Interesting inputs Randy...enjoyed that.
Rick...back in the day, when I actually had a real income, I bought a small manual bandmill. I think of it as a woodworking tool. Have never tried to make money with it, and won't, and also have never tried to figure out when it has "paid for itself"...have never tried to figure that out for my jointer, planer and tablesaw, either. What it lets me do is mess with the small stuff as well as the nice big ones. If you're not paying a sawyer you can afford to experiment. Anyway, such a solution probably won't help with your current log pile, but I'd recommend putting it on your "someday when the time is right list", particularly if you'll have logs available to you from time to time. I expect used ones show up for sale now and then. Something that really trips me out is making that first cut, lifting off the slab and seeing what's inside...never get tired of that.
I use the same stickers that Larry uses...furring strips. Cheap, usually dry enough, and long enough to cut to any length you need. I have had staining from using stickers that weren't dry.
Your boards will shrink some in thickness as they dry, and the first planing pass will remove some material as well, so I'd recommend overcutting. If you think you'll be working with final stock dimensioned to 3/4 I'd rough saw to 1"...warps, etc, also contribute to a reduced final thickness. Give yourself some wiggle room. The pain of some thickness being sucked away by the dust collector is less than the pain of looking at a beautiful board that's going to end up thinner than you need.
A lot of my small log experiments end up in the woodstove, but at least they had a chance.
Good luck with that pile...looks like fun.
Cheers.