Pick Me Up! Special November Special 2015

Blimey! These jack-o'- lanterns look down in the dumps about Halloween. It's nothing the fab stories in our Pick Me Up Autumn Special can't sort out though! Zombies are walking the streets on p14 - or so the neighbours thought, after Chantelle gave her brother a truly monstrous makeover! And on p54, poor Robyn had a more serious scare when, trapped in a house fire, she had to throw her baby out of the window to safety, before escaping herself. Amazing! It's good to see adorable little Isiah smiling again. Read how he bravely recovered after suffering an agonising skin reaction (p34). Poor mite. And congratulations to Leanne (p73) who, at 22st, felt she was too fat for nookie with her fella. But now she's a 12st stunner - and a tiger between the sheets! There's also…

My own caveman! Here’s my other half, Dave, fooling around on holiday in Torquay. Michelle Redman, South Wales Snug as a bug... Here’s my very cute baby son, Lenny. I dressed him up as a caterpillar though, given he was asleep, he was none the wiser! Gemma Davies, Gloucester My tiny treat Me and my daughter, Lily, 5, had great fun trick or treating – she’s my very own smashing pumpkin! Hayley Tomkins, Swansea Howl relaxing... Our adorable French Bulldog, Louis, loving the beach on his recent trip to France – he needed a holiday just as much as we did! Kimberley Preston, Staffordshire Face it! This is my 11-year-old girl, Dani, after she let her brother, Joseph, 5, do her make-up! Suzanne Simpson, Edinburgh It's a dog's life You’ve spent hours in the garden raking up all the leaves and then this scamp comes along… Say…

TO A TEA In October at Morrisons you can nab a pack of 40 PG Tips teabags for £1. They’re normally £1.99! THE GET GO! This fun Evo go-kart will be half price from 13 October – 13 December, having gone from £60 to £30! Piece by piece These great puzzles are just £7.50 each at Wilko 23 October – 26 November. LOCK IT DOWN If the wind is playing havoc with your hair, visit Superdrug to save 1/3 on all Superfish products, 21 October – 24 November! A hot deal! There’s nothing like a hearty winter fare – and if you head to Lidl you’ll find a range of cast iron pans and dishes on offer, including this great 25cm pan which is just £12.99. Hurry, because they’re sure to sell out soon!…

Shopping and having my nails done with my baby sister was a real treat. ‘Love that colour on you,’ Viviana, 19, grinned, admiring her own glossy talons. It was July 2008 and we were enjoying ‘sisterly time’ together. A single mum to Michael, then 4, and Sebastian, 3, I was 13 years older than Viviana. But we were so close... An amazing auntie, she doted on my boys. ‘I can’t wait for you to have a daughter, so I can do girly things like this with her,’ she giggled, as the manicurist applied a final coat. Fun and outgoing, Viviana wasn’t short of friends. And she was my best mate, too. She confided in me, telling me all about her boyfriend, David Goodell, then 30. ‘He’s had such a tough life, I’m all he’s got,’ she said. They’d met when…

Wag, wag, wag! Jumping off the settee, our boisterous black Labrador, Missy, was as excited about Christmas as we were. Thankfully, I wouldn’t be slaving over spuds and sprouts, though. My husband, John, 65, and I were going out for lunch with our son, Ryan, 30. Now, as I got ready, John took our pooch for a walk around the lanes near our house. An excitable 3-year-old, we often let Missy off the lead, so she could dart in and out of the bushes. As usual, when they got back, she was panting, but full of life. So, we scooped up our gift bags and set off. That evening, Ryan’s twin brother, Lawrence, stopped by. And Missy leapt off the settee to greet him, as usual. ‘Her leg’s wet,’ said Lawrence. Looking closer, I saw her front left leg was…

TROUBLED BY TRAUMA Eve, 27 The dream: I regularly dream I'm trying to run away from something but my feet feel like they're in concrete blocks and I have to drag them along. What I'm running from is never really clear and the setting always changes. I have this dream once every three or four months and I've had it since I was 7 or 8. It's horrible. I feel like I can't breathe and this panic is just rising. I'm always relieved when I wake up. What it means: ‘The image of feet in concrete blocks is a metaphor for feeling powerless. Thus you feel vulnerable and afraid. When a dream begins at a specific age, the fear likely began due to a trauma at that time. These recurring dreams tend to…