Well, if we're strolling down memory lane, does anyone recall the bishop's private chapel on the 2nd floor? Did it have a blue fleur-de-lis ceiling? I always loved that chapel, but the only time I was ever allowed in it was for the 1st week we arrived at the seminary for our Ignatian retreat. Never saw it again after that.
PS: How about that seminary bread Scott made? That was the best ever.
It convinced me to get a bread machine shortly after I got a job again and moved to Texas, got married, etc. I managed to find a good replacement/recipe for the white bread and the cinnamon raisin bread (remember the loaf for every seminarian to take home at Christmas and Easter?), but the other types I haven't yet found a good recipe for. Namely, the barley, the sourdough, and the whole wheat.
My son and a couple of my girls can create a loaf of that cinnamon raisin bread on command now, and it's almost exactly like Scott's version. It's about 2.5 lbs, but probably costs about $1.20 to make, including the cup and a half of raisins we put in -- which is about half the cost. The 8 kids can polish off a loaf in one sitting. But still -- being able to feed 8 kids a meal for $1.20 plus some peanut butter and preserves -- not bad.
I'm trying to get them into making breakfasts in the morning now. They need to make homemade oatmeal, cream of wheat, bread, waffles, pancakes, etc. Basically things that involve basic cheap ingredients and create more value when cooked. Those 10 oz boxes of cold cereal for $2.80 at the store are a joke for a large family. Have you seen how THIN some boxes of cold cereal have become? The boxes barely stand up on their own anymore, they're getting so thin. For the days when cold cereal is on the menu, they need to stick to large BAGS of bulk cereal, just like guess-where.
I keep quoting my seminary days to my wife & kids, which is my constant guide and model for large family life.