Hi friend
I’m Annette. I began my working life as an ICU nurse and later as a wedding gown designer. Over time, life led me in a different direction. After marrying my college sweetheart, we settled in a small town in Georgia, where I began growing food and learning what it means to live more closely with the land.
Much of that pull toward the soil goes back to childhood. Time spent with my dad, digging in the dirt, watching seasons change, and learning patience as things grow slowly. As the years passed, that early familiarity deepened into a way of life shaped by tending a garden, caring for animals, and choosing a slower, more deliberate pace.
Now, as a mother to my daughter Ava, those rhythms matter even more. Daily life looks like harvesting from the garden, caring for our animals, and preparing nourishing meals from what we’ve grown. I’ve come to believe that wellness isn’t something we chase; it’s something we build through the way we live, over time.
This space reflects that life. It’s where I share what I’ve learned along the way—about land, health, nourishment, and home—drawn from experience rather than instruction.
Would love to hear your thoughts—does this feel like you?
“I BELIEVE LIFE FEELS BEST WHEN IT’S SIMPLE, INTENTIONAL, AND ROOTED IN NATURE. HERE, I SHARE TO HELP YOU CREATE A home THAT’S PEACEFUL, A BODY THAT’S STRONG, AND A LIFE THAT FLOURISHES WITH MEANING.”
– Annette
Annette Thurmon
If someone had told me fifteen years ago that my days would be spent tending a garden, caring for animals, and building a life rooted in the land, I would have laughed. But life has a way of guiding us where we’re meant to go.
As a rapid-response nurse, I saw firsthand the effects of modern living on the body—chronic stress, poor nutrition, disconnection from natural rhythms. Working in the ICU didn’t just shape my career, it reshaped how I understood health. I began to see that true wellness isn’t something we react to when things go wrong, but something we build daily through the way we live.
At the same time, I was designing couture wedding gowns and showing at New York Fashion Week. It was a creative and exciting season, but one that also revealed how much I longed for a life that felt more grounded and sustainable. After years in both worlds, my husband and I chose a different path—one centered on simplicity, nature, and intention.
When we found our land, we knew it was where we were meant to begin again. What followed were years of learning—building, growing, failing, starting over. There were losses alongside the beauty. But over time, something shifted. Life became steadier. Health felt less complicated. And I began to understand how closely the health of the land and the health of the body are connected.
Now in my 40s, that understanding holds even more weight. Health is no longer about doing more, but about returning to what matters—light, nourishment, movement, rest, and connection. Strong roots support long growth, and a flourishing life is built slowly, through consistent, intentional choices.
That perspective is shaping what I’m building next. Alongside my work here, I’m developing a wellness space in the Arizona desert—one designed to help people step away from noise and reconnect with the foundations of health in a real, tangible way. A place where the mind, body, and spirit can be cared for together, through nature, rhythm, and lived experience.
This space reflects that journey. It’s where I share what I’ve learned—through the land, through my work in healthcare, and through daily life. Not as a set of rules, but as an invitation to live in a way that feels more whole, more steady, and more connected.
You don’t have to change everything at once. Small, consistent shifts have a way of transforming more than we expect.
Thank you for being here.
Values
Community & Connection
A meaningful life is not built alone. This space exists to foster connection—where people feel supported, encouraged, and strengthened through shared knowledge and experience. Together, it becomes easier to grow, to live with intention, and to create a life that is both rooted and full
Intentional Living
Intentional living is shaped by the choices made each day. From how we nourish the body, to how we care for the home, the land, and our relationships, each decision lays a foundation. When those choices are made with purpose, life becomes more grounded, more aligned, and able to grow into something deeply meaningful.
Nurturing Total Wholeness
Wholeness is shaped by how we care for ourselves in everyday life. From nourishment and movement to rest and rhythm, each part plays a role in how we feel and function. Often, it looks simple—like preserving tomatoes at their peak and carrying that nourishment forward. You can learn how HERE, or explore a full canning course created with Ball® home canning HERE.
living rooted
Living rooted is about staying connected to what truly sustains us. It’s found in how we care for the land, nourish the body, and create space for clarity and reflection in daily life. When we live this way, we become more steady, more aware, and less pulled by what doesn’t matter. Over time, a rooted life creates the conditions to grow, to adapt, and to flourish
Simple Country Living
Discover the joy of a simpler, more intentional life with Simple Country Living. Annette shares practical techniques, wholesome recipes, and timeless wisdom for your garden, kitchen, and home.
Whether you're growing fresh food, preserving the harvest, or creating natural beauty, this book helps you embrace nature, reduce waste, and live with purpose — no matter where you call home.
The best part? It gives helpful tips on how to include the family every step of the way.
More of my story
This way of living didn’t happen all at once.
For many years, I worked in intensive care. I saw what happens when the body is asked to carry too much for too long. Long before that, and ever since, I’ve lived close to the land. Over time, I’ve learned that the same truths apply in both places: nothing thrives under constant demand.
I was raised in Kansas, and life eventually carried me to small-town Georgia, where my husband and I built a life rooted in soil, seasons, and daily care. What began as a garden became a way of living—one shaped by tending land, raising animals, and choosing a slower, more deliberate pace.
Simple living, as I’ve come to understand it, isn’t about doing everything or doing it perfectly. It’s about attention and intention. That might look like herbs growing in a pot on the porch, meals made from familiar ingredients, or learning when to stop pushing and allow recovery. I’ve learned that what looks quiet from the outside is often where the most important work is happening.
This work—of land, health, nourishment, and home—has taken many forms over the years. I’ve written books, including Simple Country Living, The Harvest Table Cookbook, and a children’s story inspired by life on the farm. I’ve shared this perspective through long-form writing, conversations, and projects that value longevity over trends, and I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to publications and collaborations that appreciate thoughtful, grounded living.
Alongside my husband, Jared, I’ve also spent years in conversation—recording hundreds of podcast episodes that reflect real farm life and the lessons it continues to teach us about family, health, marriage, and restraint.
Everything shared here comes from lived experience. It’s shaped by time, by observation, and by the belief that health, like land, responds best to patience, care, and respect for limits.
Happy Farmily Podcast
We believe the secret sauce of healthy, happy relationships is that they are the result of healthy, happy people.
