another one on making creative birthday cakes. The birthday cake ebook actually made me want to do something crafty, and people, THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING. Anyway, today you can buy both books for two dollars (TWO DOLLARS!), and I thought y’all might be interested. Because that’s a whole bunch of ideas for cheap dollars and thrifty cents.

– I’m so grateful to Bev (and others of you who commented) for unraveling the tater tot casserole’s browning sauce mystery. I now feel a sense of culinary completeness.

– LifeWay Women is giving away ten (TEN!) free tickets to Beth Moore’s Living Proof Live for Minister’s Wives in Nashville on March 13-14. If you’re a minister’s wife – or if you’d like to bless someone you know whose husband serves in ministry – you can enter the giveaway and find out all the details over at the AllAccess blog.