I think I'm trying to do too much with one character here. Even after refining the lab and spending 2 seasons after installing virtues, I just can't get a lab total over 26. I will need to take some time and see if I need to drop Puissant and pick up mMF. Or even drop Elemental Magic and pick up MMF. EM is nice, but am I really going to study one of the elemental forms?
Elemental Magic is rather weak. It's a shame, as it may well be the coolest Major Hermetic Virtue. The only way Elemental Magic seems to be worth it is if both a) you use the HMRE interpretation that allows it to affect starting experience, and b) you focus on using the requisites bit, meaning you're likely doing a lot of Muto stuff between the different elements. It's not so bad that it's terrible to take, so people do enjoy taking it.
Now, as for hitting decent lab totals, let me know what spells you want to make, just Art combinations and the basic idea. For example, make a region cold PeIg, or create a block of ice CrAq. Here's a quick method that will get you far, though:
Int +3
Minor/Major Magical Focus
Magic Theory 3
Technique 10
Form 10
You've spent 30+55+55=140 points. You have a lab total of 41 in a +5 Aura if your Focus applies. You can still choose a specialty for Magic Theory. You also still have lots of points of Virtues left, which could supply more experience or boost Magic Theory, Technique, or Form. Even without the Focus, drop those 10s to 9s and choose the right specialty for Magic Theory, and now you have a lab total of 30 in a +5 Aura for that combination having spent 120 points and no Virtues.
Wait, what? I just looked at her. Her PeIg lab total is way, way above 26. Int 2 + Magic Theory 3+2 + Aura 5 = 12 to start with. You must be working with stuff well outside your good areas, or did you leave out something?
You could add a potent magic virtue too, that’s a +3 plus extra up to your MT score.
Potent Magic is not in the books allowed by the SG 
. Although “The Mysteries” is referenced in several. What if I want to make a Tytalus Titanoi, or a Huntress in the Wood cultist? Both are inside the books allowed, but the Virtues and mechanics involved are in “The Mysteries”.
The damage base effects for cold damage (PeIg) are one step up from the base effects of fire damage (CrIg) so mechanically you can just step up the spell by one mag and be done. It can be a ball of blue fire that roils towards the target sapping the heat from everything it touches. It can be a blue laser, it can be anything you want it to be.
HoH:MC contains the rules needed. No need to go to TMRE.
If I go outside PeIg, which I want to do with CrAq (as an example), the lab total sucks.
Simplified mechanics for initiating Mysteries are on HoH. I stand corrected that Potent Magic is indeed in HoH:MC. Hermetic Theurgic Magic Virtues (which is what the Bjornaer Huntress in the Wood cult teaches) are not in the allowed books. Titanoi Tytali use Hermetic Theurgy as well.
So I made some serious changes to Vonette, and I'm pretty darned happy with what happened. I dropped Elemental Magic, instead taking Major Magical Focus (Ice and Snow). I changed Puissant Perdo to Puissant Aquam, and then dropped Auram and Terram altogether. Cr/Pe/Re are at 5, while Aq/Ig are both at 10+3. After spending 2 seasons to get the Excessive Cooling virtue in the lab (Excessive Heating reskinned as Excessive Cooling; no mechanical change), I did some tests to see what would happen when trying to invent spells or invest devices. I am happy with the results. Still sucks having to spend 6 seasons on one spell I tested, but I can create the brooch of protection from fire in 1 season by dropping damage resistance from +15 to +10. 1 season. Or, rather, 2 seasons, as I'd have to earn Vis wages for a season to get the 2 pawns of Ignem vis for this.
Much more focused character. Definitely happy with how she's coming out now.
Glad you're happy. Does anyone else think that focus is probably Minor rather than Major? It is really specific...
If I have to change it to make it broader, I'll happily do so. I'd love to get fire and water in it, to get the bonus on both Aquam and Ignem. You know, the whole "Fire and Ice" thing.
I don't know how you would reword it to do that... but it is something to shoot for. I'll let the others weigh in. It just seemed really narrow.
Ah, you're right, a few Titanus Virtues are in TMRE as well as potentially in RoP:tI. I hadn't realized the Huntress in the Wood had one as well.
Ya, ice and snow sounds like a Minor Magical Focus to me.
Maybe if you went with something like "winter," with the understanding that it's not everything you do in the winter, but rather things that are inherently associated with winter. That would include cold, and maybe a few other things. But you could stick with it as a Minor Magical Focus (same mechanics) and then use the other two points of Virtues to expand your capabilities.
Ice and Snow is a minor magical focus in one of the Sub Rosa mags, which went through a fair review. I’d support it as a minor.
seconded
Got it sorted. Finally. Took mMF in Ice and Snow, and then applied that to all of the applicable spells. I then took Affinity for (Art) twice, once in Ignem and once in Aquam. This allowed me to increase Cr, Pe, Re, Aq, and Ig all by 1 point each, as well as getting In at 1 and Mu at 2. And by doing this, I see that it will shave time off of creating spells in the lab. For example, creating the Block of Ice CrAq spell that ironboundtome linked to now will take 4 seasons instead of 6. Big difference.
Thanks for all the help, everyone. I will stop bogarting the OOC thread now. 
Word to the wise, if your last season of inventing something is under filled (so if you invent put in 10,10,10,4 levels over 4 seasons) you can invent another spell of the same TeFo at the same time (an extinguish candle spell for example) or you can try and buff your lab total for 1 season with over time or what ever.