Rachel the thief

Genesis 31:19 - When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods.

Exactly when Rachel stole these gods is not completely clear. The sequence of events that does seem clear is this:

1. Jacob sees the attitude change in Uncle Laban.
2. God tells Jacob to go back home to Isaac.
3. Jacob calls his wives out to the fields.
4. Jacob puts his family on camels.
5. They all begin the journey toward Isaac.

Steps 3, 4, and 5 were done without Laban's knowledge, so maybe he had left home to shear his sheep before step 3.

Somewhere in the sequence, all the children were gathered together too. If any were still back home, maybe Rachel stole the gods while collecting the rest of the family and whatever else she thought was needed for the trip.

My big wonder here is this: Why did Rachel bother to pack Laban's households gods along for the trip? My question has nothing to do with the idolatry that must have been involved. Jacob was a rich man; they could have made more idols if they wanted them. So again, why take Dad's?

Were they cute? Did she want them as a remembrance of home? Did they serve some practical purpose like bookends or paperweights or bottle openers? Were they a unique color? Did she want to make her father angry?

I wonder if Jacob ever did find out that Rachel stole them. I wonder if they were ever used -- for anything -- again.