Jaqx Fashion Diary- My love for Tory Burch

I have recently been a bit obsessed with some of Tory Burch's items. Once you buy your first pair of ballerina flats, it's hard to not want to buy several other pairs. So comfy, yet so chic..and perfect for a stylish mommy ;) Here are a few of my recent purchases.

1. The first pic is my first pair of ballet flats in a nude pink. Goes with everything! I put them next to my daughters newborn ballet slippers and just thought it made for an adorable image.

2. Tory continental zipper wallet, iPad case, and cosmetic pouch.

3. Tory keychain

I'm eyeing a few other color flats, a belt and a pair of wedges... Tory's leather goods are made really well, and will last you a VERY long time. Can't go wrong with investing in a few nice leather good pieces.

Jaqx Fashion Diary- Maternity Fashion (Marshall's Finds)

My husband and I have a cocktail dinner party to go to this Friday night...and Im 36 weeks pregnant! For once in my life when I actually say that I have nothing to wear...it's true ;)

So out I went hunting for a fashionable dress, something that did not make me look like a marshmallow or a pumpkin. I really hate investing money in maternity clothes because I know I won't get a ton of future use out of those pieces. I've been very lucky and have only had to buy a handful of maternity items; I've found ways to make a lot of my regular clothes work. It probably has something to do with the fact that I have a lot of bohemian style clothes tucked away in my closet. I stopped at Marshall's to see what I could find. Within minutes I found a black cocktail dress (not maternity wear) that was very 'Versace-ish' looking. I just chose a dress that was a few sizes up from what I would normally wear if I wasn't pregnant and that seemed to work! The dress was by London Times and priced at $29.99! SCORE and sold! I'll pair it with nice jewelry and heels and do a bold red lip and smokey eye for a nighttime look.

I snagged a few other items for our daughter while I was there. Some of the items won't fit her for a while, but who can say no to an adorable party dress?! I mean...when else in your life can you get away with wearing hot pink tule and still look adorable? ;)

Jaqx Guilt Free Food Crave-Spiced Baked Chickpeas (Luchtime Snack)

Sometimes I crave something sweet and/or spicy with a crunch! Store bought chips and snacks are filled with so many preservatives and chemicals, and have tons of sodium. For the most part, unless I can pronounce and understand what each ingredient on the label is, I don't buy it. I usually opt for shopping at Trader Joes which has great organic snacks, but I still feel better when I make my own from scratch.

Here is a quick lunchtime snack I made today, it took less than 10 minutes to prep and put in the oven. If you make larger batches of the spice mixes and store it in an airtight container, it would take you 5 minutes to make a batch every other time you make it. No excuses! For a smaller snack- cut the recipe in half (these aren't as great the 2nd or 3rd day, so I recommend only making what you would eat for one day)

1. Preheat the oven for 425 degrees (oven temp and cooking time may vary based on your brand)

2. Grab 2 cans (low sodium) chickpeas

3. Rinse chickpeas well under water and dry with paper towels. Some of the top layers of the chickpeas will come off, that's fine...just discard that (or put in your compost). Get the chickpeas as dry as possible.

4. Toss chickpeas with a light drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and spread out on baking sheet

5. Mix the following spices together in a small bowl (2 tsp sugar, 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp cinnamon). Note: I forgot to add cinnamon to my picture.

6. Lightly and evenly sprinkle the chickpeas with the spice mixture.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, tossing the mixture half way through- since oven times my vary, you may want to check for the right consistency before removing from the oven. Should be lightly crunchy. Remove from oven and enjoy! I usually wait till they are fool before eating.

Welcome to Jaqx Via The Camera Roll Blog!

Good morning world and welcome to my blog!

It's 6am and I've been up since 1am with pregnancy heartburn and my little one kicking my rib cage (who apparently loves to dance in utero between 1-5 a.m.). I'm due with our first child in about 28 days! I have started and stopped several blogs over the past 5 years, and Im finally giving blogging another 'go' since this is such an epic moment in my life that Id like to document.

My dream is to one day write my first e-book. Topics including pregnancy (all the crap that your girlfriends and fellow moms DON'T tell you or talk about), prenatal and postnatal fashion of course, beauty, lifestyle and last but not least nutrition and fitness.

Please bare with me if my grammar isn't perfect, I hate using my laptop and my iPad doesn't always auto correct, or sometimes when it does, it's actually wrong. As a writer, I understand how important basic grammar and correct punctuation is, but this is an informal writing tool for me...so no judging ;)

I can't wait to share all the little things in life with all my visitors, and hope you will subscribe to my blog for all my updates and eventually be one of my first downloaders of my future e-book!

Make today count! Everyday for that matter, life is short... Make every minute as beautiful as you can, and don't forget to tell those you love -that you love them any chance you get ;)

Love, Jaqx