Table of contents for 19-Nov-2020 in Pick Me Up!

As I put the bottle of Prosecco on ice, my first guest rang the front doorbell. Taking a deep breath, I checked my lipstick in the mirror and smoothed down my new outfit. That night, I was throwing a bash no one would forget–a ‘goodbye hand’ party to celebrate its amputation! For nearly 20 years, I hadn’t been able to use my right hand at all. However, I knew I was lucky to be alive after a horrific car accident in 1999, when I was 22. Driving home from a day trip to Brighton, my tyre blew out while I was going 70mph along the A23. Thankfully, I’d managed to avoid hitting any other cars and quickly swerved over to the hard shoulder. But there were no crash barriers, and…

Be a winner! This week, our tip of the week will receive a great product from Addis! You can use the Handi airer outdoors to chase the sun or use it indoors when the weather turns. Simply push down to open and pull up to close and store. The free standing airer means there’s no need to secure to it the ground. For more ways to make your life easier, visit addis.co.uk No tears Stop the common problem of tearful eyes when chopping onions by lighting a candle nearby. Judith Cairns, Essex Winter-proof your garden Winter is coming! If you, like 3 million other Brits, have a newfound love for gardening then protect your garden this winter by following expert advice from Powered Now… 1. Get raking By raking the…

Sitting on the sofa with my little girl, Holly, she had her eyes glued to the television. Watching 24 Hours in A&E, even at eight-years-old, she was fascinated. ‘Oh Holly, that’s too much,’ I said, wincing at the blood on the screen. ‘It’s amazing,’ she said, not flinching even once. Ever since she was a toddler, she’s been obsessed with all thing’s hospital related. Collecting encyclopaedias, watching documentaries–she fills her brain with the knowledge she needs to one day become a doctor, surgeon or paramedic. As I suffer with Addison’s disease–a rare disorder of the adrenal glands–she’s been used to me being in and out of hospital since she was a very young girl. You’d think most children would be scared about seeing their mum in hospital, but Holly always…

Top tip Burgundy is gorgeous at this time of year! Guarantee high-quality when you shop at M&S. Mix knit and pleather textures this autumn. The right fit Breast cancer patients have been stripped of the surgical choices they would usually be able to make pre-COVID. Future Dreams and Royce Lingerie are reminding women of the positive choices they can make – such as post-surgery bras and proper fitting. For those that are unable to go to a bra fitting, Royce are offering bra-fittings over the phone, where expertly trained staff can talk them through the products and give them fitting advice. A properly fitted bra is essential, especially for those who have undergone mastectomy or reconstruction after breast cancer. A poor fitting bra after surgery will add to the discomfort…

Unlocking the toilet door, I headed to the living room to break the news to my sister. ‘I’m pregnant,’ I smiled, waiting to see her reaction. ‘What are you on about?’ Amber said, looking at me confused. ‘No, you’re not.’ Throwing her the pregnancy stick, there was no denying it. ‘But how?’ she asked, trying to wrap her head around it. This probably seems like a strange reaction, but to her, it was a complete shock. After all, I was a single 28-year-old, living with my little sister. What she didn’t know, was just 11 days before, I’d been busy in Spain… trying to get pregnant. As the eldest of 12 cousins, I’ve always been used to being around kids. Family means everything to me, so I’ve always known I…

DON’T MISS Children in Need 2020, BBC One This year BBC Children in Need will be celebrating its 40th anniversary, culminating in a very special evening of unmissable live television from the BBC Elstree Studios. From Strictly Come Dancing, to EastEnders and Doctor Who, the fundraising spectacular will be jam-packed with exclusive sketc hes, exciting performances, music, dance and a few surprises! Hosted by Mel Giedroyc, Stephen Mangan, Alex Scott MBE and Chris Ramsey, the show will raise money for children and young people across the UK facing a range of disadvantages, who need help now more than ever. Your donations will help to support local charities and projects which are providing essential frontline help to disadvantaged children and young people in communities throughout the UK. Celebrity Supply Teacher, CBBC…

Mediterranean stuffed chicken Serves: 2 □20 g Flora Buttery□40 g sundried tomatoes□30 g Kalamata olives, drained□1 clove garlic, crushed□10 g fresh basil□black pepper□2 large chicken breasts (approx. each)□1 red onion, chopped□1 yellow pepper, chopped□2 tomatoes□80 g spinach□1 tbsp olive oil□new potatoes 1 Prepare the filling for the chicken by blitzing together the Flora Buttery with the sundried tomatoes, olives, garlic, basil and black pepper. 2 Slice the chicken breast horizontally to make a pocket, taking care not to go all the way through. Stuff the filling inside the chicken. 3 Prepare the onion, pepper and tomatoes by chopping them into small chunks. 4 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onions and peppers for about 3 minutes until they start to soften. 5…

Good to know Meet the social networking app connecting women throughout all stages of motherhood. Everyday on Peanut, likeminded women connect to seek advice in a safe place, addressing topics ranging from fertility and miscarriage to motherhood and sex. With over two million users, the app is helping mums and mums-to-be navigate their way through parenthood. And now, they’ve launched a new feature–Bump Buddies. The feature aims to help mums-to-be navigate pregnancy, as well as foster new friendships. Users on the app will automatically be added to a Bump Buddy group after updating their profile with how far along they are into their pregnancy. Alongside Bump Buddies, women can also match with each other by interests, personality types, neighbourhoods and more, as well as take part in community discussions and schedule meetups. • Download the Peanut app on the App…

Complete the grid then read down the shaded squares to reveal the hidden answer. Clue: Musical instrument. Answer on page 47. Fill it! pg 13 Xylophone ACROSS 1 Range or scope (6) 4 Squid prepared for eating (8) 10 Kings, queens, etc. (7) 11 The New _, 2020 superhero film starring 21 Across, 2 Down and 18 Down (7) 12 Conspiracy (4) 13 American city (3,7) 15 Utterly wretched or hopeless (6) 16 Issue (7) 20 Building with triangular sides (7) 21 Charlie _, Leeds-born actor who plays Jonathan Byers in TV sci-fiseries Stranger Things (6) 24 Footballer type (10) 26 Leg part (4) 28 Feeler (7) 29 Dismiss from consideration (4,3) 30 Indefatigable (8) 31 Religious festival (6) DOWN 1 The UEFA _ Football Championship, title last won by…

BIG health story Checking my reflection in the mirror, I could see another cold sore trying to break free from beneath my skin. ‘Not another one,’ I sighed. At just 14 years old, I’d suffered with the unsightly sores for the majority of my life and they made me feel well and truly miserable. Besides the pain and the general discomfort that came with them, the relentless tormenting by other kids at school only made matters worse. ‘What’s that on your face?!’ one kid shouted across the school corridor, as I made my way between classes. ‘You look diseased,’ another chimed in. Trying to cover my mouth, I wanted the ground to swallow me up. But by now, I was used to it. Kids had always picked on me for…

EVERLASTING LOVE Clinking my glass of wine, I smiled: ‘Cheers everyone!’ It was May 2020, and we were enjoying our first BBQ of the year. My youngest kids, AJ, 11, and Geordie, 14, were running around and play-fighting, while my two girls Sophie, 18, and Chloe, 19, were chatting. Nothing made me feel happier than being at home with my family around me. I loved a noisy, busy house. My eldest Chloe had left home but we got together as often as we could. Throughout the day, my left shoulder had been bothering me – it felt like a trapped nerve. By the evening, I was feeling quite merry, so I headed off to bed groggy. It must just be the wine… I thought to myself, nodding off. Then in…

SHINGLING If shingling has anything to do with shingles, then it’s probably not all that nice. Luckily for us however, it’s just a fancy buzzword to describe using a leave-in conditioner, curling cream or gel to separate and define curly hair. Essentially, it’s a curly haired girl’s best friend to create definition, minimum frizz and bouncy, elongated curls. If you haven't already, give it a try! What’s the acronym? BIN means buy it now BAKING Unfortunately, you won’t get a delicious cake at the end of this process, but you will have a bullet-proof base that won’t smudge or budge throughout the day. By using a translucent, loose powder, you can ‘cook’ your makeup into place. Leaving to sit for up to 10 minutes, you can create a crease-free and flawless…

Joel Jr had a five-page plan to kill his parents Making of a MONSTERMONSTER Thanksgiving weekends are full of traditions. Most of all, it’s a time of year known for getting family together. In 2016, Joel Guy Sr and his wife Lisa, were hosting their final Thanksgiving gathering in their home in Knoxville, Louisiana. They had just sold their house and were moving to start a slower pace of life. Joel Sr, 61, was an engineer and was ready for a life of retirement. The couple had been married 31 years and they were looking forward to their golden years together. On November 24, Joel Sr and Lisa opened their home to Joel Sr’s three grown up daughters from a previous relationship, and their son Joel Jr, then 28. Joel…

As my fiancé, Gareth, then 31, chatted away on the phone, I was up to my eyeballs in wedding prep. Seating charts, table decorations, wedding favours - you name it, I still had tons of organising left to do. Who was that?’ I asked Gareth, prying myself away from my endless to-do list. ‘It was the blood stem cell people,’ he told me. ‘They think I might be a match for someone!’ ‘That’s amazing,’ I beamed. Gareth had signed up to be a donor back in 2016 in the hopes that it could save someone with blood cancer’s life, and I knew just how much it meant to him. When his dad was diagnosed with liver cancer earlier that year, and urgently needed a liver transplant, Gareth wanted to give…

BEFORE AFTER Staring out of my kitchen window, I was overwhelmed at the state of my garden. It was a gorgeous day outside and I knew the gardening was overdue, so I limped out to get the mower from the garage. Being outside in nature, especially gardening, used to be the highlight of my week. It had taken years to get the garden looking so wonderful. But, since I developed Plantar Fasciitis in 2015, a debilitating foot pain, my burning passion forgardening had been strimmed away. I couldn’t stand up for many minutes at a time and had began putting on an enormous amount of weight–almost 10st in three years. I spent most of my time indoors, sitting, resting my sore feet. I used to be a trim 11st 7lb,…

Count down to Christmas with a treat every day!…

ARIES 21 March–20 April It’s like a light has gone on in your head. You now see all along what and why others were trying to talk you into. Your ruling planet mars helps you take charge of the situations which were taken out of your hands last week. Do you know how brave you are, Aries? The rest of the zodiac looks up to you, so don’t reject your sign’s impulsive nature. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May The new moon on Sunday helps you to make sense of what others have done. You realise you need to cut loose from those who want different things from you. The guilt that you felt last week is not a problem anymore. Not now that you know they acted…

Sliding into my costume, I was ready to head out for work. Although I was only six-years-old, I was ready for a day of grafting. My job back then was to help the local clown with his acts and performances. To the other kids, Trumble the Clown was just an entertainer, but to me, he was so much more – he was my dad. My dad, Arnold, 69, entered the world of entertainment over 30 years ago. With a passion for making people laugh, we toured the country holding all sorts of comical shows. KEEP GIGGLING From magic, illusions to playing instruments – he was a hit. ‘Where’s my instrument?’ Trumble the Clown would shout, pretending to not know where it was. So, helping him out every weekend, it was…