RENDON, Texas There are butterflies everywhere in Crystal Masons house. Theres one hanging at the base of the stairs where she bangs on the wall to get the kids up for school in the morning. Theres a small butterfly sticker above a table where her grown childrens high school diplomas are on display. Theres a butterfly hanging above her bed and small butterfly stickers on the side of her bathtub. Theyre on Mason too; she has earrings and a ring in the shape of a butterfly. She has 10 butterflies tattooed on her, including several going up the side of her body, one on her left arm and two on her leg.

Butterflies are everywhere because, to Mason, they symbolize new beginnings.

Mason, 44, has a big house and a big family. She has three kids of her own, ages 19, 20 and 25, and she raised four of her brothers kids when he went to prison. Her two grandchildren and three grandnieces, ranging from newborn to age 10, also live with her, as does her mother. In total, there are nearly a dozen people living in Crystal Masons two-story house, which has red shutters and white columns and sits on a quiet cul-de-sac in Tarrant County. Its only about a 25-minute drive to downtown Fort Worth, but Mason describes the area as the sticks.

For most of the past year, Mason hasnt been able to live in this house. From late September to May 1, she was held at Federal Medical Center Carswell, a prison nearby. She was then moved to a halfway house an hour from Rendon, before being released to home confinement on June 24. Shes finally back in her home, with the butterflies and her family, although she is still facing two more years of federal supervised release.