Yup - Head Gasket is blown

Well, I've been battling overheating problems for a while now. I've changed hoses, had the rad flushed, changed thermostat and water pump ... etc.
After the latest overheat, I was tinkering and trying to figure out what else could be wrong (found a crack in the rez bottle...) and while driving it around a little, heard a sputtering, ticking noise that I didn't like, and something just didn't feel right. I drove it over to a shop to get them to take a look - check the oil for coolant - and sure enough, my fears confirmed: head gasket is blown.

This is not something I feel confident to work on myself - nor am I equiped to do so. Any idea how many hours labour I'm looking at to get a head machined and replaced?

You don't need to machine the head or replace it. It most likely isn't warped. It needs to be removed and a new gasket installed, and that is it. You might could do it yourself, it isn't that hard, just time consuming. It would probably cost about $600 to have it done. The hardest part is removing the intake and exhaust, which isn't all that bad.

It'll help a LOT if the manifolds have been off before. As a benchmark, 2 years ago, I replaced the headgasket on my 94 4.0l in under 6 hours. The day before I left Chicago to head for Moab.