Take a look at my Mantel

If you have peeked at my blog before, you know that I love family heirlooms and antiques.  I blogged about how I decorated my Christmas tree with old family letters and photos, here.  Also, I recently share with you pictures of my 170 year old church pews and the pre-Civil war mirror in my entry way, here.

Well today I am linking up with linking up with The Stories of A2Z's Winter Mantel Party. 

This is what my mantel looks like right now.  I really like the pieces that I have on the mantel, but one of the things on my "To Do" list this year is to paint the brick and install a new mantel.  So let's just ignore the things I don't like about my mantel right now and let's focus on the things I do love about it....

If you feel like you are experiencing deja vu with that bird cage, you're right!  I have the same cage and same bird in my kitchen on top of my cabinets.  Hey!  When you find a good thing, more is better, right?!  Anyways, I have many pieces of family history in my house and I love displaying them.  The framed letter behind the bird cage is one of my great-great-great-grandfather's discharge paper from the Civil War.

Next I have a generic response card from the White House thanking Americans for supporting Richard Nixon after the Watergate situation.  I find this one very ironic.  I actually have a copy of the original letter that my great-grandfather wrote to Nixon voicing his support of him at the time. 

The large, framed document is the original land grant deed given to my family in 1833.  It is signed by Andrew Jackson, but unfortunately someone has removed the Presidential seal from the lower left hand corner.  The deer antler is from our backyard.  My oldest son, Garrett, and I found it last spring while playing catch.  I love mixing natural items in with old stuff.  By the way, after we found the antler, an one antlered deer kept showing up in our backyard.  It was pretty funny.

This letter on the right is really cool.  It was written in 1884 by a minister in Chautauqua, New York to my great-great-great-grandfather. (different than the one with Civil War discharge paper)  My grandfather was not a Christian and had been struggling with his health.  I appreciate the way this minister loving challenged my grandfather to give his life to the Lord.  Here's what it says:

"My dear Mr. Smith,
    It is a week this afternoon since I saw you.  I take comfort in the thought that you are probably about recovered today.  I confess to you it is a hard thing for a pastor to speak to a man who is very, very sick about his soul, lest in so doing some harm be done in exciting useless fears.  But no such danger is in the way now that you are so nearly yourself again.  I suggest my friend that now is a most proper time for you to give your heart to God as a Thankoffering.  'It is a good thing to give Thanks.' Ask yourself the question, 'What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward "me"'.  Now is the time.  Will you make that offering now?"

He makes a compelling argument.  I think about that letter often as it challenges me to share Christ with others because we do not know when it will be our last opportunity to do so. 

Finally, these guys are not technically on the mantel, but I still love them.  I bought them a few years ago for under $5 each.  They're not old, but they look like they are.

Thanks for visiting my mantel.  I hope you enjoyed it!

~Katie