Pick Me Up! Special Winter 2018

The bond between sisters can be a remarkable one – and even more so when they are twins. Natalie and Leanne (pg22) have been inseparable since birth, so it’s not surprising that they went into labour on the same day, too! Sadly, when the sibling bond is broken, it can be devastating. But Sarah (pg16) found an extraordinary way of celebrating the life of her sister Emma – even though it meant facing temperatures of -25C. This month we’re sharing the difficult journey Lisa has been on with her daughter (pg36). After finally falling pregnant with her daughter Jenna, she was devastated when she was born with cancer – but Lisa’s brave girl would amaze them all. Karen (pg18) wants you all to act after reading what happened in her…

Making the most of it This pretty much sums up my last holiday of the year – soaking up the sun with a cocktail before winter truly sets in. Claire, Dundee Best friends forever I love my sisters to bits and I wanted to share this lovely photo of us. We’ll be best friends forever! Josslyn, Stoke-on-Trent Little jungle baby Jonah is my little jungle baby. Of course he won’t remember this, but I think he looks adorable on his blanket. Trisha, Nottingham You made me jump! I got my daughter Isabella to try out these face masks with me. We ended up looking pretty scary, but we had so much fun doing it. Yvette, Exeter It's a tough life out there…

Popping his head out of my handbag, little Cookie looked at the scenery. ‘We’re almost there,’I said, soothingly. It was a sunny, lazy bank holiday Monday last August. Me and Cookie, my new Chiweenie puppy – a cross between a Chihuahua and a dachshund – were driving to see Patrick, an old family friend. He lived a few streets away with his partner and son and I was looking forward to catching up with him. ‘Come in!’Patrick beamed, as we arrived. His son was upstairs in his room with his girlfriend. Patrick and I wandered into the kitchen, but just as we sat down for a cuppa, there was a knock at the door. Rolling his eyes, Patrick went off to see who it was. Alone in the kitchen, I…

Handing me his football as we played in the garden, my little boy, Charlie, 13 months, smiled. ‘Up!’ he squealed. ‘I think Daddy’s better at this game,’ I smiled, throwing my husband, Alan, 31, the ball. ‘Up! Up!’ Charlie continued to chant excitedly. ‘OK,’ Alan smiled, kicking the ball as high into the air as he could, while Charlie dashed off after it in fits of giggles. A handful, our little lad kept us both on our toes. When he wasn’t running around outside, Charlie was glued to episodes of Paw Patrol or Peppa Pig. One morning, when I dropped Charlie at nursery, one of the helpers told me a couple of the children had recently had the chickenpox. ‘I expect Charlie will catch them soon then,’ I replied. A…

Placing the delivery crates in the kitchen, my daughter Beckie and I dived right in. ‘Jammie Dodgers!' I smiled, grabbing the pack of biscuits. ‘Perfect with a cup of tea,' Beckie, 20, laughed. Unpacking our Tesco delivery was a weekly event, and we were always excited when it arrived. We weren't the type to go to the supermarket, preferring our groceries to be brought right to our door. I worked as a dinner lady, my husband Paul, 52, was a roofer, Beckie volunteered at a pet shop, and my other daughter Emma, 24, worked as a cashier. None of us had the time to do the shopping! But the kitchen was always chaos on delivery day. Our two dogs, Bear and Trouble, have to be held back from diving into…

An orange cat grins from ear to ear, with two beautiful birds of paradise next to it. Next to them is a group of baby penguins, a shark swimming in water and a skeleton staring out at the scene. Suddenly, a gigantic hand reaches down and pops one of the penguins into her mouth! This might sound like a scene from a fantasy film, but it’s actually all taking place in my kitchen! You see, I create elaborate sculptures from fruit and vegetables using knives, skewers and cocktail sticks. I can just look at a piece of fruit and I can just see an animal or character straight away. Other times I’ll have an animal in mind and I’ll think about which fruit or vegetable I could use to make…