Return to their roots: Couple behind Miss Annie’s Home + Kitchen renovates home on Main Street
Published 5:38 pm Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Annie and Darryl McDaniel, some of Columbiana’s newest residents, are actually well-known faces. The couple previously lived in the city for about 20 years, but they are perhaps most recognized from Annie’s social media presence. (For the Reporter/Jeremy Raines)
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By STEPHEN DAWKINS | Special to the Reporter
Annie and Darryl McDaniel, some of Columbiana’s newest residents, are actually well-known faces. The couple previously lived in the city for about 20 years, but they are perhaps most recognized from Annie’s social media presence.
On the Miss Annie’s Home + Kitchen platforms, Annie shares recipes, decorating hacks, home renovation projects, personal stories—and inspiration.
For about 25 years, Annie visited schools as part of the Miss Annie’s Educational Adventures program. She donned costumes of penguins, polar bears and Native Americans to make learning an immersive experience for young minds at about 35 schools each year. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, Annie’s in-person educational programs came to a halt.
“I’ve been Miss Annie all these years, and it’s been just a really important part of our family income because I work every day and I’ve got all these different schools all over the place,” Annie said. “Well, 2020 happened and then I couldn’t go into the schools anymore.”
During this challenging time, Annie found inspiration from a dear friend, Sue Garrett, a retired assistant principal who had started sharing her Mama Sue’s Southern Kitchen recipes online and published a cookbook.
Annie connected Sue with social media expert Angela Deaver, who helped promote Mama Sue’s flourishing brand. During the chaos of 2020, Annie’s own story took a transformative turn. Encouraged by Mama Sue, Annie launched her own page, Miss Annie’s Home + Kitchen. Sharing office space with Sue and Angela, Annie’s page grew quickly. Check out Miss Annie’s Home + Kitchen on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tik Tok, and YouTube.
The beginning of ‘Stronger Every Day’
A significant chapter of the story revolves around Darryl suffering a massive stroke in 2014. Misdiagnosed for four days, Darryl’s condition deteriorated until an emergency procedure was needed to save his life. Darry’s situation was so critical that it was uncertain he would ever be able to leave the hospital.
“I couldn’t stay in the ICU with him so I came home by myself and I just prayed and prayed and prayed and cried and cried and cried,” Annie said. “And then I got up off my knees. I remembered a women’s conference that talked about doing hard things. I could do hard things. So it really is what kind of got me through like, OK, I don’t know what every day is going to bring, but I can do this hard thing.”
Darryl’s nurse at Lakeshore Rehabilitation added another layer to their story by whispering to Annie, “Stronger every day,” a phrase that became the couple’s guiding light. “We just decided to start sharing that message on Miss Annie’s Home and Kitchen every time we do a video,” Annie said. “We say ‘stronger every day’ and ‘we can do hard things.’”
Back to Columbiana
Their move from Calera to a 100-year-old home on Main Street in Columbiana marked a new beginning but also what the McDaniels consider a return to their roots.
Beginning with the purchase in May of 2024, the couple embraced renovations, often opting for DIY projects to save costs. A collaboration with Cottage Supply Company allowed for Annie to showcase the beautifully renovated kitchen while boosting the local business.
“Our page has really grown so much because of what we shared with the house,” Annie said. “But with all that we’ve been able to do, we’ve had the right people at the right time do beautiful, amazing work. We couldn’t have done it without Paul Hatch or Clint Panter or Jeremy Dixon.
“I’ll stand in this house all the time and think, this is so much better than I ever imagined it would be.”
Miss Annie’s Home and Kitchen became more than just a social media platform; it became a beacon of hope. Their taglines, “Stronger every day” and “You can do hard things” resonated deeply with their growing audience. Messages poured in from followers sharing their own struggles and triumphs, including a young mother who reached out because her mother, who had just passed away, was a big fan.
“You don’t know why God has you do the things that you do or go through the trials that you do,” Annie said. “I sent her a message and said I wanted to talk. She said, ‘I want to tell you about my mom.’ So we got on the phone, and she was just the sweetest. She just said her mom would watch me every day. And that message of ‘stronger every day’ and ‘I can do hard things’ just resonated with her. It’s so much more than a home and kitchen page.”
Today, with more than 223,000 followers on Facebook and many more on other channels, Annie and Darryl continue to inspire. Future plans include Darryl’s woodworking shop and ongoing collaborations to help other small businesses and further the synergy of Columbiana’s Main Street.
“My favorite thing is sharing about other people. I loved that Cottage Supply Company was able to get some sales because, you know, Miss Annie’s Home and Kitchen is a small business. Miss Annie’s Educational Adventures, what I’ve been doing for 25, 30 years, is a small business. So as far as what’s next, I think it’s settling into this house and helping other people grow and just continuing to share the ‘Stronger every day’ mindset.”
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