Maddy 4 Veritas

Nicklas and Special Spaces of Phoenix

2011-12-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

I recently got to do a painting for a special event! Spcial Spaces of Phoenix creates dream bedrooms for kids with life threatening illnesses. Nicklas, a 7-year-old boy with a rare form of bone cancer was the first Special Spaces makeover in Phoenix.

Special Spaces did a makeover on Nicklas, and his brother Jacob's bedroom, his sister's bedroom, and also the family playroom.

This is the painting that I created for Nicklas' new playroom. His favorite colors are blue and green and his family enjoys putting puzzles together. I wanted him to always remember "U R LoveD !". Special Spaces allowed me to present Nicklas with the painting at the room reveal. I felt honored.

It was fun to see Nicklas' room redone in the fire fighter and police officer theme; I can't believe they did it all in one day! Firefighters and police officers, along with many friends, family, neighbors and strangers, were at the room reveal to welcome Nicklas home...he and his family arrived home in a fire truck!

Here is Nicklas in his new bedroom.

This was a great experience for me and I was honored to be included.

North Central News - November 2011

2011-11-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

This was in today's North Central News! Yeah, I'm so happy that my artwork also gets to help promote my school!

and...

You'll need to click on the photo to read the whole article because it doesn't show up very well here.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

2011-10-31T14:45:00.000-07:00

I went on this 5k breast cancer walk with my sister, my dad, and some people from my dad's work. The walk was really fun because there were a lot of people there, and it was cool to see everyone was there to help raise money for a cure for breast cancer.

A Post from a Friend, Maureen Geraghty . . .

2011-10-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

"Last night I had the privilege of meeting Maddy Rose. Maddy is 13 years old and an amazing young lady. She won a BBQ themed basket (which was made by her mother, Jenifer Anseth from MR Designs & Gifts) in a raffle at a networking event I was attending. Maddy thought it would be a great idea to auction off this basket so that she could raise some money for a charity that she supports, the 100 Club of Arizona.

I really didn’t know what the 100 Club was, so I listened as Maddy told us that it was a non-profit organization that supports firefighters and police officers and their families. Coming from a family of firefighters, I was intrigued. When she mentioned that the 100 Club supports the families of fallen firefighters, my heart skipped a beat. I bid on the basket, and won. (I did ask Maddy if the basket came with a single fireman, but bummer, it didn’t!)

When Maddy presented me with the basket I asked her about this organization and how she chose to support it. I thought she would have firefighters or police officers in her family. She said that she didn’t. She told me about how she looked at many non-profit organizations and went to the bottom of the list she was reviewing. She thought that going to the bottom of the list and choosing something from there may help an organization that is not so well known or supported. Her and her family researched the 100 Club and Maddy decided that this was the organization she would stand for. I was practically in tears at this point. Such an amazing young girl with such a passion for contribution.

I told Maddy about my family of firefighters. My grandfather, father, three brothers, a brother-in-law, and a nephew are or were New York City Firefighters. I also have three nephews that are volunteer firefighters that are waiting to get on the NYFD. The reason this touched me so deeply is because my brother Eddie, who was a NYFD Chief, was the person in New York that planned every funeral for fallen firefighters for years. Eddie volunteered to do this because he wanted to show respect to the firefighters and their families and make sure that the families were cared for. I lost my brother Eddie and my brother-in-law Tommy on September 11th. One of my brothers helped plan many of the funerals or memorial services that took place following 9/11. What really hit home for me is that the families of fallen firefighters and police officers from 9/11 have been well taken care of by a “world” community, yet the families of the fallen heroes after 9/11 do not receive this type of support. That is what the 100 Club of Arizona does. Through Maddy Rose, I found an organization that provides comfort and support to people that truly deserve it. I did not even know this organization existed until now.

Maddy has been selling artwork that she creates to raise funds for the 100 Club. I not only love her passion for giving back, I love that her passion connected me with my brother in an amazing way last night. Thank you Maddy Rose – and thank you to all of the firefighters, police officers and their families for your service to all of us. I am grateful to the 100 Club for the difference they make in people’s lives."

- Maureen Geraghty

In the Zona Magazine

2011-10-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

In the Zona Magazine, October 2011 issue....check it out!

If you would like to see the whole article, click here!

ZONA: What one word describes you best? MADDY: Fun. ZONA: You were recently awarded the outstanding student scholarship at VCCA. How did that make you feel? MADDY: Well, for the last couple of years the VCCA teachers and staff have worked together and nominated a student to receive a full tuition scholarship, and I was chosen this year to receive that honor! The certificates says "A Certificate of Excellence - Outstanding Student - Thank you for being an outstanding student who works without complaining, shows a good attitude and is compassionate and caring." It was kind of shocking! At first I couldn't believe it and then I was excited because of how much I want to be at this school. ZONA: How do you maintain such a high grade point average? Does it take hard work, or were you just born smart? MADDY: Well, there are some things that I really enjoy and love to do, like creative writing and reading, so those types of subjects come more easily to me. Things like math, Latin, and logic are harder for me, so I need to work harder on them to get good grades. ZONA: What volunteer work do you do? Why do you volunteer? MADDY: I volunteer at Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op on Saturday mornings, helping to set out the baskets, break down produce boxes and help take the food to people's cards. I also volunteer at the Mt. of Olives Food Bank once a week, where I help with whatever is needed. I started out volunteering because my mom said that I should. Now, I like helping out at the food bank because I like to see the reactions of the people as they get their food and other needs. I especially like working on the front line and handing out the food to people. ZONA: You're also a good artist. Tell us about your artwork. MADDY: Thanks! I like to paint, mostly on canvas. I also like working with different mediums, like collage and 3-D paints. I started painting when I was about 2 years old. I have a piece of paper taped on the wall next to my bed so that if I have an idea about a painting i can write it down before I forget it People say my artistic style is illustrative". I recently started selling my art to raise money for my future education; and also, I'm giving 20% of the proceeds to the 100 Club of Arizona. The 100 Club is a charity that supports the families of firefighters and policemen that are killed or injured in the line of duty. ZONA: Can readers see your artwork on facebook? MADDY: Yes! They can go to Facebook.com/MaddyRoseARtist. Some of the paintings are for sale now; others are pictures of ones that were commissioned or already sold so that you can get an idea of what I can create for you. I put up pictures of my new paintigns frequently so if you see one that you are interested in you can contact me through the Facebook page. ZONA: If you could invite any two people, dead or alive, make-believe or real, to dinner with your family, who would you invite and what would you serve them? MADDY: Probably Leonardo da Vinci because he was so creative and inventive. And also J.K. Rowling because she is an incredible author. I would ask them what they wanted to eat and, if they didn't have a preference, I would give them spaghetti or breakfast-for-dinner. ZONA: Night owl or early bird? Fruits or vegetables? Cats or dogs? The zoo or the aquarium? Roller coaster or meerry-go-round? MADDY: DEFINITELY Night owl. Fruits (but I also love carrots). Dogs (cuz I'm allergic to cats). Zoo (because they have the reptile room). Totally roller coasters, front row, hands up; no doubt. ZONA: Any ZONA "shout outs"? MADDY: Hi, Mom and Dad! Thank you for all of your support.

TV12 - August 13, 2011

2011-08-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to the story that TV 12 did on Saturday August 13, 2011. There was also a small "preview" story in the 6 o'clock news but I don't have a copy of that one.

100 Club of Arizona Press Release

2011-08-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Media Contact
Ciara R. Franklin
100 Club of Arizona
Marketing & Public Relations
602-485-0100 office
623-696-5070 cell
ciara@100club.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2011

Young artist sells work to save for college, raise funds for public safety families
12-year-old Maddy Rose is using her talent to help pay for college tuition and support the 100 Club of Arizona

PHOENIX – Although Phoenix resident Madelyn Rose, known as Maddy to her friends and family, isn’t old enough to get a driver’s license or even a real job, she is already becoming an established entrepreneurial. The 12-year-old is selling her artwork of various themes and mediums to her family, friends, and Facebook fans.

At just two years old, young Maddy was using brushes and canvases to create mini-masterpieces. “I’ve always known I wanted to be an artist, and use my God-given talent to help other people,” she said.

The eighth grader at Valley Classical Christian Academy has decided to donate 20% of the money earned to the 100 Club of Arizona to help families in need, as well as help children of public safety go to college. She chose the 100 Club because the nonprofit is there to ease the pain of the families of officers and firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty.

Maddy wants to use the rest of the money earned to help save for her education, as she knows it’s going to cost more than her weekly allowance. She wants to attend Grand Canyon University at first, and transfer to Geneva College in Pennsylvania to finish up her degrees in Art and Business.

“While elementary school prepares us for high school and high school prepares us for college, college prepares us for life,” Maddy observed. “I think everybody needs to be educated so that they can know what they’re doing when they get into the real world.”

She has a collection of artwork on sale on her Facebook account and her Blog, and also takes special request orders. Her favorite things to paint are Koi fish with water colors, and modern-impressionistic art with acrylics on canvas. Paintings range from $20.00 - $50.00 and can be framed or mounted. Maddy is also raffling off some of her acrylic-based artwork at $5.00 a raffle ticket. For more information, contact Ciara at the 100 Club of Arizona, 602-485-0100.

About the 100 Club of Arizona
The 100 Club of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to public safety officers and firefighters when they are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, and to provide resources to enhance their safety and welfare. It was started in 1968, became a 501(c)(3) in 1968, and has given more than $5.6 million in financial support to Arizona’s men and women who stand behind the badge. For more information, log on to www.100club.org or email info@100club.org.

# # #

Look Ma! I'm on TV!

2011-08-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

As I said in the blog before this, I've been selling my art to save money for my future education, while also raising money for the 100 Club of Arizona.

Well, Ciara from the 100 Club did a press release about it and sent it out to local newspapers and TV stations. TV 12 was the first to call me (the very next day!) and wanted to do an interview. At first, I thought someone was trying to prank me...but then I ran home, told my parents and felt excited! Two days later, I was sitting in the office of the 100 Club waiting for TV 12, when the 100 Club got a call from TV 10 asking to do an interview with me too! So I had two tv inteviews back to back that day.

During the interviews I felt kind of awkward as they watched me do some painting, because everyone was just looking at me and watching me paint close up. Joe Dana from TV 12 and Alexis Vance were both very nice and I could tell they were very good at what they do. I could tell the cameramen were very artistic because of the details that they wanted to film.

You can watch the TV 10 story below. When I watched it for the first time, I thought that my voice sounded kind of weird.

Check it out...

Child Artist Donates Portion of Sales to 100 Club: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

I have a Facebook Page!!!

2011-07-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know, I like art. I like sketching, drawing, painting, and illustrating. Lately, I've been thinking that I would like to find a way to use my talent for a good purpose. I was wondering if there was a way that I could have people enjoy the art while helping others at the same time.

I'm SO excited!! My mom helped set up a Facebook Page for me as an artist. It's called "Maddy Rose Artist". I'm going to be selling my artwork to help raise and save money for my education. My dad suggested that I call it M.E.A.P. (Maddy's Educational Art Project), but I thought that was just weird. So I've decided that my artistic name would be Maddy Rose, and I sign my artwork "MR".

In addition to saving for my education, I want to donate a portion of the money from the sale of my artwork to the 100 Club of Arizona. I want to be able to help children with my artwork. When my dad recently told me about the 100 Club, I thought it was perfect! They help the kids and families of our Arizona heroes, fireman and police officers, who may have been hurt or killed. I called the 100 Club today and I'm so excited that they said "yes"!

Mt. of Olives Food Bank

2011-07-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that you can give me any non-perishable food items and nice clothing or household items you may want to get rid of. I'm volunteering at the Mt. of Olives Food Bank again this summer, on Thursdays, and I can take the items in with me.

Penny and Pat are so nice. Actually, everyone there is nice. I like repackaging the bread, pastries and pinto beans. But I especially like working on the front line and handing out the food to people.

I like helping out at the food bank because I like to see the reactions of the people as they get their food and other needs. We always seem to have just the perfect items that they need at the time. For example, the person has a baby and desperately needs diapers and milk, and we just happen to have a new shipment of milk in that day. My mom always says "Go be His hands and feet."

Koi

2011-07-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

The Koi fish are fun for me to draw and paint right now. A lot of people tell me that they really like them, so I hope you like them too. Here are some of my recent Koi creations...

"Koi"
Mixed Medium - Oil Pastel and Watercolor
10.5" x 15" on paper

"Sunset Koi"
Mixed Medium - Oil Pastel and Watercolor
8.5" x 11" on paper

"Meadow Koi"
Watercolor
8.5" x 11" on paper

"Japanese Koi"
Colored Pencil
8.5" x 11" on paper

Animals with a Sense of Humor

2011-01-15T19:02:00.000-08:00

"I'm playing nighttime/daytime. Wanna play?"

Jessica's Daily Affirmations Video

2011-01-15T18:54:00.000-08:00

"I can do anything good!"

Paparazzi

2011-01-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

This video is pretty cool:

Distractions - by M. J. Redman

2011-01-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

What is the good of asking me
For nine times four,
When a pixie keeps on nodding round
The schoolroom door?

What is the good of looking
At a map of Greece,
When a baby elf is rolling
On the mantelpiece?

What is the good of telling me
About King John,
When the fairy on the
Window-sill
Keeps dancing on?

What is the good of asking me
To learn a scale,
When a brownie sits
And chuckles
On the picture rail?

by M. J. Redman

Bearly Friends

2011-01-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

Once there were two friends walking through the woods when they saw a bear. One of them got scared and climbed up a tree, leaving his friend on the ground with the bear. The other man lay down in the dirt facedown because he knew about bears. The bear came over to the man lying down and sniffed his ear. The man in the tree thought it looked like the bear was whispering in his friends ear. The bear soon wandered away, and the man climbed down from his spot in the tree laughing.

"What did the bear whisper to you in your ear?" he asked jokingly.

The man who was sniffed by the bear replied "he told me not to trust friends who run away when I'm in danger."

The Pen, a short story - by Maddy

2011-01-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

The Pen

The monster was inching nearer and nearer to my bed. It had a large, oval shaped body, with small spider like arms covered with short bristly hair. He had a small head with horns and small beady eyes, his wide-open mouth held long, yellow fangs.

It slowly approached my bed, as if waiting for the right moment to strike. I was so scared all I could do was shake and shiver beneath my bedcovers. It was so close by know I could smell its putrid breath. Actually, the creature’s breath smelled remarkably like my brothers socks, which is not a nice thing to smell at all. Then I woke up. Right above my head, staring down at me was my brother, Ron. Ron was holding a sock and seemed to be taunting me with it.

“Ron!” I yelled exasperated.

“Haha! Wake up Goober,” Ron said, “Its your birthday! Come downstairs, if you can catch me.” He added that last bit with a little hint of competition. Ron is very competitive. He can even make taking out the trash a competition.

I’m not big on birthdays. I don’t know why though. I just don’t like people coming, giving me presents, eating cake, and then leaving. I looked around for something to throw at him; all I could find was a pillow. It missed Ron all together.

“Haha! Missed me! Missed me!” Ron ran out of the room. I chased out of my room, down the hall and the stairs.

“SURPRISE!” yelled my family once Ron and I reached the living room. Ron went around the back of the small queue and grinned smugly.

I pretended to be surprised. “Wow! Guys this is great! Thank you!” I looked around the room. I saw Mom, Dad, Katy; my older sister, Sabrina; my younger sister, my mom’s sister Helen, and her husband, my uncle Benny and of course Ron.

“Open my present! Open my present!” squealed Sabrina. She was holding a small box decorated in newspaper, macaroni, and what looked like a whole bottle of glitter. I looked at it with disdainfully.

“Don’t you like it Timmy?” Sabrina’s face looked hurt. Sabrina is my favorite sibling. She has cute, round cheeks with her blonde hair always covering her piercing blue eyes. She is around five years old and very artistic. Her bottom lip started to quiver.

I definitely didn’t want to make her cry on my birthday, so I quickly took the box from her and opened it. As I did, a shower of red, and purple glitter fell on Toodles, our brown Great Dane who can give Marmaduke a run for his money.

“Sorry Toodles!” I said, seeing as I had just woken him from one of the few naps he ever gets. He went out of the room shaking glitter of his body. I returned my focus to the present Sabrina gave me. In the small box were a red crayon, a dried leaf, and a half empty bottle of white out.

“Umm, thanks Sabrina its great,” I said, not wanting to hurt her feelings. I silently hoped that I would get better presents from the rest of my family, except uncle Benny. My uncle knows every prank and practical joke by heart. He owns a joke store, which I don’t think aunt Helen likes it very much. Last year, uncle Benny gave me a T-shirt, which I thought looked normal enough. I thought he was changing his prankster ways. Yikes was I wrong.

The T-shirt was dark blue with an eagle head on the front. When I put it on, was stiff and scratchy. Anyway, I couldn’t change shirts because my mom came in screaming that she was late for her important meeting and we were late for school. She took my arm and dragged me out to the car.

That day at school, a teacher gave me a pat on the back for doing well on a science quiz. His hard thump on the back must have triggered a switch, or hit a button in the shirt, because my shirt immediately lit up and started to “SQUAAAAAAKKK!” It went on all day like that. I couldn’t change into anything else so every time I raised my hand to answer a question in class, ‘SQUAAAAAAKKK!”

Finally, the day was over. I silently vowed I would never use anything that uncle Benny gave me without testing it out on him first.

After opening everybody else’s presents and trying to avoid the small box from uncle Benny, my mom put the box into my hand a little more forcefully than necessary. With shaking hands I opened the box.

I looked up and saw my mother biting her lower lip, knowing exactly what she was thinking; I proceeded to open the box. Like me, she was thinking about whether or not this present was going to explode (three years ago, Christmas eve).

I looked around the room at everyone and saw uncle Benny smiling his maniacal grin, his eyes shining. I saw my aunt Helen look at uncle Benny and softly shaking her head and tutting softly. My gaze fell back to my hands, which were still holding the present. To my surprise, I had already opened the box and there in the long, narrow box, nestled on a red velvet cushion, laid a pen.

“Wha’ is I’?” yelled Ron from across the room where he was still shoveling cake into his open mouth, hardly understandable through the new forkful of chocolate cake.

“A pen," I mumbled. I wondered what this pen was supposed to do. Blow up, squirt water in your face, turn red hot, the list is unending when you have an uncle like mine.

**********
After everyone had left, I was finally alone. Left in my room to look over my presents. I lay on my bed and turned the pen over and over in my hand. I knew what I had to do with things like this. Throw it away.

That night, before I went to bed, I discreetly disposed of the pen. But when I woke up in the morning, it was there on my desk! I sat bolt upright in bed for a long time staring at it before I decided to go pick it up. As I picked it up, my door opened.

“Hi Timmy!” Sabrina said to me, “Ya, mommy found your pen in the trash and told me to take it up here, so I did,” she said as she saw my puzzled expression and the pen in my hand.

“Um, thanks Sabrina, this isn’t really a good time. I was about to draw something with my new pen.” Everyone in the family knows that if I’m drawing, I mean business. She slowly turned and walked out of the room looking downcast.

I closed the door and sat down and began to think. Knowing I shouldn’t be using anything from uncle Benny without at least safety goggles, I got a piece of paper and began to draw. I drew basic, simple items on that page: a 3 dimensional cube, a piece of popcorn, an apple, and easy stuff. Then I decided to draw the monster from my dream.

I don’t know what made me do it, but soon I found myself drawing his oval body, his spider like arms with the short bristly hair, his small head, the horns, and the small beady eyes. Last of all, I added the worst part: the wide-open mouth with the long yellow fangs. I stood back to admire it and shuddered at the likeness between the monster in my dream to the one sitting on the paper in front of me.

When I took the paper downstairs to be “oohed” and “aaahed” at by everyone, Sabrina screamed when she saw it. My parents gave me satisfaction though.

“Wow! That is really good!” exclaimed my mom.

“Ya! That is a pretty cool monster!” agreed my dad.

“I think this deserves to go on the fridge,” my mom said.

“Umm, no thanks. I’m going to keep this in my room,” my last comment made my parents look at me with confusion. Timmy Ploff, their son, had turned down a spot on the fridge. But I wanted to keep this paper safe and see whether anything else happens that uncle Benny’s pen was supposed to do.

**********

I woke up the next morning and to my surprise, there at the foot of my bed, stood an apple, a piece of popcorn, and a cube. Like any little girl, I started screaming. This meant that if these tiny objects came off the paper and became huge, then who knows how tall the creature would be. Kind of a good thing it was a weekend. My mom was at a meeting, big sister at dance class, Ron at boxing, and sabrina at a tea party. Otherwise the monster could have eaten them.

I didn’t know where the monster went so I slowly crept downstairs to see if it was still inside the house. Me, not being very strong or athletic, could hardly hold up my brothers aluminum baseball bat, which was, for the moment, serving as my sword.

When I got downstairs, I saw the back of the creature’s head sneaking into the basement. Not thinking about it, I leaped out of my hiding spot, half yelling, and half yodeling. Then, realizing didn’t have a plan, I ran back upstairs to my room. Then, I remembered that the creature was hungry and it would probably follow me.

I jumped onto my bed and lay with the sheets and blankets yanked high above my head. Under the blankets I heard the creatures large feet thumping up the stairs. When he reached the door leading to where I lay hiding and shivering, he paused as if listening, listening for fear.

The door came crashing down. I let a pathetic little whimper escape my throat. I pulled down the blankets just so that I could see the monster.

The monster was inching nearer and nearer to my bed. It had a large oval shaped body with small spider like arms covered in short, bristly hair. He had a small head with horns and small, beady eyes. His wide-open mouth held long, yellow fangs. It slowly approached my bed as if waiting for the right moment to strike. I was so scared all I could do was shake and shiver beneath my bedcovers. It was so close now that I could smell its putrid breath. Its breath smelled surprisingly like Ron’s socks. I still didn’t wake up.

I suddenly had a brain wave! I groped around behind me until I found a pillow. Using all my strength, I hurled the pillow at the creature. It hit him square in the stomach and had so much force that it knocked over a 9 foot tall creature off its feet. I dashed over to my desk and grabbed the half empty bottle of white out I had received from Sabrina.
I opened it and splattered it on the creature that was about to charge at me. It writhed as if in great pain. I stood there watching it, my heart in my head, and the white out in my hand. I didn't take my eyes of of it until it stopped moving, then turned to dust.I had conquered both uncle Benny, and the pen. Not to mention a giant monster! I just cannot wait till next year to see what gets to explode, scream, or come to life!

Random Poems - by Maddy

2011-01-10T17:43:00.000-08:00

SHREKerdoodledoo

Spooky and freaky
creepy and crawly,
A nightmare, not a dream.
for right before my very eyes
I saw a monstrous thing.
every time I think of that,
I close my eyes and scream.
For I never will forget the time,
I heard an ogre sing.

Chocolate

Creamy and crunchy
Hot or cold,
Old or new,
Caramely, nougaty,
Oreos too!
Late at night,
Or anytime
Treats extraordinaire!
Just a little gift,
From me, just for you!

My First 5k Race

2010-11-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

I woke up really early on November 13, 2010, the sun wasn't even up yet. My dad gave me some toast with peanut butter and bananas for energy. I had to eat it in the car because we had a bit of a drive to go that morning.

We drove to Tempe to 5k race called Shun the Sun. It's a race to raise awareness and money to fight skin cancer.

It was still dark when we checked in but there were already lots of people there getting ready to run. Just as it started to get light we were told to line up for the different races - I was running the 5k, but there was also a 10k and half marathon race going on at the same time.

We lined up at the starting line, towards the middle of the pack. BANG, the starting gun went off.

The 5k path took us along a canal. When we turned around to head back towards the stadium I started running faster as people were cheering us on and saying the finish line was close.

Here are my race results:
http://results.active.com/pages/oneResult.jsp?pID=94880113&rsID=103036

I ran 3.1 miles in 34minutes and 51seconds, that's about 1 mile every 11 minutes.

2010-10-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, I had forgotten all about this! My mom was doing a search for some wording on the Mt. of Olives Food Bank for our church directory and looked down in the results and saw my and my sister's names. At first it shocked her but then when she looked and saw what it was it all made sense. About three years ago we participated in the Sunkist Take A Stand lemonade fundraiser and raised money for the food bank by selling glasses of lemonade. Here is the story that my mom found online:

Madelyn and Ameliya, 8
Phoenix, AZ
Mt. of Olives Food Closet

My sister Ameliya and I had our lemonade stand last Saturday in our front yard (in the shade of course - since it was about 112 degrees!). My mom helped us pass out flyers to our neighbors on Friday night, and my dad helped put out some signs on Saturday morning. People said it was the best lemonade they ever tasted. Some kids came back two or three times. Even the mailman had three glasses! We took the money to the Food Closet today and they were so happy. They help about 1,000 people a month with food and clothes.

If you would like to read about some of the other kids and their lemonade fundraisers, you can go to this link: http://sunkistglobal.com/takeastand/stories/stories_2007.asp

The Rebelution: Do Hard Things

2010-09-12T17:43:00.001-07:00

Scottsdale Arizona, 9/11/2010

"Don't do what's hard for people around you, do what's hard for you."

The Rebelution was started when two twin brothers, Brett and Alex Harris, were bored one summer. Their dad then walked in to their room with a stack of books and said "you will read these this summer." So they did. Their dad told them 1.) "Make friends with dead people." and 2.) "There are so many good books and so few great books. The great books are usually written by dead peole." So most of the books in the pile were by dead people.

Many people traveled to see this conference. Some from far away, like one person here today was from France!

Today we had four different sessions. Each session was about an hour long. We also sang and answered questions as a "survey" of the audience. We answered the questions using little keypads which were handed out to the teens only.

Rebelution is about teens rebelling against rebellion, and standing strong for Christ. It's easy to goof off and get into trouble, but it's hard to do what is right and obey your parents. The group we call "teenagers" was created out of a consequence of the labor laws that were passed about kids working in the U.S. Kids now had basically five years to do what they wanted! There used to be just children and adults. Now there was this whole new group of people who were "in between". Reader's Digest first used the word "teenager" in an article written in 1941. The teens didn't know what to do with their extra years between childhood and adulthood, so they goofed off.

Now the modern teenagers are expected to goof off and do all sorts of bad stuff. A Google search showed that kids 12-15 were, at most, "expected" to be able to make their bed, clean their room with help from mom or dad, and be able to take a message on the phone. Teens 16-19 were expected to do what the 12-15 year olds were doing except with no help from mom or dad to clearn their room, in addition to washing the dishes and taking out the trash. It also said they weren't responsible for doing all of these, just some. These are REALLY LOW EXPECTATIONS!! The ceiling is where the floor should be.

We came together today to rebel against low expectations, do hard things and be the best we can be at whatever age we happen to be at the time.

Sweet Dreams, fiction - by Maddy

2010-06-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

Chapter I-Steven

Hello, my name is Karen. I am 12 years old. I lived in Jacksonville, Florida with my Mom, Dad and little sister Cassy, at least, I used to. Around two years ago is when it all started.

It was a dark and stormy night, too cold for anyone to be outside. I was watching a movie around 9:00 at night when somebody knocked on the door with incredible force. I got scared and ran into my parent’s room. I told them somebody was knocking on the door and they didn’t believe me. Then the person knocked again and I jumped. My father put down his book, grabbed his baseball bat, and went to the door. Me not knowing what would happen, I ran into my baby sister Cassy’s room. I curled up in the corner like a dog and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke to the smell of bacon, eggs, and mushrooms, all being cooked on the stove. I got out of the corner and got baby Cassy out of bed. I slowly carried her out to the kitchen. To my surprise, someone I had never seen before was cooking breakfast on our stove! I screamed and my father came running in. He looked at me and then at the strange man.

Then he seemed to understand my fear and explained, “Karen, this is Steven. Steven has agreed to cook and clean for us and we will give him shelter.” After a brief introduction with Steven, I sat down with Cassy and began to eat. I didn’t know much about him, but I knew that he knew how to cook!

Chapter II-The Birthday

Steven had been our personal “maid” for almost a year and he had sort of grown on me. He grew on me all right, at least, until my birthday.

I was turning 11 and so for from Dad I had received a baseball bat, from Mom a new necklace and watch. I was about to open Steven’s present that was in a small white box, which was surprisingly heavy for a gift that size. I never found out what it was. All I know about Steven’s present was that it was liquidly, red, and burned like fire on my skin. Steven lunged toward me with his teeth bared, his cold, clammy hands closing around my neck.

Then I heard a dull “CLUNK” and saw my new baseball bat come crashing down on Steven’s head. It did not even leave a bruise. The only difference was in Steven, was that he let go of my neck, closed his mouth covering those scary pointy teeth, and straightened his clothes.

“Good-bye. Thank you for your hospitality. I must be leaving.” That was the second to last thing that Steven said to me.

About three months later I was watching T.V. and an Amber Alert was issued. It read “Child taken by this man!” It showed a picture of a kid from the neighborhood, I remembered seeing him around. To my surprise, the man in the picture was Steven, our old “maid”.

Chapter III-A Vampire

Steven took a child. Just the thought of it horrified me. I wanted to tell my parents, but I was afraid they wouldn’t believe me. So I just changed the channel. The TV show changed, but the thought that I might be next still lingered in my mind.

That night I tried to put everything together: the bloody present, ice cold skin, not feeling pain, taking little children, and scary sharp teeth. Then, it hit me. Steven is a VAMPIRE! He gave me a bloody present because he couldn’t think of anything else. He had ice cold skin because he is practically dead. That is also why the baseball bat did not hurt him. And what about the child? Steven was hungry.

Later that night, I heard something or someone coming down the hallway. I thought it might be Mom or Dad, so I was not worried. I started to worry when my door opened slowly with a creak, guess who walked in? That’s right, Steven.

He gave me a malicious grin and said “Sweet dreams, Karen. Ha-ha-ha-ha!” After this evil laugh, Steven leapt across the room and attacked. That is why I am what I am today, a vampire.

Scrabs, A Fantasy Short Story - by Maddy

2010-06-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Joey Tanner and this is my story. It all started when I started having freaky dreams about weird creatures crawling towards me with their cold clammy skin, beady black eyes and ugly green hair (I call them Scrabs. It turns out the Scrabs act like vampires).

“Hi Joey!” cried my friend Susan. “Are you okay?” She asked as I jumped when I heard my name being called. I still felt a little nervous about my dream last night. I could still feel the cold claw like fingers closing around my neck.

“You don’t look so good Joey, you’re really pale and you can’t seem to focus. Do you think you have a fever?” she sounded really worried.

“I’m fine. You’re right; I do have a hard time focusing,” I said. Suddenly I felt the claw like hands closing around the back of my neck, I screamed. Then I heard laughing.

“Ha ha! we got you Joey! Ha, ha-ha!”

It was the school bully, Mark Emerson. I stared at him for a moment, then, at all the people laughing at me. Then I ran. I ran so fast I knocked over my principal, The Troll! We call her The Troll because she is a lady who is as ugly as a troll. Her real name is Mrs. Benson. She grabbed my shoulder with one hand and it felt like one of those animals again! I was sure it was doomsday for me. She opened her mouth slowly and said that word no one likes to hear.

“ Detention!” You could see that she hadn’t brushed her teeth in a long time. I could smell her breath, yuck! It was very stale and smelled like fish.

Later in The Troll’s office, I grudgingly told her why I was running.

Her response was an evil laugh and she said, “I see you have met my pet.” The Troll opened a cage. She let out the very same creature that I had seen in my not-so-fake dream. It inched closer and closer, the last thing I ever heard was The Troll’s shrill laughter. Now, I am a Scrab.

P.S. If you have a strange or mean principal, you may be next.
BEWARE!

Whack! Crack! I'm a Diamondback's Baseball!

2009-04-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Today is April 29. If I'm not mistaken, today is a baseball game...Diamondbacks vs. Cubs. My name is Bill the Ball; pleased to meet you!

The game is about to start. I hope the ball boy picks me. All of us baseballs are wondering who is going to be picked for today's game...and who's going to be a "homerun"! I hope I get picked.

Game time! Tom, the ball next to me, was the first ball picked for the game. Sally, the only girl ball, was the first homerun hit! A little boy in a blue t-shirt caught her in the stands.

The game sure is going by quickly. Lots of homeruns today! The balls are being used up and I'm one of the few left in the box. I try jumping up and down, vibrating and rolling all over the box to try to get someone's attention. And then...next thing I know, the ball boy is picking me out of the box! I can now actually see the game going on as he holds me in his hand. The next ball hit, Andy, went foul. The fan that caught Andy was up in the second story deck.

Suddenly, I was hurled at the umpire. Next thing I know I'm shoved down into his pocket to wait. I couldn't see anything again; this time it was all dark and I couldn't breathe. Then, whoosh! I'm thrown and am caught by the Diamondbacks pitcher. His glove felt so soft and smelled really good; it sure was comfy. But that didn't last very long...I was thrown to the batter and then CRACK! Going, going, going...I think I'm going to be homerun! I can feel the wind rushing past me and I'm up as high as the birds! Next, down, down, down and...caught! I was caught by the Diamondbacks centerfielder to make the last out of the inning.

I was a little bit sad that I didn't get to be a homerun ball. But then, as the outfielder was running in towards his dugout, I was once again tossed high into the air. This time I was caught by...a little girl! I later learned her name to be Maddy. She is taking really good care of me and I really like being her baseball. We sometimes go out and play catch with her dad just for fun.

The End

They're Playin' Ba-sket-ball!

2009-04-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

One day, after my mom picked me up from school, we headed to the Arizona Biltmore Resort. There was a bag stuffed with various items sitting on the front seat of the car. I was curious as to what was in the bag; I thought it was swimsuits, but my mom wouldn't tell me the secret. When we got to the Biltmore my mom pulled out of the "secret bag" two of our Phoenix Suns jerseys. I was still puzzled.

We walked in towards the Biltmore and went out onto the back patio (called the Squaw Peak Patio). My mom bought us some ice cream from the Cafe and we started to eat it out on the patio. Then it all became clear and that's when the excitement really started. I saw Shaq!! My mom had brought us here to meet Shaq!!

What happened was this...my mom is on Twitter and so is Shaq. He had just sent a message on Twitter that he was going to be at the Biltmore, in this very spot, for a "TweetUp". So as soon as my mom got the message she grabbed our shirts from home. And since she was already on her way to get us from school we just went straight on over to the resort. Whew!!

Shaq was so nice. He took pictues with me and my sister and also signed both of our jerseys with his autograph and "#32". Shaq talked to us and asked us about our school, since I was still wearing my uniform. There was a photographer there taking pictures but I really didn't pay much attention to him at the time because I was just looking at Shaq. But, that photographer is important for what happened later!

Later that night, my mom got an email from a friend that she saw me, my sister and my mom on TV 12 with Shaq!! I couldn't believe it! I was so excited. Of course, I didn't see it on TV and we haven't been able to find it anywhere online either. Then...our neighbor called the next morning to say that she saw us on TV 12 on the morning news too!

Anyways...it was so cool!

recycle

2009-02-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

recycle

My little sister came up with a brilliant idea. You know how after you turn off the shower there is always some water that finishes dripping out? Well, when you finish with a shower, put a cup under the faucet to catch the dripping water while you dry off. After all the water is done dripping, you can pour out the water into your garden or potted plants.

Rain, A Poem - by Maddy

2009-02-10T17:13:00.000-08:00

Rain,
It can be serene,
Or it can be extreme.

Rain,
It can be quiet as a mouse,
Or it can blow over a house.

Rain.

Thunderstorm, A Poem - by Maddy

2009-02-10T17:12:00.001-08:00

Whenever a thunderstorm hits,
I always feel down in the pits.
Whenever the rain comes down,
I always wear a frown;
For I never get to see the rain,
Falling down on my window pane.

(Because my curtains are closed!!)

Sedona

2009-02-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

Hi! I haven't blogged about anything for awhile. But now something exciting has happened, and I don't miss a chance on the computer for anything! Well, maybe a few things like funerals, birthdays and sports.

Anyway, my family and I went to SEDONA. We went on a Saturday so I wouldn't miss any school. I went with my family to Oak Creek. The water was really cold, but warm enough that you could get used to it. My little sister pulled a chunk of weeds out of the river and saw something moving in it; my dad said it was a tadpole and to put it back in the water. My sister tried but it kept falling off the stick she was using. So I put it back into the water for her.

I walked a little further away from the family and I found a little drop off. So I went down off the small cliff and landed onto some rocks, thankfully; I was hoping not to land in some water. I found some rocks pilled to make kind of like a chinese waterfall. There was water coming through the cracks in the rocks from a still pond above. After the water went through a crack in some rocks, it came into yet another still pond and there it stayed. There was a pile of rocks down in that area...I picked some up and carried them over to an area by the main creek and built a dam. My dad helped too.

There was one point at the creek where there were white sections among the red rocks. I bent down to have a closer look and discovered that they were crystals! I called over my family and my dad said that it was just "quartz". But, they looked like crystals to me, and I know because I've seen one. The crystals were in crater-like shapes, very, very, very tiny.

P.S. The first two photos were taken by moi on my new video camera!

P.P.S. The blonde girl in the second photo is my little sister.

John Williams Really IS The Man!

2008-12-29T20:05:00.000-08:00

Warning!!! Once you hear this song you will not be able to get it out of your head...Maddy

Piestewa Peak Rocks!

2008-12-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

Hey! It's me, Maddy! The creator of this blog! And today (Dec. 29) I will hike up Piestewa Peak. Cool huh? Oh, look at this pretty cactus! I've no idea whatsoever what it is called. ------------------------ Man! I ran out of water! Here I am, stranded in the middle of a very crowded Piestewa Peak with no water and a pound of licorice! (The licorice is my sisters.) My mom told me to bring water and I did but, I DRANK IT! (all of it) ---------------------------------------------------(: 1:29 p.m. :) I made it to the top! BOOYAH!

-MADDY

Hawaii 2008

2008-12-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year, I went to Maui, Hawaii. It was AWESOME!!!!! My family went on a helicopter. I didn't get to go on the helicopter because I wasn't feeling very well. My parents also had their vow renewal ceremony on the beach in Maui. I went on a submarine with my sister, grandma and grandpa, and won $10,000,000! The tour guide asked what the state fish of Hawaii was and I knew the answer. Do you know? It is "Humuhumunukunukuapua'a." WOW, huh? The guide didn't give me the $$$ though. I suspect that no one was supposed to know the correct answer. I think back to January of this year and remember sitting on the beach. Just sitting there. My sister, my dad and I made a very, very, very small ocean while my mom videotaped us. I had alot of fun in Hawaii. I strongly recommend going to Hawaii.

THE END!!!!!

A Veteran's Day Parade - by Maddy

2008-12-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

Today, I, Madelyn, will go to the Veteran's Day Parade of '08.
I just cannot wait!
Oh Yeah! Oh Yeah! Oh Yeah!

The Marching Band is coming through.
And now the Korean War Veterans.
"Thank You!"Sheriff JOE ARPAIO!

Oh Yeah! Huh? Oh, the floats are coming now!
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 - Here they R!

Hold on...Sun City Cheerleading Squad.
FU-NNY!
Baton twirler! Cool.

The floats aren't here yet. Still not yet. Still not here.
It's an eagle float! Cool beans!
It's "hovering" over the people holding it.

Cool! Another band! Awesomeness!
Twirling flags, drums, tuba.

Ooooh! These people are training to be in the Navy.
"Thank You!"
Huuhh?? I just got a "Hi-5" from one! Cool beans!

Rock Band on a float! Even cooler beans!

About 20 mortorcycles.
One had a dog in the side car...with goggles! Cute!

A car with BLING.
"Left, left, left, right, left." A Pom and Cheer team. It's OK.
But, look - More motorcycles!

Boo-ya! Pause, pause, pause. Cool! Another music band.
They rock!

***God Bless America!***

Mommy is crying.

Go drum solo! Flag girls. Pom-pom girls. Drums.
By far, the drums are the best part. I'm serious.

P - A - U - S - E

Veteran's 4 Peace

P - A - U - S - E

Police car...with bling!
dudes on bikes -- cool car.

P.S. Support our Troops!

THANK YOU VETERAN'S FOR YOUR SERVICE.