I sincerely hope Spring Branch is able to have their sale. They generally have marvelous violets. I am worried that Rita has changed many plans. If you are not able to make that sale, the Texas LSAVC Convention will be Nov 4/5 in Corpus Christi TX. (Barring hurricanes). All the people from Spring Branch, and from all over Texas will be there and our state conventions are really fantastic events! I know Hill Country AVs will have a table in the commercial sales room and you can buy from Ken. He does not sell except through his shop in Boerne, or at the San Antonio shows, or the Texas conventions. I generally purchase a LOT when I see him as it is really good stuff. If you can't go, maybe someone in Spring Branch can bring you back some. You can find information about the Texas convention at our LSAVC site - click on "Events". Hope to see you there! You would LOVE it!! Marjorie in Corpus Christi TX Here is a link that might be useful: LSAVC (Texas)

hehehe....I'm starting to feel like I'm in a receiving line at an very big Italian wedding! This forum looks deceptively obscure and small, but step in the door and....MEET the inlaws! "This is my cousin Vinny. He's a Grimaldi man all the way...he'll set you up". Okay, my giggles are subsiding enough to type on... Phoenixryan, thanks for the welcome. And I really appreciate you confirming that Kartuz is a reliable grower, cuz that was just a shot in the dark. And I also appreciate knowing about the eBay grower/venders. Someone else mentioned them in this thread but I thought they were folks from this forum. So now I know they are eBayers. Well any addict will tell ya...always good to have sources...day or night. Hi Daniella (or is it Daniel?)! Maybe we should start a 12 step program for pre-brugs. However your enthusiasm is dangerously contagious and it might backfire. And yes we are all one...and I'm sure to become color blind. Speaking of enthusiasm... I went to the nursery today and the woman attendant led me through a maze of plants in the greenhouse and finally stopped at the one brug plant which apparently was left like an orphan to fend off the winter alone. I was still on a brug high from my conversations in this forum and was speaking about them in hushed, breathless tones of awe. The attendent seemed perplexed at all the fuss. I asked when they were planning to get more in and she said it was not really on their plant list, but they sometimes took them when growers had them available. She said they weren't big money makers for growers. I must have gasped because she raised her eyebrows and began backing away. I'm guessing she thought I was one of those folks who claimed to see the image of Mother Mary in a leaf or cracker....as my reverence for this mere 'plant' seemed vastly disproportionate to her own borderline disinterest. See what you guys did! I need to get a grip! Anyway, thank you again for all the help and welcomes. My name is Dragonfly Wings and I've been a brug addict for two days, one hour and 36 minutes....

Well, here's my version of directions. From San Antonio I've found the fastest way to be straight 35 to Walnut Ave. in New Braunfels (this is also called 46, but while in N.B. there are two 46's. Take the one called Walnut and head north.) to... 1863 and it is just a short distance north and turn left. Schumacher's is just a hop away from that intersection on the right. If you're coming down 281 from the north, then take the 46 exit for New Braunfels. It is a huge sign! Head left, south, to 1863, then take a right onto 1863 and it will be just a hop down on your right. I've tried the country roads to get there from S.A. and they take much longer than the 35 route. I'm a fan of country roads but not if they add 30 minutes to the drive. Patty, have you gone yet? I'm thinking about going...

My thoughts are all about the master suite: - Do you think you'll want a TV in the bedroom? If so, note that you won't be able to place it at the foot of the bed, which would be the natural spot. - I'd move the bedroom door down the hallway. This allows you to eliminate the door from the bedroom itself ... and it allows you to move the bathroom door into that entrance hallway (illustration below). This keeps bathroom light from spilling out onto a sleeper, and it would allow you a shallow linen closet across from the sink. More storage is always welcome. - Note that by using double sinks, you've crammed one person up against the wall. I'd much rather have one nice sink with a good drawer stack for each person. - I'd flip-flop the shower door's direction; it'd be more natural to enter the shower without having the walk around the door. - I hate that you have no natural light in this bathroom. The same is true of the mudroom and the master bedroom entrance hallway. Dark hallways are not pleasant. - For a house this size, the closet isn't particularly spacious. Consider, too, that this layout requires you to walk the whole length of the bathroom to reach the closet. I'm not against bathrooms-in-closets, but they're often poorly arranged -- and this is an example. If you were to flip-flop the bathroom and the closet (make the closet a walk-through), the closet would become more convenient, and the bathroom could have natural light. - On the other hand, the bedroom seems oversized to me -- it's a lot of empty square footage for a room where you'll be asleep -- but I'm in the camp of "bedrooms aren't a space to splurge on space". - Where is the laundry room? Most people want it to be convenient to the master bedroom and/or the kitchen. - Are you going to be happy with a master suite off the mudroom? It may hurt resale. And the garage entrance: - Instead of making people walk catty-cornered across the mudroom, I'd place the door across from the kitchen entrance, which allows you a straight-line into the house. You don't lose any mudroom storage; it's just divided into two runs, which could work out well.