Hundred-and-Thirteen-Acre Wood


This is, I believe, the unofficial name of my husband's sister's family house. Their house is in the midst of one of the most amazing before-and-after stories I've yet to see. When I was dating my husband, he lived at this unassuming house, whose cement block foundations sidled up against an Ohio valley while its modest frame upper story clung to the sides of one of the surrounding hills. Over the past thirteen years, his sister's family (who, I must brag, run Nelson's Woodcraft and CatholicPosters.com) bought it and proceeded to expand it for their large and growing family (Gretchen just had her seventh baby barely a week ago). I took some photos to document how this wallflower of a house is becoming a beauty in her own right, thanks to Mark's artistic eye, his skill with wood, and Gretchen's patience.

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