• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Values
  • Parenting
  • 5:00 Fridays
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Dirt & Noise

A blog by a left leaning mom of 2 boys

  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Where I Write
  • Show Search
Hide Search

food

A Taste of Home at Cheeni

Ilinap · May 16, 2022 ·

I inhaled and was immediately taken to a familiar place. Coriander, cumin, rosewater, basmati rice. Everything was a delight to the senses, from the music of familiar tones to the artwork depicting spice markets and Bollywood glamor. Every detail in Cheeni took me back to the … [Read more...] about A Taste of Home at Cheeni

Tags: comfort, cook, cooking, desi, food, Indian, restaurant

Free Summer Meals

Ilinap · June 21, 2019 ·

Summer is a time for doors closing (or slamming, if you have teenagers in the house) as we end one chapter, while windows are thrust open to let in fresh ideas and inspirations. There is a palpable sense of freedom and wistfulness about the luxury of laziness. I watch my sons … [Read more...] about Free Summer Meals

Tags: America, childhood hunger, children, community, food, kids, No Kid Hungry, poverty

Grateful for You

Ilinap · November 22, 2018 ·

Every night before we eat dinner, we hold hands and share something we are thankful for from our day. There are no rules, except we can't be grateful for material things. Mostly the boys are thankful for doing well on a test or having a day off from school. Mac Daddy and I work a … [Read more...] about Grateful for You

Tags: family, food, gratitude, holidays, thankful

Giving Tuesday & My Favorite Little Charity

Ilinap · November 28, 2017 ·

On this Giving Tuesday, I’d like to share why the Cecilia Rawlins Fund (CRF) is so dear to me. I dedicate my time by serving on its board and donate money to support its mission. CRF helps nourish children at Wiley Elementary School by funding the weekly Backpack Buddies program … [Read more...] about Giving Tuesday & My Favorite Little Charity

Tags: children, food, Giving Tuesday, kids, school, values, volunteer

From the Mouths of Babes to the Mouths of the Hungry

Ilinap · November 20, 2017 ·

North Carolina is facing a crisis. Our childhood hunger rates hover around 1 in 3 or 1 in 4, depending on the county. That's higher than the national average. There are amazing people and organizations in the trenches of government making sense of policy and legislation to ensure … [Read more...] about From the Mouths of Babes to the Mouths of the Hungry

Tags: Bird, children, Deal, food, hunger, school

Rules to Live By

Ilinap · February 24, 2017 ·

  I am a woman who loves rules. I also love pushing and stretching and bending rules that don't make sense. I appreciate civil disobedience. I love a good protest. I've been writing letters to CEOs and Senators since I was 10. While I appreciate rules, I also appreciate … [Read more...] about Rules to Live By

Tags: eat, food, pets, rules, travel, vote

Community Comes Together to Support Backpack Buddies

Ilinap · June 30, 2016 ·

There is nothing more beautiful than a community coming together to help its own. The world has been brimming with sad news of late. Here in North Carolina the tales from Jones Street continue to be the stuff of nightmares. It's all the more heart wrenching when our state's … [Read more...] about Community Comes Together to Support Backpack Buddies

Tags: children, community, food, kids, school, values, volunteer

Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Writer. Marketer. Energizer.



Progressive, mom, writer, reader, traveler. Believe in good manners, home cooking, spending $ on experiences, not things, Oxford comma. ENFJ.

There are certain shades of limelight that can wreck a girl's complexion. - Holly Golightly
Learn more about Ilina...

Featured Posts

The Failure of Diversity

October 21, 2019

Wordless Wednesday in Honor of a Day That Leaves Us Speechless

September 11, 2019

Go Home

July 16, 2019

Free Summer Meals

June 21, 2019

Resist Tokenism.

April 25, 2019

Fighting for All Women. Again and still.

April 11, 2019

Popular Topics

5:00 Fridays America Bird birthday books brothers children cocktail community cook Deal education election equality family food friendship fun happy hour health holidays home kids love Mac Daddy motherhood North Carolina parenting party play politics poverty random responsibility school Shot@Life thankful travel vacation values volunteer weather women wordless Wednesday writing

Copyright © 2025 · Daily Dish Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

© Ilina Ewen | Dirt & Noise by Ilinap is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.