Shortly after midnight, Martha Stewart emerged from the federal women's prison in Alderson, West Virginia, and was driven to an airport where a private jet flew her back to the world that she knows best. After landing at the Westchester County Airport, she was then driven to her 153 acre estate in Bedford, New York where she will spend the next five months of her sentence.

After arriving home and getting settled in, she spent some time outside with her dog, and stopped to feed her horses. Thus, she begins her period of 'home confinement.'

Stewart will now be allowed to work and can leave her home for up to 48 hours per week to go to work, grocery shop, or for medical appointments. She will also start getting paid again - her $900,000 per year salary was disallowed while she was in prison. She will be required to wear an electronic anklet for the duration. And, of course, there will be no shopping excursions or quick trips to the Bahamas.

Stewart could have spent this period at any one of her other three homes, but chose this one for its proximity to New York and because her animals are all there. She is expected to begin working on her two upcoming television shows and continue to write for her magazine. She can also entertain and most likely will conduct interviews (from home, of course) to publicize her upcoming shows.

No doubt, Martha has been humbled by this experience. She wrote on her website, 'The experience of the last five months... has been life altering and life affirming,' She also said that she hopes to write about this experience.

Her prison time was not entirely wasted. While incarcerated, Stewart lost some weight, and participated in yoga classes and a writing group. She also tried to do some creative cookery in the prison microwave. But more importantly, Martha Stewart had an opportunity to see first hand the inequities of the current prison system. Look for her to become more of a voice for prison reform and the rights of prisoners.

Should Martha Stewart have gone to prison? Probably not. Home confinement would have served the same purpose - to punish and make an example of her. In fact, her going to prison will most likely help her career, rather than to hurt it. Once viewed as someone who was 'above' others, Stewart has been in the trenches now. People who otherwise might not have watched her show, will tune in just to see what she will say about her experience. She will make more money than ever.

Welcome home, Martha and enjoy the simple things in life, because as you say on your website, 'there's no place like home.'