I am a Baalat-Tshuva and follow the directions of my cherished Artscroll-Siddur. It states that you have to bow twice in the first Bracha of the Shmone-Esre (at the beginning and at the end of the first Bracha). But when I look around, women seem to bow only once in the first Bracha. Am I doing anything wrong?

Your Siddur, and you, are correct in bowing at the beginning and end of the first Bracha. I am not sure how to explain the behavior of the other women in your shul: 1. Maybe you shouldn’t be looking around. 2. Maybe there is a woman you feel close enough to to ask.