Thanks for all your kind words.

I received an email from a member who asked some questions and I thought I'd
post the questions and my answers:

Why didn't you notify ATC as soon as you noticed ice building up?

Perhaps my post was not clear, but I didn't notice ice until about 3800' and
when I leveled off at 4000' it was massively clear I was picking up ice at
an alarming rate. I did indeed call up ATC immediately and told them,
"Philly approach, NxxxxG, I'm picking up ice at this altitude. I can't stay
here." They immediately lowered me to 3000'. By the time I got to 3000' I
had 1/4 inch or more. My next thought was, "am I still accumulating ice at
3000'?" The answer was not clear. It appeared that I was not, but maybe I
was slowly. I was looking VERY closely and I could not detect any more ice
build up. BUT...
1) my px was very very nervous as we both just saw a video on ice just two
days eariler. The video scared her and here we are 48 hours later in ice!
2) Even if I wasn't picking any more ice up now, it didn't mean I wouldn't
pick ice up later in the flight.
3) I was headed toward higher terrain and a higher MEA.

That reduced another "out". So after thinking that through I asked if I
could go lower (I really knew the answer). They said, "no, say intentions."
I immediately stated that I wanted to turn back to N14.

Next problem is they dicked around with me for a while before turning me
back and I didn't say anything. This is also when all hell was breaking
loose with the pitot freeze, the unusual attitude, the GPS zoom out, the
"lost" approach chart, the nervous px, the ice, the new clearance, the new
missed, turn to intercept the 232 radial..."radial?, OBS? 232? 232 set on
the bottom? no on the top! bottom? No TOP!, To Flag?, From Flag?, what's my
heading?, what my name...?"

My worst mistake was that I should have "demanded" a lower altitude and
accepted any heading change. I should have said, "No! I need an immediate
decent, I'll take any heading!" My next worst mistake was not admitting
that I was over-whelmed and needed a vector as other posters suggested.

Did you file a pilot report?

No. Only because I was so busy that I couldn't handle it. Maybe I could
have done that on the ground, but I didn't think of it.

Were you concerned that you might get a violation?

No. That was the last thing on my mind. I just wanted ATC to get me to an
ice free altitude or in VFR conditions. I remember saying to the controller
that I wanted to decend to VFR and cancel IFR when clear of clouds. But I
didn't get that. I did not want them to clear me for the VOR-A approach and
keep me in icing conditions on the way. I wanted to hear, "...turn left
230, decend at pilots descression to VFR and cancel IFR when able. That was
always my "out". I'm in flat land here in NJ. The ceiling was reported at
2600. I knew I could always decend. But I let ATC vector me around at
3000' for an approach I did not want. I have now learned to be more
assertive with ATC and will learn to say, "unable...I need an
immediate...blah, blah, blah..."

Did everyone see the Icing video put out by NASA and AOPA? I watched it
very closely after this incident and wish I watched it MORE closely the
first time.

Kobra