It’s National Junk Food Day. We want to celebrate by sharing with you the 11 most extreme junk foods ever created.

National Junk Food Day shouldn’t be celebrated with commonplace junk food—oh, no, it deserves something far tastier– so save your potato chips and chocolate bars for another day, and get ready to try some truly wild treats.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/57704/11-most-extreme-junk-foods-ever-created

We also talked with Sam Barone from the Community Foundation of Mount Vernon and Knox County about the future plans for Foundation Park.

Happy Monday from The Morning Thing!

Would you like to save money?
Here are 10 forgotten money saving skills.
http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/10-forgotten-money-saving-skills/

Do you like to play with Legos?
(COLUMBUS, OH) – The 2015 LEGO DESIGN CHALLENGE is a partnership between the Columbus Museum of Art (CMA), COSI, and Ohio History Connection Open to builders of all ages and experience levels, the challenge promotes the creative use of LEGO bricks to explore transportation and architecture. Show us where you want to live and how you want to get there by designing a building and a mode of transportation.

The partnership between CMA, COSI and Ohio History Connection grew from the LEGO exhibitions each has planned during the coming months.

Anyone is eligible to participate in the 2015 LEGO DESIGN CHALLENGE, but all finalists must be able to transport their designs to and from the exhibiting museum. Judging of designs will be divided into 2 categories Youth (16 and under)/Family and Adult/Professional.

CHALLENGE GUIDELINES:
• Design submissions will be accepted July 15—September 21, 2015
• All entries must be original designs.
• Designs may not exceed 10” W x 10” L x 24” H
• All entries must be built on a LEGO baseplate measuring 10” x 10”
• One submission per individual or group.
• All entries must include a complete application and photograph of the design.
• All entries must be submitted between July 15 and September 21, 2015

Visit columbusmuseum.org/lego-contest to complete the 2015 LEGO DESIGN CHALLENGE application. Submit the application along with one photograph of the design between July 15 and September 21, 2015. (Photo should not exceed 2MB).

Design finalists will be exhibited at one of the partnering organizations at a designated time from November 2015 – May 2016. Finalists will be notified by October 20, 2015.

CMA’s Center for Creativity presents Think Outside the Brick, its third annual holiday season celebration of the creative potential of LEGO® building blocks, November 2015–February, 2016. This exhibition features the return of the Central Ohio LEGO® Train Club’s wildly popular collaborative model of the city of Columbus. Familiar landmarks and imaginative additions come together in a gallery of original creations by local builders.

The Ohio History Center’s There’s No Place Like Home is on view January 13, 2016–April 10, 2016. From small houses to high towers, see how finalists in the 2015 LEGO® Design Challenge explored the idea of home. Come see new architectural creations and discover how ideas like shelter, structure and form can inspire builders of all ages.

Did you know that something NEW is coming to the Knox County Fair?
This year, Knox County 4H is having a silent auction the week of the Fair. Click HERE to hear our chat with Larry Hall from the OSU Extension Office about this new event and how you can participate.

It is Peach Ice Cream Day. In honor of the sweet treat, we found a list of the craziest ice cream flavors from the U.S. Would you try some of these??

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/g2581/50-states-crazy-ice-cream-flavors/

Our Morning Thing team went through the list and came up with our 5 favorites.
The Morning Thing Fave 5 for 7/17/15 – our favorite CRAZY ice cream flavors:

#1 Idaho:
Chai at Toni’s Sun Valley Ice Cream Co. — Sun Valley
Skip the coffee shop and scoop this frozen treat for your afternoon pick-me-up. Bonus: It’ll make you feel warm and fuzzy inside thanks to baking spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of black pepper.

#2 Illinois:
Lavender Honey at Capannari Ice Cream — Prospect
Sweet and floral lavender is one of the most fragrant and versatile edible blooms. Pair it with honey and you’ve got one of the most refreshing and relaxing treats ever.

#3 Iowa:
Sweet ‘n Salty Pretzel at Over the Top — Pleasant Hill
We’ve seen plenty of preztel-studded ice creams before but this scoop is actually flavored with the salty breaded wonder. It’s also dotted with chocolate-covered pretzel balls, pretzel pieces, and a generous pour of caramel.

#4 Tennessee:
Firecracker at Clumpies — Chattanooga
Order this cone and sparks will fly — literally. Once you take a lick, the Pop-Rocks mix-ins in this fruity, baby blue concoction will start to snap and crackle.

#5 Utah
Blue Mint at Aggie Creamery — Logan
This cool blue scoop with make you do a double take. Though it’s not green, it is, in fact, minty fresh but it’s also loaded with chocolate cookie crumbles and white chocolate chips.

Honorable Mention – West Virginia
Grape Pineapple at Austin’s Homemade Ice Cream — Ceredo
Sweet grapes and juicy pineapple get upgraded from fruit salad in this creamy, lilac-colored scoop.

Now, let’s hop into Big Blue and go get some ice cream! YUMMY!!

Going to the beach this summer? We shared 15 ideas to make your trip easier. Check these out before you head out to enjoy the sand, sun and water.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/smart-living/15-hacks-everyone-should-know-before-hitting-the-beach/ar-AAcIqUq#page=1

We also took a look at some popular Bible verses that don’t mean what you think they mean.
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/five-verses-dont-mean-what-you-think

In honor of the opening of One World Trade’s observation deck, Earthcam has released this official timelapse. From 2004 to 2015, this video shows off the incredible construction of America’s tallest building.
Watch and share this commemorative time-lapse movie showing the completion of construction from October 2004 to Memorial Day 2015. Hundreds of thousands of high definition images were captured over the past 11 years and hand-edited for this exclusive time-lapse movie.
http://whatstrending.com/inspiring/19137-one-world-trade-timelapse

Hello!

Today on The Morning Thing we shared about 13 different household items that have other hidden uses!

1.  Ketchup

A little bit of ketchup removes tarnish and stains from pots and pans.

2. Aluminum foil

Believe it or not, aluminum foil is not only safe to put in the dryer, it’s also a good replacement for dryer sheets.

3. Coffee filters

Coffee filters are lint-free and typically work better than paper towels when it comes to cleaning your windows or mirrors. Obviously, filters aren’t cheaper than paper towels, but in a pinch they could save you a trip to the store.

4. White vinegar

As you saw in the video above, vinegar is practically a wonder-substance. Sure, it’s a great coffee pot cleaner, but it can relieve sunburn pain, athlete’s foot, a sore throat, and hiccups. It’s also a remedy for acne and body odor.

5. Rubbing alcohol

Did the kids get a hold of the permanent markers again? Don’t fret. Rubbing alcohol will remove those drawings from tabletops and walls.

The rest of the items can be found here!

We also talked about the Psychology of Color, and how it can be used to convey messages, set moods, and evoke emotions.

“Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways.” – Oscar Wilde.

Yellow can convey messages of optimism, clarity, and warmth.

Pinks + reds are exciting, youthful, and bold.

Purple makes us feel creative, imaginative, and wise.

Blue brings trust, dependability, and strength.

Green is peaceful, and evokes growth and health

Gray is about balance and is calm and neutral.

For more insight and to learn more, click here!

It is Pandemonium Day, July 14. 

Pandemonium Day is a day of sheer bedlam, and utter chaos. If ever there was a wild and whacky, unorganized day, today it that day.

Everyone has a day like this once in while. Its a day when all sort of unexpected things occur. Its a time when everything is happening at the same time, and at a very fast pace.

Celebrate and embrace Pandemonium Day. Don’t let today, or any other day shake you up. If Pandemonium prevails, just go with the flow in a calm, cool manner. Sanity will return soon enough.

Here are the BEST and WORST things to do when you feel overwhelmed.
http://marissabracke.com/best-worst-things-to-do-when-overwhelmed

We also shared some reasons why your skin might be blotchy and how to fix that problem.
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/anti-aging/a33326/blotchy-skin-causes-redness/

Sometimes it can be easy to forget that as Christians we are part of The Church, the global community of believers with a mission from God. It can be easy to ignore the suffering and unpleasantness of the world because it makes us uncomfortable. But that isn’t what we are called to do. We have a responsibility to go out into the world and help get it ready for God’s kingdom that is coming. Relevant Magazine had some great thoughts on this that we shared today on the show. You can read them here.

After the heavy and serious conversation that was “What Does it Mean to Be the Church” we decided to make you laugh by sharing some of the weirdest products available online. Perhaps you could use the Glow in the Dark Toilet Paper. Maybe you want to work out while you work with the desk station treadmill. Or maybe you are throwing a party and want to impress your guests with canned unicorn meat. Whatever the need you may have these weird products prove that it can be met with the internet. You can check out all the products that we talked about here. Oh, and don’t actually serve the canned unicorn meat to your guests. It really is just a plush toy.

We also encourage you to check out the Cincinnati Zoo’s efforts to promote the upcoming All Star Game! They created over a dozen baseball cards for various animals at the zoo. They are both educational and entertaining! Check them out here: http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/2015/07/10/zoos-animal-all-stars-lineup/

Merry Christmas! No, you didn’t sleep for five months and wake up in December. No, we didn’t accidentally mistake the date on the calendar. And no, we aren’t adding to the over-commercialization of Christmas by starting the music before Thanksgiving. Way before Thanksgiving. The reason we are wishing you a Merry Christmas and why we played nothing but Christmas songs on the show this morning is because tomorrow is Christmas in July to benefit Interchurch Social Services!

Christmas in July is an awesome day when collection points are set up all around Knox County for people to donate food and money to help a great organization. To learn more about Interchurch, check out their website here: http://www.interchurchknox.org/

We also had the privilege of chatting with the director of Interchurch, Joy Harris, about Christmas in July. You can hear the entire conversation here: https://soundcloud.com/wnzr/sets/joy-harris-christmas-in-july and to learn more about Christmas in July, including all the collection points across the county, go here: http://www.wnzr.fm/christmas-in-july.html

And we finished our conversations with the cast of MTV Arts production of Mary Poppins today. We chatted with David and Taryn, who are playing Mr. and Mrs. Banks in the show. You can hear the entire conversation here: https://soundcloud.com/wnzr/mtvarts-mary-poppins-david-and-taryn

Good Morning!

Today we got a chance to talk to Kennedy and Eli who are playing Jane and Michael Banks in the upcoming MTV Arts Production of Mary Poppins which is opening tomorrow (Friday) night at 7:30 at Memorial Theater. You can here the conversation here.

Also, remember that you can still win tickets to opening night tomorrow on the show!

Breaking NEWS! The movie God’s Not Dead 2 is set to release at Easter 2016. HE’S SURELY ALIVE stars Melissa Joan Hart as a Christian high school teacher who fights for her right to answer a student’s question about Jesus in class.  She is brought to court by her school’s principal, superintendent, and a zealous civil liberties group represented by an attorney with no love lost for God.  Jesse Metcalfe co-stars as her sympathetic and charismatic lawyer who defends her religious liberty.
The movie’s theme of fighting against religious persecution, and standing up for one’s religious beliefs and rights will really resonate with listeners. So make sure you keep a look out for that.

We also talked about Operation Christmas Child and just some of the amazing things they do. If you want to see how you can get involved or see what they are doing check here .

Prayer is important. Sometimes in our world that is based off of tangible evidence and results it can be easy to forget its power. It can be even easier to fall into one or more of the traps that Relevant Magazine outlines as barriers to prayer. They are: Focusing on Me and My Problems, Worrying if My Prayers are Worthy, Never Taking Time to Listen, and Making My Prayer Life and Idol. All serious issues, all easy to do, and all ones that we have probably struggled with at some point in our life. Take a look at the link below to read the entire article and receive some good encouragement for your prayer life.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/art-authentic-prayer

We also once again featured one of our conversations with the cast and crew of MTV Arts’ production of Mary Poppins. This morning we chatted with Ian Ernsberger who is playing the role of Bert. He had several thoughts to share about his role and the show. You can hear the conversation here: https://soundcloud.com/wnzr/sets/mtvarts-mary-poppins-chat-with-ian-ernsberger. Remember that you can still win tickets to opening night tomorrow and Friday on the show!

Lastly, in our look at What’s Trending we shared the news of the USA going up against Japan in a giant robot battle. Yes, it’s actually happening. Who knows? Maybe it will actually become a real sport…

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/07/tech/giant-robot-fight-challenge-accepted/