Clearly I have too much time on my hands today.
Me too.
To true, including about 30% of the posters on these forum.
Along with many of the other people both answering questions on these forums and frankly, successfully hiking the AT.
I strongly disagree that having to ask questions means a poster doesn't have a clue. That's just a jerk statement!
Sorry, my poor cranky forum friend, I call bull. andsoshewalks is doing her "own homework" by asking "experts", many of whom contribute to these forums. Now, if she can just get some experts to answer she'll be doing pretty well. She'll be able to evaluate the group input, consider things she didn't think of on her own, and hopefully make good decisions based on broader group knowledge. Venchka, if you're cranky about people asking for advice from a novice perspective, go be cranky somewhere else.
Great advice. See there are good things to be found by doing your homework here.
Another great piece of advice.
An arrogant and ill informed, unnecessary and derogatory, comment.
I would suggest that a well made quilt is every bit as warm and comfortable as an equivalently rated bag with the exception of headgear. Make sure you have good headgear. Some people don't like wool and/or down. There are many good alternatives like the fleece you have suggested that you already own. Also, I don't do the down booty thing even though I am down with booty.
Good super warm socks, fleece socks or the like are quite effective for many of us.
More good advice.
What is a proper cold weather stove? We're not talking about -20 degrees here. I can think of a lot of ways to stay warm that don't include carrying enough extra fuel to heat two quarts of water every night just to stay warm. But, I think Venchka is getting at a couple good points here. If it is colder than your gear works well for on a night now and again, hot water bottles can help you make it through the night much more comfortably (and/or alive). And, some stoves in the hands of some people are problematic in temperatures near and below freezing, so make sure your stove works in your hands down to the temperatures you are likely to encounter on your trip.
Your two most important tools are knowledge and physical fitness. With enough of those two things, which take time and effort, but weigh nothing, you can either figure out a solution to just about any problem you encounter, and/or you can hike out, off the trail to safety.