Our Shoe on the Prairie...

Our shoe is actually a gorgeous home in the suburbs, but, really, it's the amount of animals cycling through this place that makes it feel like a farm. We've tended 37 chickens, 20 rabbits, 1 dog, and 2 cats. We also share our home with countless ants, bees and spiders, but those aren't really welcome guests or beloved pets.

My children make this house worth it. Although people only see 5 of my kids, there are others yet for me to meet. Without my kids adoring this place, I'd be like Eva Gabor who pined for Park Avenue in Green Acres. Because of them, I'm willing to put up with nature with minimal whining. So even though I could do without the bugs and creepy crawlies, a few frightening run-ins with nature allow my children to have an awesome life out here in the big woods or the prairie or the country or whatever you want to call our 2 acres in the DC suburbs.