BG - DH and I are separated, but trying very hard to work it out. It's a slow process. Consequently, I didn't send out our usual photo Christmas card that I usually do. DH is living at his parents house, but has been spending more and more time at my house as we try and work through our issues. Also, money is extremely tight right now...I haven't been this broke since I was a teenager living on my own for the first time and trying to make rent.
Cards are not an option this year, but I didn't want to skip my immediate family. I did cards for my parents, my in-laws, my brother, my SIL (yes, the one who hasn't spoken to me in 18 months), and my Grandmother. For my SIL and in-laws, I thought that sending them a card signed by my kids only would cut the awkwardness quotient down. We picked out specific "from the kids" cards. I enclosed pictures of the kids with Santa, and it was signed "love, DS and DD" in my handwriting (DS can write his name, but barely). I slapped on freebie return address labels (the kind that come in junk mail, asking for donations), and sent them out.
MIL had a fit because the address label reads "Ms. Cindy Lastname". Not Mrs. Well, I didn't really pay attention to that. I was really only concerned with the fact that they didn't cost me any money. She says I am not serious about working things out with DH, I have already ordered my new "single woman" stationary", blah blah blah - as if I have time or money for such things. Seriously, the woman needs a hobby that doesn't involve nit-picking my life.
So, is it incorrect etiquette-wise to use those labels if they are not completely correct? This wasn't a wedding invitation, it was a greeting card. I looked over my stash of labels, and they almost ALL say "Ms.". I always paid all the bills and did all the charitable donations (something my in-laws don't really do), so all the labels have my name on them - not DH's. At least they got my very long and frequently misspelled last name right.