New Venture, Same Vision

 About a year ago I was talking with my mom about the different options that a stay at home mom has to help make a little extra money for her family. She said that if she would have had any of those options when she was home with my sister and I, she would have jumped at the opportunity!

It is so wonderful to live in a time where there are many things that a wife and mother can do to help make money to help serve her family.

I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with my kids and also have the chance to do something to help bring in a little extra income.

With that being said, I am excited about a new venture that I have begun. I am now an It Works! distributor. We sell skinny wraps and many other natural health and beauty products.

Not only is this company going to help me bring in some extra money, it will give me the opportunity to get my family started on some amazing products!

Don't worry! My blog is not going to turn into an infomercial :) But my business is built by word of mouth. So if you are interested in learning about what I am selling, would like to book a party, or know anyone who may benefit from some great natural products. Please spread the word and send them my way!! You can visit my website at rachelkeller.myitworks.com , find more information on my Facebook page Wrap It with Rachel or send me an email at wrapitwithrachel@gmail.com

Though I have embarked on an exciting new adventure, my vision for my family has not changed! My main focus will still be on my husband and the little people who's feet fill the boots pictured above. My desire to love and care for them the best I can has not changed! By God's grace I now have an exciting new way to serve my family and advance the Gospel in even more arenas of my life.

Spread the Love, and don't forget the googly eyes!

Some of the greatest moments I have with my kids are when we do an unplanned craft project. We don't run to the store for fancy supplies. We go to my super unorganized grocery sack filled with pieces of felt, some sparky paper, pipe cleaners, glue sticks, scissors and of course.. Googly eyes!


At Christmas time it was a red plastic cup reindeer with a red nose, pipe cleaner antlers and the googly eyes.

This time, in honor of Valentine's Day, we made felt heart cards. Yep, with googly eyes again. What can I say, my kids LOVE them!

I wish I could say I had these special moments with my kids really often. Sadly, I allow the craziness of life and tasks around the house to dictate the amount of time I take to build memories. And that's just what it is.. Building memories with my babies that will last longer than the clean dishes/laundry or mopped floors.

So my advise to you (and mostly to myself) is to enjoy the time with your children. Yes, the house needs to be cleaned and the laundry needs to be done. But don't neglect the small moments of time you do have to build special lifelong memories with your little ones.

Take time today to love on your kiddos, spend some time with them and build lasting memories!

From our crazy, googly eye loving home to yours... Happy Valentine's Day <3

Dare to NOT Compare!

There I was, sitting in my daughter's preschool classroom. Enjoying watching her carefully color her picture. Then is happened.. Her teacher noticed she was not holding her crayon correctly. The teacher helped her fix her finger placement,  then again, and again and again. I glanced over to the girl sitting next to my daughter and the thoughts flooded in, "She wasn't having to get her finger placement corrected!" "She can almost write whole words with very little help!" "What am I doing wrong?"  Should this have been a big deal to me?  No way! This is my sweet daughter's first year at school. She is still learning all the basics and is doing super well.

It hit me on the drive home what was going on in my head and heart in that preschool room. Sinful comparisons. I had gone from taking joy in watching my daughter work to comparing her with others.

Sinfully comparing myself (or in this case, my daughter) to others is not where I would have liked to go in this scenario. But alas, I am a sinner. And yet again, God used this as a chance to reveal my dependence on Him.

I will never be the "perfect" mother. But that's OK because that is not who God has called me to be. He knew when He gave me this great task that I wouldn't be perfect, that I would fall short. But He chose me as the one to mother my daughter. What an honor!

Sinful comparisons not only cause me to lose focus on what I am called to do. It also robs me of joy. How quickly my attitude changed while watching my daughter that day. I was truly having a great time  seeing which colors she picked and watching as she stuck her tongue out while she colored (an adorable thing she does when she is really focused). Then I let the sin of comparing enter in and, with that, the joy was gone and my focus was on myself.

I am so thankful for God's loving care for me on that drive home. He graciously showed me my sin. And the freedom and joy that followed was amazing. Will I ever sinfully compare again? Sadly, I know the answer is yes. But my hope and prayer is that the moments of sinful comparison will be shorter and less often as I grow in God's grace.

Back to Basics

Gospel, gospel, gospel....I think it's important at this point to tell you why I focus so much of my attention on this one little word. You may say, "Isn't the gospel message just for those who do not believe in Jesus yet. My answer to this is Yes and No. 

Yes, unbelievers need to hear the gospel message! They need to know they are separated from God because of their sin. Jesus died to take away their sin. And it's through his perfect sacrifice that they are seen righteous by God and able to go to Heaven. 

I also say no because the gospel message is not just for unbelievers! Even though I believe in Jesus, does that mean I never sin? Does it mean that I never doubt God's love for me? Does it mean that I am suddenly a perfect version of myself with no need for change? Of course not! 

The glorious thing about the gospel message is that it has the power to draw the worst of sinners out of their sin and into a relationship with Christ. But the goodness of the gospel doesn't stop there. It also has the power to breath life and joy into the weary mommy who lost her temper with her children, yet again. 

So that is why I get so excited when talking about the gospel. I have been saved from my sin. I am seen righteous before God because I am viewed through Jesus' finished work on the cross. It is not up to me to save myself. That was done by Jesus! 

                          

                           "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your 

                            own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may

                            boast."  Ephesians 2:8-9

That doesn't mean I hit auto-pilot and do nothing. It means that what I do now is not out of a desire to earn salvation or a good standing with God. It is done out of an overflowing of my grateful heart. 

So the next time we mess up and don't respond lovingly to our children. Or we snap at our spouse. Or we lie, steal, worry.. you name it. Look to Christ and remember the grace he gives us everyday in every way. Take your mind Back to Basics and remember the gospel message once more.

                             "And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." 

                               John 1:16