Amanda Rose Zampelli | the blog

PHOTOBOOTH @ Danielle & Jerry's Wedding

Grams was here for the week leading up to our cousin Danielle's wedding. At the wedding, her sister Jenny set up her PHOTOBOOTH and the pictures above are some of my favorites. I plan to print the two with my Grandma and send them to her in Florida. I've also thought of blowing up three or four of my favorite ones to poster size and hanging them on the wall above my couch. We'll see what comes of them, but for now: as photos in this post is just fine.  

my family in a Photobooth

When I turned 30 years old on November 9th, I decided to make a birthday list of thirty things I'm goaling to do in my 30th year: my 30 IN 30. #14 on that list was to take pictures in a Photobooth, and I'm happy to report that after yesterday's festivities, I can cross that item off my list.

I have been attending bridal showers and baby showers like it's going out of style (because as my sister and I like to say to each other in a monotone Daria voice: 'weddings and babies, babies and weddings') but the one we went to yesterday for my cousin, Danielle, had a Photobooth...and we even got my mom to take a few pics with us!

On a SIDE NOTE: I had a really great first date this weekend. More on that to come, but when I showed him these pics he said he liked my dress. He said it was his favorite color. He said he also wanted to add how beautiful I looked and the red dress on top of it {insert a flame, thumbs up, and few other flirty emojis here}. He's so cute, and he's winning all the points! Okay, that's it! TTYL. :))) 

the 4-day visit to south florida that was #partyatGrams2015

It is no secret that I think I hit the jackpot mega lotto with my two grandmothers. They are both strong and warm and kind and giving and excellent cooks and the epitome of what a great woman and grandmother should be. My Nana (dad's mom) passed away in 2002, but I am very grateful that my mother's mom, my Grams, is alive and winning at life!

Last week, from Tuesday through Saturday, my sister and I escaped from New York's prolonged winter weather, hopped on a plane, and retreated to Grams' Florida Condo (#21 on my 30 IN 30 list). If you follow me on instagram, then you probably saw some of what I called #partyatGrams2015. It was more of a hang out than a party, but if you know my Grams, then you'd know any hang out with her is so fun that it feels like a party. 

The trip was perfection. My cousins Claudia and Ryan joined my sister and I, and the four days felt like a hot tub haze of sunshine and laughter and toasty skin and really delicious meals and strong coffee and card games and some of my favorite people on the planet and warmth and love. The stuff 'the good life' is made of.

I'm happy to be back home and back in my routine, but oh, how I enjoyed myself! I recently caught the scene in Scent of a Woman when Al Pacino almost kills himself, but then doesn't, and sort of makes peace with it by singing the lyrics "...did ya ever have the feeling that you wanted to go...and still had the feeling that you wanted to stay?..." It perfectly described how I felt about getting on our return flight to NY. 

Even still, I soaked up every moment. I tap danced in the ocean. I catapulted myself in the pool. I did salsa in my Grams' living room. I treated my family to a hearty Cracker Barrel breakfast. I taught my Grams and Great Aunt Tina how to play Cards Against Humanity (#22 on my 30 IN 30 list). I laughed until my head hurt. I straightened my hair, put on heels, and felt beautiful. I stared at the sun in the day. I gazed at the stars in the night. I had a quacking conversation with ducks. I was where I belonged. I reveled in every single second.

take some 'machine-gun selfies' this Christmas

Hi, all! It's your internet pal, Amanda, and I'm writing this morning to remind you to take pictures tomorrow and Thursday. In fact...take what I'm calling machine-gun selfies which refer to a bang-bang-bang series of silly-faced selfie pictures of you + someone(s) you love.

Set yourselves up against a red or green backdrop, turn on the self-facing camera option, make sure both of you are in the frame, and press that 'capture' button incessantly. My cousin, Claudia, and I followed these steps and we got the nine gems you see above (oof! that last one) perfect to use for holiday scrapbooking. In fact here's the page going in my December Daily album:

BONUS: Upload your machine-gun selfies to the PartyParty! app and you'll have the cutest 15-second stop-motion movie to post to instagram:

DOUBLE BONUS: Print your favorite one and gift it in an ornament!! See below.

Hope you try it! Have fun snappin'! Happy almost-Christmas!

Thanksgiving RE-DO

Because we weren't together on actual Thanksgiving this year, a few of us family members decided to have a Thanksgiving Re-Do on Saturday.

The morning started off with coffee-sipping and lazy kitties everywhere. My two - Alejandro and Carmen - met my mom's new kitten, Jack Black, the night before.  They were co-existing nicely, considering they were complete strangers to each other.

I wish I could say I did more than peel the potatoes and slice the Italian bread, but I didn't.  I did clean up, set the table, and make the banner! Any points for me?

My mom was the super hero master chef, making my FAVORITE FAVORITES: stuffed mushrooms and hot peppers! They are what Thanksgiving tastes like to me!

Also made were four roast chickens (substitutes for the Turkey), homemade stuffing, both mashed and sweet potatoes from scratch, broccolli & cheese casserole, fried cauliflower, and more side mushrooms (oh, the farting)!

Paper plates, buffet style, and relaxed carb-loading. So much to be thankful for in the below moment.

Nobody says 'grace' in our family, because as a whole, we just don't put pressure on ourselves to do it, but I said my thankful prayers silently to myself.  Maybe I should announce that I want grace said. ??? I don't know...sometimes I feel the time my mom puts into the food preparation, the stories, humilty, and laughter that everyone brings to the table, and our "Mmms" and "Yumms" are grace enough.

My sister came after work. She ate her portion. Homemade apple pie, pumpkin pie, and chocolate pie were served with coffee. My sister, cousin, and I painted our nails. We played with Jack Black and his new older brother and sister. By the end of the night we all felt like this:

Every year, I wonder how my future Thanksgivings are going to look. I imagine perfect placecards and sophisticated gold accents, but the above is the real thing. The important things, even though they don't add up to many Pinterest-worthy images or thoughts. They're what I'll want to remember 50 years from now, and all that matters anyway.

Jack Black, mom's cat

Some people assume all angels are dressed in white and have wings.
I'm here to tell you that some are dressed in black and have fur.

Mom's been having a bit of hard time since I left home and moved to Texas. Change is hard. Growing up is hard. Being a grown-up is hard. 

A few weeks ago, a family member tagged me in a picture on facebook of this little black kitten and asked if I wanted him. I thought of my mom right away, and pretty soon my aunt and I were in cahoots to get mom to adopt this kitten.  I talked to my mom on the phone who was unsure she wanted to take him saying, "...but it's the first time in my life I'm free."  I retorted with, "...to do WHAT?!?! You don't travel, you don't go out, you stay home and lounge around." I ended our convo with my tried and true philosophy of life: "a kitten is never a bad idea" and I think that pretty much sealed the deal. She took him.

...and we're absolutely in love...

He popped out of the carrier he rode in on and immediately started running and playing.  There was no weariness or hesitation. He was like, "Hi, new family! I'm here and I'm home."  There was a new black cat in our life, and he arrived on Halloween. ♥ (look at #2 on this list from a couple of weeks ago...before we knew anything about him)

He met the whole fam that day, who came over for dinner to see me on my trip back home. They loved him, he loved them...he didn't cower, he didn't hide...he fit right in.

The next day, mom took him ot the vet to get dewormed, and we gave him his first (and probably last) bubble bath. We blow-dried him, and he slept cozily and soundly wrapped in a fuzzy white blanket for two whole hours.

He doesn't do that 'kneading dough' thing cats do when they're sleepy or hungry or comfy. He loves chasing crumpled up paper balls, and when I went to take it from his mouth to throw - I kid you not - he growled at me, like a dog. We even watched him standing on his hind legs with the arms by his side like a meerkat. We absolutely adore him.

I truly believe he's an angel sent to give my mother just what she needs at this time of transition. We love you to the moon and back, Jack Black! Take care of my mommy while I'm gone, and before you know it, you'll be meeting your older brother and sister!

snippets / august 2014

• this month I started meditiating daily, like, really meditating, and the benefits have been nothing short of a miracle

• my cousin, Lauren, demonstrating the bread-in-the-mouth trick while cutting onions

• mom and her new BBQ

• chinese food dinner with friends & a fortune

• new job/new shoes -- isn't that a rule somewhere?

• a dinner with mom, dad, and sister the night before my taking off for Texas

• my first Moscow Mule

• that afternoon I was craving authentic Mexican for lunch, and found El Paisa through yelp.com

• yellow|beige|navy new decor for that Texas balcony thing

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a bit about snippets:

Blogger Manda Townsend posts snippets of her life every now and then, and after seeing her ode to snippets post, I commented that I would join her this year in 'snippetting'. :)  

What I find I usually include are those images that get lost in the shuffle -- ones that I would probably never include in a post or instagram, but are attached to a fun memory or a highlight of the month.

I plan to post snippets of my month on the last day of every month. 
(see snippets of January | February | March | April | May | June | July) 

a happy day discount decor shopping

I got mom and sis up bright and early to drive 60 miles east to Riverhead, Long Island

an hour later, we arrived at Tanger Outlets, ready to shop

three Starbies treats to keep our energy up for the haul

a find at the Pottery Barn outlet...if only I had the room for it...

West Elm warehouse: the reason we came

Ness and mom, ooo-ing and ahh-ing, feeling the pull of this table

 found and purchased: Ness's dining room table for her new apartment

her West Elm table, pottery barn apples, and Marshall's place settings 

--- --- ---

What a difference a week makes, everybody. My mom, sister, and I woke up early, were energized and enthusiastic, happy and smiling most of Sunday on this day trip.  The Sunday before that, we almost lost my sister after we had to rush her to the ER Saturday night for emergency surgery. She needed a week of bed rest, and look are her on this day! I'm so grateful she got better, and is back to her old self again, shopping for her new apartment.  Life is funny. 

I will always remember this day as one where all three of us were happy and healthy, and at the start of our independence...even mom. ♥ Sis and I are growing up, aren't we? It's weird.

sister's day 2014

About twelve years ago, Ness and I were flipping through an old wall calendar and saw that August 1st was Sister's Day.  Turns out the first Sunday of August is actually Sister's Day, but in that particular year the first Sunday was August 1st and we just assumed August 1st was the day.

Ever since flipping through that wall-calendar, we've celebrated Sister's Day on August 1st, which this year was yesterday, on a Friday. Sister's Day is technically tomorrow, Sunday August 3rd this year, and to continue our celebration of Sister's Day weekend, we plan to grab and early morning Starbuks and travel many miles east to a West Elm outlet store. 

Anyway, we celebrated yesterday night on our traditional day, too, and here's what we did...

We ate dinner at Grand Lux Cafe, and ended our meal with double creme brulee for dessert!

Afterwards, we wanted to see the movie Wish I Was Here, but it was not playing at the movie theater next door. Instead, we drove to a nearby outdoor shopping mall and hit up some of favorite places.

At ULTA Beauty we tried out different make-ups, blow dryers, and curling irons.

Next, we perused HomeGoods, and I ended up buying that black and beige area rug to lay on my future Texas balcony. (I'll be going back for those pillows.)

The Container Store was a big hit with my sis, as she's never been there before. (Oh, did I tell you? Ness got an apartment as well, and the both of us will be moved out probably by the end of the month.) 

We walked up and down each aisle, and ended up each buying a hang-in-your-closet jewlery organizer. It was genius!

From there, we called it a night, and drove back home.  On the way home, we sang along to the radio, and with the windows open in the warm August air, sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" start to finish.  It's moments like these with my sister that mean the most to me. Both of us together, relaxed, and completely ourselves.

I got my pajamas on and got into my bed (sleepyhead), while Ness sat on my bedroom floor and worked on filling her jewlery organizer.  Here was the end result:

Pretty cool, if you ask me. ♥

I'm looking forward to our daytrip tomorrow, and for our Sister's Day festivities to continue.

snippets / july 2014

• from where I watched 4th of July fireworks this year

• cousin Rachel, Ness, and me, and my first ever wedding photobooth experience

• Carmen and I like to party with a bold cup of coffee topped with cinnamon, outside barefoot in the sunrise, while everybody's still sleeping

• me + my girls on Field 6 at Jones Beach sippin' on my specialty Pink Lemonade

• July is fly | heat + pool + swimming + lazy afternoons

• that Tuesday night Ness and I raided the home decor items of our public library and had a night-in flagging the best of the best with post-its

• I want to be skinny but I also want to eat cookies #thestruggleisreal

• I love my cousin, Claudia, to the moon and back because she's the only person I know who gets as excited as me to stick your face in a corn cob hole and ham it up for the camera  

• some art I got framed, and Alejandro overseeing 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

a bit about snippets:

Blogger Manda Townsend posts snippets of her life every now and then, and after seeing her ode to snippets post, I commented that I would join her this year in 'snippetting'. :)  

What I find I usually include are those images that get lost in the shuffle -- ones that I would probably never include in a post or instagram, but are attached to a fun memory or a highlight of the month.

I plan to post snippets of my month at the end of every month. 
(see snippets of January | February | March | April | May | June)