On Friday morning, March 4th, 2005 at 12:30am, Martha Stewart was released from prison. Her five month stay at the Alderson Federal Reformatory for Women in Alderson, W. Virginia came to an end along with cleaning toilets. AP Photographer, Stephan Savoia captured Stewart waving as she boarded her airplane at Greenbrier Valley Airport in Lewisburg, W. Va. Today, she heads home to her 153-acre Bedford New York estate.

For the next five months, the sixty-three year-old entrepreneur turned convict will be allowed to leave her home no more than 48 hours a week.

During those hours, she will be allowed to go to work, visit her doctor or dentist, attend church or go shopping for groceries. She can also use this time to borrow a cup of sugar from her neighbor Richard Gere or Ralph Lauren, but it will be counted.

She will not be allowed to go on vacation until August.

However, after being in prison for the past five months, home will likely feel like a vacation.

In August, she'll be free to travel to her other homes within the New York area. Beyond that, she'll need permission from her probation officer.

Martha will be allowed to resume her "Ask Martha" magazine column immediately.

Readership of her Martha Stewart Living magazine is down since O : The Oprah Magazine has come onto the scene. Currently, Stewart boasts a readership of 1.8 million.

Her head appears on the cover of the latest Newsweek Magazine. Stewart's body, however, was replaced with a model's body for the cover story "Martha's Last Laugh."

Next season, Martha Stewart will appear in two TV shows: a syndicated homemaking program filmed before a live audience, and her own prime-time version of The Apprentice. This Reality TV show, like The Apprentice, will be produced by Mark Burnett.

Women, in particular, are looking forward to seeing Martha Stewart back in action.

In a USA TODAY / CNN / Gallup Poll of 1,008 adult taken February 25-27, 57% of women said they were sympathetic toward Stewart, compared with 37% of men.

In June 2003, only 35% of the women surveyed were sympathetic to Stewart's pending jail time.

More than half of the women who responded to the poll hoped Stewart would succeed upon her return to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. While I was not polled, I am one of them.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has been on the upswing since Martha went to jail.

Stewart still controls more than 30 million shares which represents about 60% of the stock. Her stake alone is worth more than $1 billion -- up from $270 million last June.

On Thursday, MSO's (NYSE) share price closed at $33.95.

The run-up over the past few months is considered due to Martha's anticipated return to the company she founded.

Officials at her company hope there is no looking back.

Omnimedia CEO (since November), Susan Lyne said:

Stewart's return allows us to start the next phase of our growth.

We've been through 2 1/2 to three years of uncertainty.

Now she's coming back, unencumbered and with no distractions.

Welcome Home Martha!

Congratulations on making the best of your time in prison -- inspiring women less fortunate than you, as well as introducing them to yoga, Barbara Walters and Rosie O'Donnell.

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "learning how to apologize, be forgiven, and then move-on" living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King , Rugged Elegant Living publisher

Martha Stewart (NYSE: MSO) Shares Up 22% After Founder's 5 Month Jail Sentence

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