Welcome to Creatures' Corner

Also known as...the Leman Household. At least that's the way it has seemed lately. The rainy season hasn't even hit yet (which is when the creatures usually come out), but I've been finding some unwelcome "guests" in my house the past couple weeks.

Probably about three weeks ago, Daniel found a small tarantula under the couch when he was cleaning. Even though it was a small one, it was still bigger than most (...okay ALL...) central Illinois spider species.

And even though they aren't tarantulas, we have another close member of the spider family that I've been seeing in various locations the past two weeks. Joel first saw one outside near the hose. The next day I found one in the laundry room (which I still technically consider "outside"). The day after that Daniel found one on the door post...still outside. And the day after that (last Thursday) I had the pleasure of finding one in my BATHTUB!!!! Thankfully I was just cleaning, not getting ready to bathe...or it may have put me into labor.

No, I'm not exaggerating...look at the size of this beauty (yes, it's zoomed in, but it's probably about 4-5 inches in diameter)!

After literally drowning the "poor" creature in bug spray (I refuse to kill anything that big with my hands), I made Joel come remove it from the bathtub. *shudder*

And then today I had another wonderful "creature encounter" (though this one proved to be much less shudder producing than the last). It began innocently enough...I was simply indulging my latest pregnancy craving (salmon or tuna with Wheat Thins).

But when I went to open my beloved package of salmon...

...I discovered an ant parade...

Upon further investigation of the pantry, I discovered it was not merely an ant parade but a complete convention for the entire anthill.

So after clearing everything out of the pantry...

...and after washing everything off...

...I went and grabbed my "next best friend"...

...to kill the nasty invaders...look at all those little guys!

You can't see real well in this photo, but here was the apparent "main attraction" for the ant convention...an open jar of peanut butter. *ahem* Thank you, my children, for leaving the lid off after making your lunch yesterday.

The positive side to it all? I now have a very clean, nicely organized pantry...that smells very strongly of vinegar (which is supposedly a natural ant repellent...here's hoping). :D

Now this is not my first time (nor will it be the last) I've discovered various undesirable creatures in my home...it kind of comes with the territory (...although my skin and hair were "crawling" for hours after each incident...). The desert seems to be prime breeding grounds for all kinds of nasty creatures. And though I generally am not bothered by neither the spiders nor the ants, I am NOT a fan of having them in my house. As long as they stay outside where they belong I have no problem co-habitating with them...even the tarantulas. ;D

Well, I'd better get back to the many other things that occupy my life rather than this blog...like the almost-two-year-old who is currently bawling for my attention (someone didn't get a good nap today and every little thing brings on a waterfall).

Blessings!