I love nature as much as the next person but NOT in my bedroom closet! We moved into our new house last October. Today (yes, 9 months later), I was finally purging some boxes still on my floor (the room is sparkling now with NO clutter or unpacking left in there!) and I made room on the floor of my bedroom closet for some of my belongings. As I'm a neatness freak, I had to vacuum every nook and cranny including any dust in the closet that had accumulated (as we have hardwood floors, things [mini tumbleweeds] collect in the corners no matter how much I clean). Thank heavens the closet was dark because if I'd really seen what I was having trouble vacuuming up and which was shadowed in the corner of my dark closet, I would have screamed my bloody head off and scared my kids (and likely the neighbors!). I sucked and sucked with a nozzle, it was dark, it was not sucking up, I stopped then the lightbulb went on as I started to recognize the texture and shape of what I was trying to suck up. That's when I stifled a scream – just barely!

To back up, about 2 months ago, I DID shriek when I walked into my bedroom and a garden lizard was on the floor in front of my closet. It was about 8-10" long. I HATE lizards. My next door neighbor's house growing up in Hollywood was all ivy in the front. Our cat would routinely bring a lizard in and my mom would chase it all over the house. I was scared out of my mind back then. HATED them then and hate them now. Blech. Icky!!

How did I get the live lizard out of my bedroom back then in April? By first running for the largest rectangular Tupperware I have, plopping it on top of the lizard, pressing down as hard as I could so he could not escape then hyperventilating all the way down our hardwood floor hallway while I scooted the Tupperware all the way to the front door on my hands and knees pressing down as hard as I could so it did not escape – it felt like a mile! Then I had to put something under the Tupperware container to create a bottom for it's "box" while not chopping its legs off. I ran to the garage while my daughter was told to hold down the Tupperware and I got a flat piece of cardboard and carefullly and very slowly slipped it under so the lizard would be inside the "cage". I then ran (literally) to the neighbor's yard and threw the whole thing up in the air so the lizard would scamper over to the ivy where I'm sure it came from. I was sweating over this and my kids were laughing at me and thought I was insane. I made my son get the Tupperware and cardboard where they landed. I still don't know if any neighbor's witnessed it but, if they did, they're likely still holding their sides laughing. I was a sight to behold that day!

Fast forward to today. I think our visitor from a couple months back left me a reminder of his presence – his winter coat! Shudder…. And guess where it must have lodged itself to wriggle out of its topcoat? My Stampin' Up! Color Caddy. I have 3 and this is the non-full one that has the neutrals and In Colors in it.

Did I clean it up? No way! It's sitting there waiting for my husband to come home from work. My 11 yr old said "cool!" and he wants to keep it in a jar. Uh, that's not gonna happen. My only worry now is that the lizard skin will come back to life then hide somewhere – like under my pillow!

Anyway, if you wanted a good laugh, think of me, sweating my brains out, scooching a Tupperware down the hall while imprisoning a lizard in it then experiencing the sequel today in the midst of major unpacking again. I can't even look at the photo again as I'm so grossed out!! Trust me – I DO keep a clean house!