also, what are your thoughts on this mixer?

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MG12-4/

What kind of computer & software are you using for recording and mixing?
You will need to have some decent monitors (speakers) for mixing - headphones only is not a good way to start. Also, you'll need space with decent acoustics for both recording and mixing. Ditch the internal sound card and get something you can count on. The Mackie VLZ has decent enough preamps. Pull your signal out of the insert SEND and go straight into your sound card. Get a sound card that has enough inputs that you can multitrack everything and do all your mixing in the computer.

You might check out the MOTU Traveler - it's a firewire interface with some good preamps - if you're only using the mixer for mic preamps, you might be able to skip the mixer and use only the Traveler.

For your home recording purposes, I wouldn't necessarily even recommend any mixer interface. What I would recommend is a device, such as one of the many FireWire empowered microphone preamplifier/computer interface. Your mixer is in the software of your choice. Some interfaces, many of them, bundle some type of software that is designed to work well with the included interface. You only need a mixer if you plan on using it for live and/or PA purposes. But if all you plan on doing is recording at home, you only need a quality front end, which your computer soundcard is not. So instead of wasting your money on a mixer to be included with a less than mediocre soundcard, purchased a good soundcard that has reasonable microphone preamplifier's already built in. It's a wiser investment.

Playing with FireWire won't get you burnt
Ms. Remy Ann David

Its always a matter of how much money you want to spend... It looks like you've already spent 1100? well think about this. Are you gonna get into serious mixing or are you just gonna fool around and record some music?

On this trend of spending I'd say you could easily get easily get a decent setup that could record just about anything you could imagine.

Drums or no drums? If drums you'll need a mixer simple as that. If no drums then what are you really doing? But if so then you can do it on the cheap... You'll still need a multichannel audio interface.... I'd get an Mbox + Pro Tools LE... or something with 2+ mic (with 48v phatom power) inputs and 2 instrument/quarter inch inputs.

Reason being: you'll want to get yourself atleast 1 SM57 (Dynamic Microphone used for loud crap - drums, guitar cabs, and some vocals) and use it to mic your amp or cab. (Later you will mix your Amp with your clean podxt input) This gives you a bigger less DiGiTaL sound. With guitars its all about stereo and a bunch of tracks and crap but thats another discussion.

Other than that the only reason you'd get a mixer is if you want to use external hardware like compressors and other dynamic proccesors.

For my setup: (i'm a beginner too)
Mackie ONYX 1620 (16 tracks of independent digital audio at 92k via firewire - it becomes your new soundcard SUPERB quality compared to standard sound cards)
Adobe Audition ($150 for students!!!)
Rackmounts of crap (gates, compressors, pre amps, guitar modelers, etc)
Lots mediocre mics.
cabs, amps, bass amps, as many as I can fit in my studio.

minus computers and racks it comes to about $1500.00 so i suggest that very much (CUZ I use IT!)