In which I share my solution

Ooh, that touched a cord, didn't it? That picture of my WIP/UFO pile? As some of you so rightly pointed out, that wasn't even all. I know, I know. But you did manage to make me feel okay about this awful situation. Some of you even went so far as to say they feel less guilty about their own state of stitchy affairs after seeing the pitiful state of most of my projects. Awww. You're all so sweet.
Look. Here's some more. Most of these came from the deepest, darkest corners of my UFO drawer, where the sun literally never shines.

The Blue Lady, the Pistols, Mrs. Slocombe is nowhere to be seen. That's because she doesn't count. A couple of months ago, the wonderful Anna van Schuurman (aka Stitch Bitch) asked some of us bloggers to tell the stitchy blogging community what their favourite ever cross stitch project is. If you want to know why The Blue Lady, the Pistols, Mrs. Slocombe doesn't count as a WIP (she's never a UFO), then please read this.

Thank you for you suggestions on how to tackle this Mount Snowdon of a WIP/UFO pile. I took some of your advice and mixed it all up and came up with a solution: I put them all back in their bags.

Except for this one:
A project I like to call the Birds, by Edith Hansen for Fremme. It's nearly finished! And it has a spring-like feel to it that I really like. Excusez les wrinkles, but I won't iron my projects before they're done.

And of course I started something new in the form of this:

Pipien was too busy with her ablutions to look up, so you can't really see the resemblance between her and the stitched one. Pantoef, of course, was happy to oblige. The design is from Cross Country Stitching magazine.

I'm still waiting for the mail to deliver the exchange gift I stitched/wrought for Melissa. Her exchange gift for me arrived here in record time, but mine is taking for-bloody-ever! That's why I keep bothering you with my completely uninteresting Wips and UFOs, you see. I wouldn't have anything else to talk about!

Oh, hang on! I was nominated. Tagged, if you will. For the Beautiful Blogger award! By Charlene! Isn't that sweet? Thank you, dear Charlene, I'm flattered! I'm going to be a complete pain and not play by the rules. I won't nominate 7 other bloggers, because there are too many of you. Seriously. If I love your blog, then I have probably already expressed my fan-dom in my comments. No need to do it here. I will, however, answer the question that goes with this award, i.e. name 7 unknown-ish facts about yourself. I'm not sure that after five years of blogging I still have secrets you don't know about, but here we go:

1. I was not a good girl while growing up. I spent some time in a police cell. And I spent precious little time at school, thinking the fair cities of The Hague and Rotterdam were much more enjoyable than that awful, smelly, seventies school building.

2. I can't wink.

3. When I grow up, I want to be a lady enjoying her blue flower garden, in a blue-gray dress, with a blue hat, and with pink hair, at peace with herself and with the world.

4. I hate brushing my teeth. I do it, but I hate it. Pelle's teeth: ditto.

5. If being a recluse would be socially acceptable and not frowned upon by my family and friends, I would be a recluse.

6. I am horribly afraid I may have become a cat lady because there are so many cute cat projects to be stitched.

7. I live in the middle of the woods, all alone (with my small son, of course) but I've never, ever been afraid to go outside alone. Not ever. Until a couple of months ago, when I got such a dreadful, heart-stopping scare that now I'm afraid to even open my door late at night. If you want to know that story (and it's a good one) let me know in the comments, so I can share in a next post.

Okay. This was a long post and I'm sorry. Blame the award. And the stitching. And yourself, because you all keep coming back!

Yours all over the placely,

Annemarie.