If you are new, or even if you are not, using a command line interface is extra
work. One of the feature I like on the Ubuntu distro is the feature rich set of
gui utilities. I don't like having to go through a learning curve for every
little change I need to make.

True, but there are many things that can only be done at the command
line, especially if you want to set up a server.

Ubuntu's gui utilities are only feature rich when compared to (some)
other distros' gui utilities, I'm afraid. When it comes to accessing
the real power of Linux, you need the terminal. And it's really not
*that* hard to learn

The server would have very low traffic my net connection only has 2mbps upload.
I was thinking of a lite GUI (install x-window-system-core gnome-core) trying to
stick mainly to learning the command line. I was considering a GUI you could
close without closing Linux it's self.

If the web sites have significant traffic, the usual approach is to install with
no GUI, also no keyboard or monitor once the system is set up. Maintenance is
done from another computer, using SSH.

Most "power hog" computers need a lot of power for their video cards. Your
server doesn't need much in the way of a video card, so it shouldn't be a power
hog.