My boyfriend’s birthday is coming up pretty soon and I was hoping to surprise him with something I don’t normally would think of. Something that marks our 2 year relationship would be really nice.

For his other birthdays, I would always go to what he likes, his hobbies, all the stuff he is into. It’s very reliable. I mean, it’s boys we’re talking about. It’s just usually about food, exotic ones he hasn’t tried yet. He’s a bit of a glutton actually. He collects shot glasses, too, which I find really boring. But most of all, he is so into star wars. It’s crazy. He used to own this really old star wars blanket that he kept on refusing to throw out. Yuck.

But anyway, I already have a dinner planned at this nice place downtown with him. It’s an Asian fusion restaurant, and I don’t think he has tried that cuisine yet. And I keep on thinking that I already gave him loads of star wars stuff as a present. But I didn’t quite touch on his obsession with shot glasses yet.

What’s it with those shot glasses, anyway? They’re for drinking tequila shots, not for display, I’d always think when I see them. I searched online, looking for a good designed one to buy. But then I realized that there’s also an interesting side to this collecting thing. There’s a lot of people out there who drool over display cases just as much as the contents of these cases. I came across this great site (http://www.shotglassdc.com) that had a lot of shot glass cases to choose from. I saw one I really liked, which had lighting fixed inside the back panel and when turned on creates this pretty glowing effect, like that room in Tron.

I got excited and thought this would be perfect for his collection of shot glasses. As far as I know, they’re just sitting in the kitchen of his house. But this display case is small enough to fit inside his room. It really looks cool, sleek and modern.

I bought it yesterday and it’s now sitting in my room all wrapped up. I hope he likes it. I’m planning to send it to his house early in his birthday so he can see it first thing in the morning. That would make his day, I bet. He really loves those shot glasses. And then at night we will go to dinner and it will be such a perfect birthday.

The best way to find relics is none other than to join an archaeological dig. Going on those expeditions entails that you must be educated, not just intelligent, in the field and you got to have money. This path is only for a selected few.

The second most excellent means of acquiring artifacts is to sign up for auctions but that would require the latter necessity of the previous path, making it the best approach of wealthy and luxurious individuals. By just hiring the experts, a rich collector will be able to discern which ones are the more valuable pieces without having to go out of the country. But how does an “average Joe” acquire these curios if he can’t afford to beat the competition?

Another way you can have antiquities is by going into pawnshops. Although it might be difficult to authenticate and see if it is a real artifact or not it is one of the easiest ways to get your hands on those kinds of treasures. To lessen the probability of having a fake one, go to a respectable pawnshop or seek advice from some expert (but you have to buy the item first).

But when all else fails and you really are desperate, just go to E-bay or search for something in the internet. You will surely find great treats there. You can even get cursed materials (which have inspired many movies to be produced). Although you have to be careful with its authenticity. Although you might not get the rod of Rameses IV or a prized Ming vase, you will still be able to go after your hobby.

With all these cherished possessions, if you are rich enough, you can open your own museum. But if you intend to own these relics it is just as important to find a good place to put them, I consulted this site when I bought my corner curio cabinet from here. The first step to having great treasures is having a place to put them; you can start by owning a decent curio cabinet even if the content is not too extravagant at least it’s well framed. These cabinets will not only complement the beauty of your treasures, but they will also be a place for storage for them while displaying them for everyone to see.

The modern kitchen is one that is constantly battling heat, and food spoiling. This is why almost every home has some kind of refrigerator. This helps us keep food much longer than the 12 or 24 hours that the food would last without temperature control. Although most homes have a large unit in the kitchen to keep all of their food ready to eat, there is the alternative for people who don’t have so much room too. These units typically come with a freezer section to keep food at an even lower temperature, like for ice and ice cream.

Some places we don’t always consider the use for this is in dorm rooms. Lots of students don’t always have a way to store their food, or even want to share a communal fridge. You never know when someone is going to swipe your $4 pint of ice cream. Why take the risk? Freezer units from http://thefreezerguide.com can help you keep food at arms reach without spending so much.

Another place fridges are helpful are in workplaces. Specifically, snack rooms will have these. Okay so maybe the people here are a little older and they may be less likely to steal any food you have in there. These are folks you deal with on a regular basis, so it might be a safer bet. These snack rooms usually have full sized fridges and freezers so you can bring as many snacks as you want for lunch.

One spot I’m surprised that these fridge units exist are at car maintenance places. They have a waiting room with coffee, drinks, and sometimes cookies or candy. These guys know you’re going to be sitting around for a while and if they provide some goodies, maybe you won’t get so antsy while waiting for your car to be finished.

Good refrigeration is important to keep your food out of dangerous temperatures. They’re also good for just being able to have a cold drink without watering it down with ice. Get a quality freezer or refrigerator and it will last you over 15 years without skipping a beat.

When we have a clean work space our mind is usually better prepared to handle any tasks we’re doing. This is true at the work place just as it is at home in the bedroom, living room, or even the kitchen. For me, the kitchen is my peaceful place. This is somewhere I like to unwind and get great meals cooking. It helps me a lot to have one that is free of clutter or useless things I would never use.

A while ago I decided to get this thing organized, there were so many reasons to do so:

• I can find my things when I need it
• Get rid of things you don’t need
• Easier to clean
• Visually pleasing
• Makes it passable to showing your guests

I loved to organize with things like boxes and baskets. This lets me put related things together so I can always know in what general direction to search for something. This was also done with labels to make it quicker to identify.

I stacked plates, bowls and any other kind of china together when not in use. This included utensils too. Another thing I really liked was stands and carts. I have a sturdy stand and some built in cabinets for storing dry goods and heavy things like food processors. Some stores that are good for discovering quality microwave carts are ones like http://eMicrowavecart.com among many others. It helps to see what people have experienced with these microwave carts before actually making an informed purchase.

Many tips were learned from Martha Stewart’s book on cleaning up the home. It’s actually a lot more than just cleaning, but housekeeping tips that I never would have thought of. I’m not sure she wrote this thing herself, but I’m sure she knows a lot of them at the top of her head. Cleaning up your space will really put your mind at ease and help you complete tasks in the area a lot better. Next I’m going to redo the closets and probably the bedroom too.

I have found some great storage ottomans with trays on the Amazon web site. There are many varieties and colors available for half price. I love the selection available on the site and like to read their customer reviews too. It is wonderful to search for a specific item and click on the review stars to see a list of voters and how they voted.

I also like to click on the rating number to go to the actual review given. One other thing I like is the Amazon verified Purchase. This feature tells me what I want to know about different merchants on Amazon where others are not verified could have purchased their product anywhere.

I have found one item that normally cost $299.99 for only $77.27 and the ottoman is new. I have also located merchants on the site that offer free shipping for their storage ottomans with trays. When searching prices on other sites I have noticed some merchants do not offer a price listing while other price ranges begin at $100.00 and rise from there regardless of the style you buy. The smallest storage ottoman with tray begins in the $110.00 price range where I have found similar styles for $20.00 on other sites. I am seeing the exact same version for two and three times the cost on some web sites than what I can buy it on Amazon.

This site may claim they are a storage ottoman with tray dealer but they are charging far more than the merchants on Amazon’s web site are. I also noticed one of the sites offered a rating program but only had one person that rated one storage ottoman with tray. The rating took the merchant to a level of four stars since there were no other ratings on the site for storage ottomans with trays.