Trying to get rid of this blasted GHOST that's in my HOUSE!

Oh, boy, if ya'll only KNEW all the crap that this entity, spirit, ghost, shadow figure, whatever, has caused over the past few months, more so over the past month!  It's touched me (nothing harmful, but a bit perverted in a way, lol), it's lain next to me in my bed, it's hidden our car keys in places we'd NEVER put our keys (like the floor of my daughter's clothes closet), it's knocked on our 2nd story windows while we're by them (4 knocks in succession, on the window, right by our head...talk about freaky!), and just today, it knocked a stack of stuff off of a box in the upstairs hallway (no cats were around), which caused my golden retriever to jump up and bark at the pile like it she was waiting for it to move again, lol (a couple items on that box was a Catholic Youth Bible, which is heavy, and a dvd case to Paranormal Activity 2 (how about THAT irony, lol), but there were a few other things)...it takes a LOT to get a golden retriever to drop it's chew knot and bark, lol; plus a week or so ago, it actually manifested itself into a tall (about 6 ft) dark shadow figure standing in the corner of my bedroom by my closet.  It should be noted that about 6 months ago, before most of what I've mentioned happened, for some strange reason, I began to develop an aversion to my big walk-in closet.  I wasn't afraid of it, or of going into it to get my clothes, but it began to make me anxious and leery, to the point that when the door is closed, I put 2-3 throw pillows on the floor against it...it's like I expect the door to open.  My golden retriever use to sleep on the floor next to my side of the bed (between the bed and the closet), but for the past 2 months or so, she won't, choosing to sleep between the bed and the hall doorway instead (about 3-5 feet away).

I can say, however, that I don't think that whatever is in our home is malevolent, but not so sure it's super friendly either.  The animals appear to be fine with it, although I think it tends to annoy them.  We've got a multitude of cleansed and charged crystals in our pockets, on tables, windowsills, and such setting around the house (for positive energy), and today, I tried to do the 'you need to go toward the light, you're dead, blah blah blah' trick that they all say to do...then 3 hours later the box thing happened, so I'm taking that as a 'I'm not going anywhere' answer.' *sigh*  The next thing I have to do is a smudge, which is a house cleansing with a dried sage bundle. It's just so time consuming, and can actually backfire, which is why I've been leery of doing it (that's all the hell I need to do, piss it off worse, ugh, lol).  Which is also why I've yet to do an EVP session...kind of afraid what I might hear, knowing that I may not be able to get it to leave and then knowing it's here with me at all times, as well as my kids, while we sleep, are alone, shower, and such???? see??? when you think about all of that and take it all into consideration, you'd probably stop to think before doing it too.

Now, why and who?  I don't know.  We live in a non-smoking home (it's almost 10 yrs old and no one has ever smoked in it), and both of my daughters have said that on occasion they smell cigarette smoke, and even dill pickles.  My father has passed, over 25 yrs ago, and use to smoke, as well as my grandparents, who passed over a handful of years ago, but if it was one of them, why now?  Plus, ya'll know me, I buy, find, and bring in a lot of vintage and antique items...could it be someone that's attached to one of those items?  Seriously, I wish I knew.  The entity is freaking my kids out, as well as myself, it's never done anything to or around my husband, only us, but I've always been a bit sensitive to these kinds of things and my kids probably just inherited that.  When it did manifest, it did so when the dogs were at a dog sitter prior to my picking them up after our trip last week.  Did it do that only because the dogs weren't here?  because it's not done it any other time...that we've SEEN, that is.  Our animals will OFTEN just stare at something, we look, and nothing's there...and I mean stare INTENTLY, like something's either interacting with it, talking to it, moving or something, and they watch it.  Do we have more than one spirit or entity, maybe?  I don't know, that's a possibility, I guess.

There's been many other things that it's done, I've just not listed them all, a few things like shake my youngest's bed to the point that she and her cat wakes up, walk around downstairs during the night, knock on the iron support beams in the basement (just one knock), things like that.  It all makes me wonder.  What do you all think?  any other suggestions??  And please do not suggest a Oujia board, because we will not have one of those in our home.

Oh, it should be noted that we did live in one other haunted house, around 2002-2003, and at times there would be knocking on the windows at that house, as well.  But I've read that knocking on walls, doors, windows, etc, is just how they all tend to get your attention.  Plus, the ghost that was at that house, had lived there, I don't think it would leave a house that it had lived and died at just to follow piddly ole us, lol.  I use to read tarot cards, and did so in that house...after one reading, the encounters at that house tripled, and I've not read tarot cards since, lol (although my daughter has her own deck that she got for Christmas, but all this started before Christmas).